The Lion and Gun

Following up on my post below, Paul Krugman agrees with me:
But now Max Baucus — Max Baucus! — is leading the charge on a health care plan that, at least at first read, is more like Hillary Clinton’s than Barack Obama’s; that is, it looks like an attempt at full universality. (The word I hear, by the way, is that Obama’s opposition to mandates was tactical politics, not conviction — so he may well be prepared to do the right thing now that the election is won.)

So this looks very good for the reformers. There’s now a reasonable chance that universal health care will be enacted next year!
I've also supposed that Obama's opposition to mandates was a combination of politics and realism -- a desire to appeal to centrists and not promise progressives something he might not be able to deliver. But I really had no basis for that; just my estimation of Obama's pragmatism and liberalism. Anyway, I'm sure no Democratic President is going to strong-arm his Senate colleagues into being less liberal.