A sneak attack: Don't look now, but health care is back and so is the manipulation.

OK, so it is not really a sneak attack.

No one really believed that the health care debate was going to turn from a partisan bickerfest into a circle of friendship focused on what is best for the American people.

So it should really surprise no one that there is backdoor politics afoot.

Once again, and it really seems like it is more about saving face than anything else, the Democrats are trying to wiggle the rules to get legislation passed.

It will not be a complete victory, but it is something.

Sigh. Boy does anyone in Washington ever really listen?

The citizenry has made it clear that the current path for health care reform is not the one they want to see their leaders pursue. In fact, they have put an exclamation point at the end of that sentence, threatening to get rid of anyone who chooses to move forward with the old plan, thinking he or she knows better than the citizens he or she serves.

And so, because of a few extremely brave souls who either are not up for re-election or who simply do not care, there is movement again in the health-care debate.

The good news is there are still a few leaders in Washington who are afraid and who have been shaken up by recent events -- enough so that getting the necessary Democratic votes is still a question.

But this should remind us all that there are still politicians who need to be watched in Washington.

There are some who still do not completely comprehend that they work for their constituents, not the other way around.

Published in Editorials on March 1, 2010 10:43 AM