President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff, react in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The conservatives are in deep mourning over the passage of the healthcare reform bill. I have some empathy (not sympathy) for how bad they feel, considering how many things the Bush administration did (starting with the bombing of Iraq civilians) made me sick to my stomach.

And like most liberals, I'm well aware of the bill's many weaknesses. But I know how craven politicians are, and I'm convinced they will react to constituent concerns. (Because they do like to keep their jobs.) That's why I predict the 2020 version of this bill will be a lot better than this one. Now the real fight begins.

In the meantime, here are some representative comments on Twitter:

The DEMS have brought shame on America Abort the DEMS NOW

PLEASE #killthebill for my 12 year old who wants 2b a doctor! With Obamacare she might choose 2b a vet instead!

Paul Ryan just gave the best speech of the night. The guy is a freaking rockstar

Re: pelosi... Is this bitch for real? I bet she groups herself with Lincoln, MLK, Jesus

healthcare is not a right Nazi Pelozi!!

PIMP NANCY IS PASSING THIS BILL BY COMMITING BRIBES THAT SHE FINANCED WITH MY MONEY!!!! WTF!!!

And no, I don't thank @BarackObama. Except for RUINING my country.

We are selling our heritage for the lies and empty promises of a handful of radical liberals.

I have one word to describe this legislation "tyranny".

Monday take your money out of the banks

N. PigLosi looks like a "babbling idiot" who uses random Hand Gestures like a swinging monkey

Nancy milking the pre-existing conditions issue. Extend competition across state lines and watch pre existing conditions go away.

You are witnessing the death of the Democratic party

Good Job Nancy, Chairman Mao would be proud.

NOT MY PRESIDENT! NOT MY CONGRESS! NOT MY GOVERNMENT!!!

I'm not sympathetic to Pelosi's old guy in Michigan 2embarrassed 2ask his kids 4help. He doesn't mind stealing from mine!

March 21. Happy dependence day!

Listening to Pelosi live makes me want to puke. How could anybody of right mind believe a single word? Wicked witch.

This vote tonight is nothing short of a declaration of war by Dems & their freeloader base against responsible self-reliant Americans.

full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

We thought we blocked Blackwater from building a base in California, after they pulled their plans for a massive training facility in tiny Potrero, CA.

Instead they were busy using shell companies to gain permits for a "vocational training faclity" THREE blocks from the Mexican border in the city of San Diego. Meanwhile, Blackwater is looking to open up a new facility in Idaho.

Here in California, the Courage Campaign is moving out against Blackwater on two fronts:

Pressure Speaker Pelosi to support the "Stop Outsourcing Security Act", which John mentioned last week. Join 10,000 people by signing the petition to Speaker Pelosi. We need to cut off their their profits to keep them from trying to outsource our border security and other national security contracts.

Pressure San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders to investigate how Blackwater obtained its permit. Blackwater used a shell company called "Southwest Law Enforcement" to gain city permits for a "vocational trade school" a stone's throw from the Tijuana International Airport. While Blackwater denies that this deception is a trojan horse to land border security contracts from the federal government before George W. Bush leaves office, the ominous writing is on California's wall.

If you live in San Diego County, please join over 2,000 residents in signing this letter to Mayor Sanders urging him to start a full investigation into the false pretenses Blackwater used to obtain a "vocational trade school" permit for their facility near the border.

The letter was written by SD Dem Party Chair Jess Durfee. Francine Busby, a former congressional candidate in CA-50, promoted the letter to her list and Congressman Bob Filner has just sent a separate letter to Mayor Sanders, requesting an investigation as well.

Stay tuned as we continue to work with the San Diego County Democratic Party, Francine Busby and Congressman Filner to keep Blackwater out of San Diego and out of California.

The Bush Cultists have so little to run on that they have to LIE about Pelosi to try and rally their base and make her the "Big Bad." Kevin Drum finds Thomas Sowell at his worst.

As regards the war on terrorism and the terrorists’ war against the west, Nancy Pelosi has opposed having international phone calls to and from terrorists monitored by American intelligence agencies.

Drum explains: This is, flatly, a lie. Pelosi, like many Democrats, opposes NSA surveillance of American residents without a warrant. That is all she opposes. Period.

"The Fear of Pelosi" is the right wing talking point to try and rally their base to GOTV. Bill O'Reilly did a hit piece on her with our good pal Dick Morris. 60 Minutes profiled her last night.

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Stahl:, 'You've called your Republican colleagues "immoral" and "corrupt," and that they're running a criminal enterprise. I mean, you're one of the reasons we have to restore civility in the first place." Pelosi responds, "Well actually, when I called them those names, I was being gentle. There are much worse things I could've said about them."

CBS has the full story and transcript posted.

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I don't know that the revelations from Ron Suskind's new book The Way of The World are truly bombshells, so much as confirmation of what we in the liberal blogosphere have always said: the Bush administration wanted to go to war in Iraq and were willing to do whatever they had to to sell it to the American people.

But what is key to me is that there is very little left to which people like Nancy Pelosi can hold on to claim that there is no proof of criminal wrongdoing on the part of the White House. John Dean--no stranger to impeachment proceedings--has been saying that this administration is worse than watergate for years. On Tuesday's Countdown, he confirms that Suskind's findings absolutely signal impeachable offenses on the part of the administration and why it is critical that Congress find their spines and pursue it:

OLBERMANN: The big picture question. As I‘ve been saying, you saw enough in Bush in malfeasance by the end of 2003 to have titled that book "Worse than Watergate." Suskind says in his that just the Iraq part is worse than Watergate. Do you concur with his assessment?

DEAN: Well, I do and I base mine largely on the excessive secrecy which he has only added more detail and information about and the consequences of that secrecy. And, of course, in Watergate, nobody died as a result of Nixon‘s so-called abuses of power nor was anybody tortured. So, we‘re playing in a whole different field and on a different level. So, I think he is right, it is worse.

OLBERMANN: The devil‘s advocate question in this one, John, is-the Bush administration ends in six months, presumably-why is simply, you know, getting the shovel, the historical shovel out and covering this up with as much clean and sanctified dirt as we can not enough? Why is forgetting this man and his presidency not enough?

DEAN: Keith, I think it‘s more than a devil‘s advocate question. It really is the central question in the 2008 campaign. If we have another Republican administration, we‘re going to see more of the same that this sort of material that‘s revealed by Suskind.

Full transcripts below the fold, including Olbermann's exclusive interview with author Suskind

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Conservative radio talkie, Laura Ingraham was discussing Bush's immigration plan and the attacks he's making on conservative vocal critics of it with John Roberts of CNN, when she weakly tried to play the CNN is liberal elite card on Roberts. John Roberts was like, "say, what?" Her proof? She was characterized as being "outspoken."

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INGRAHAM: ...But to insult his base, I mean, I hope he thinks he's going to be saved by the liberal elites at CNN, John, because if he is, then I'll be wrong about this. But I think it's kind of silly.

ROBERTS: Excuse me, what was that last comment?

INGRAHAM: By the way, John, how did you introduce me for this segment before the break. The outspoken Laura Ingraham. Do you guys introduce liberal commentators that way? I'm going to check.

ROBERTS: Yeah, we do actually.

That's a pretty tough depiction of her, wouldn't you agree. I guess I'd be bummed if I was called an outspoken blogger...The Nitpicker has more. "This post is dedicated to the memory of the Myth of the Liberal Media, born April 6, 1954, died October 24, 2006."

Then, this morning, Laura Ingraham made snide comments about the supposed liberal slant of CNN to American Morning host John Roberts. She even had proof from that very interview, in fact: John Roberts had called her outspoken. Never mind that Al Franken was called an "outspoken comedian and liberal" by CNN. Or that Hugo Chavez is an "outspoken leftist". Or that Cynthia McKinney, Michael Moore and Nancy Pelosi were all referred to as "outspoken liberal(s)." None of those things matter. In the minds of the Republican hothouse flowers, any word used to describe them--other than heroic or beloved--can be seen as an attack by the dastardly liberal media...read on

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So we've seen the newly released proposals for health care by President Obama. While they improve the Senate bill, it's still lacking for many members of his base. If the White House wants to save the 2010 midterms and possibly his job in 2012, he should allow either an expansion of Medicare or a public option to be introduced via reconciliation -- preferably both. That would send shock waves throughout the country, electrifying the Democratic base and his most ardent progressive supporters. It would be the right kind of shock and would send the Villagers into a frenzy too.

22 Senators have signed a letter pushing for the public option, which is a good thing, and momentum is picking up even if Sen. Rockefeller doesn't approve of using the procedure to get it done.

The president still needs the House, and I doubt there are the votes to pass the bill as is.

Nancy Pelosi issued this statement over the new information:

As a result, Democrats now are considering a plan to use a parliamentary maneuver called budget reconciliation to attach changes to the Senate health care legislation as a budget measure, which cannot be filibustered and requires only a simple majority for passage in the Senate.

Ms. Pelosi, in her statement, said Mr. Obama’s plan “contains positive elements from the House and Senate-passed bills.”

She continued, “I look forward to reviewing it with House members and then joining the president and the Republican leadership at the Blair House meeting on Thursday. This discussion will continue a year-long historic level of transparency and open debate of this crucial reform effort.”

The speaker added, “We must pass comprehensive, affordable health insurance reform, and I am hopeful that Thursday’s meeting will help us achieve this goal.”

Robert Gibbs said that it's up to Harry Reid to decide the fate of the public option.

White House press secretary Robert Gates said today that the White House will leave that up to the Senate Majority Leader.

"I think they've asked for a vote on the floor of the Senate, and that's certainly up to those who manage those amendments and up to Leader Reid," Gibbs said.

President Obama did not include a public option in the new health care plan he unveiled this morning, which builds on the Senate bill.

I do think the president should get some credit for reintroducing health care at a time when it appeared dead in the water and not just giving up the fight for reform. Now is the time to get his base involved. The damage has been done by the horrendous strategy by Axelrod and Emanuel, combined with the howlers at Fox News.

As I think we'll see later this week at the "bipartisan summit", the Republicans will never come to the table when it comes to any of your legislation, especially health care. So take this opportunity to do the right thing. If the White House wants to see incredible renewed support from the left, now is the chance. Support Congress and Harry Reid to get it done.

Americans would also fall in love with an expansion of Medicare by lowering the age to fifty because it would produce immediate results for the country, and for the voting population at large. If the White House is just throwing this plan out there to see what sticks, then they are doomed ,because the House is not going to move off their basic principles on HCR and it's hard to imagine they didn't have a plan in place before moving forward with health care. Starting over is not an option, as we all know.

Well, everyone but Republicans, who seem to want to make dumping everything a precondition to any "bipartisanship." Sure, and why don't we just slit our wrists while we're at it?