The GOP Is Winning the Health-Care Debate  —  Gallup says independents now favor Republicans by nine points.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Passing health-care reform could be harmful to the health of congressional Democrats.  —  Just look at how President Barack Obama's standing has fallen as he has pushed for reform.

Meet the New Health-Care System, Not That Different From the Old Health-Care System  —  You probably can't see that table particularly well.  Click on it, and it'll enlarge.  It comes from one of the final pages of the Congressional Budget Office's score (pdf) of the Senate Finance Committee's bill …

THERE IS NO BAUCUS BILL  —  The internet is alive with the sound of people analyzing the CBO's “scoring” of the Max Baucus aka Senate Finance Committee Health Care Bill.  Before everyone gets too deeply into their thoughts, please keep in mind the following (get ready, all CAPS, bold, indented signifies a really important concept):

Senate GOP Folding Over Health Care Reform [updated]  —  I am told quite reliably that in a meeting today on Capitol Hill, Republican Senators began to rapidly move toward concessions on health care because they are afraid they cannot hold their members.  Some Republicans are now thinking of supporting a government program.

Dems Discussing Public Option With Opt-Out Clause: The Silver Bullet?  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Senate Democrats have begun discussions on a compromise approach to health care reform that would establish a robust, national public option for insurance coverage but give individual states the right to opt out of the program.

Afghan War Debate Now Leans to Focus on Al Qaeda  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's national security team is moving to reframe its war strategy by emphasizing the campaign against Al Qaeda in Pakistan while arguing that the Taliban in Afghanistan do not pose a direct threat to the United States, officials said Wednesday.