Not feeling good about this.

Delaying a vote until August was a key demand of the Blue Dogs, along with reducing the cost of the bill by $100 billion and allowing states to create health “co-ops” that would compete with the government-run “public option” and private insurers.

Cut it by $100 billion? Gee thanks…so now it’s only $900 billion? Phew.

State co-ops? To compete with government-run “public option”? States are governments too, remember? And Massachusetts has demonstrated how that all works out.

“We cut the cost of the bill, delayed a floor vote and ensured that the public option will not be forced on anyone,” said Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) who has led the negotiations for the Blue Dogs.

Horse hockey. The only non-public option is the private insurer, and those folks will most likely be forced out because they won’t be able compete with government backed options. And when the private insurers are gone, the rhetoric Ross uses will be irrelevant - as the only option left will be public one.