Bye-Bye 'Bamacare??

Democrats Cancel All Hearings in Anticipation of Health Care Negotiations

FOXNews.com

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered committee chairmen to postpone their hearings Thursday so lawmakers can meet to chart a course for one last sales job on President Obama's signature health care overhaul.

'Sweetheart' Deals Still on the Table as House Deadline for Health Care Vote Slides

FOXNews.com

The White House is pushing to strip out a number of "sweetheart" deals in the Senate bill as Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats are unlikely to make the March 18 deadline set by President Obama for passage, an indication the House speaker doesn't have the votes to pass it.
Pelosi said "March 18 is an interesting date" as she announced lawmakers are still waiting for a Congressional Budget Office report on the cost of the legislation.

"Our clock starts ticking when we get the final CBO report," Pelosi said. "We don't have the final report yet but we have a pretty good idea of where we are going on it." (Hell, perhaps?)

The current plan is for the House to approve the Senate-passed bill from late last year, despite serious objections to numerous provisions. Both chambers then would pass a second bill immediately, making changes in the first measure before both could take effect. The second bill would be debated under rules that bar a filibuster, meaning it could clear by majority vote in the Senate without Democrats needing the 60-vote supermajority now beyond their reach. (Um,..that's called "CHEATING!")