Democrats on Verge of Crack-Up Over Health Care? Dem Rep. Says "Very Difficult" to Support Plan with No Public Option - Video 8/16/09

Here is video that may signal a coming Democrat "crack-up" over Health Care. Dem Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson told CNN's John King yesterday that it would be "very, very, difficult" to support a Health Care Bill that does not include a "robust public option." King asked Johnson if she and other Democrats would be conveying that to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and she replied, "We already have."

This may be why the White House appears this morning to be back-tracking on their backpeddling on Health Care! The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reports late last night:

An administration official said tonight that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "misspoke" when she told CNN this morning that a government run health insurance option "is not an essential part" of reform. This official asked not to be identified in exchange for providing clarity about the intentions of the President. The official said that the White House did not intend to change its messaging and that Sebelius simply meant to echo the president, who has acknowledged that the public option is a tough sell in the Senate and is, at the same time, a must-pass for House Democrats, and is not, in the president's view, the most important element of the reform package.

A second official, Linda Douglass, director of health reform communications for the administration, said that President Obama believed that a public option was the best way to reduce costs and promote competition among insurance companies, that he had not backed away from that belief, and that he still wanted to see a public option in the final bill.

"Nothing has changed.," she said. "The President has always said that what is essential that health insurance reform lower costs, ensure that there are affordable options for all Americans and increase choice and competition in the health insurance market. He believes that the public option is the best way to achieve these goals."

A third White House official, via e-mail, said that Sebelius didn't misspeak. "The media misplayed it," the third official said. . . . . MORE

So, it's too early for conservatives to celebrate. The "public option" is not dead, but Obama is clearly on the ropes in this battle. If he keeps the public option, public opinion is moving against him. If he takes it out, the Democrats may just revolt and kill anything he tries to pass. As the old saying goes, Obama is "being a rock and a hard place" on Health Care.