I'm just back from Washington, where I spoke with a wide variety of people--inside and outside of the government--about the state of the health care reform debate. Among the many questions I asked was "when," as in "when will a bill land on the president's desk?" (That's assuming Congress passes one; I would never take that for granted.)
It's a question lots of people have been asking for the spring. And the answer has kept changing. First it was early September, then October, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and--finally--the State of the Union.
Well, on three separate occasions this week I heard two words I hadn't heard before: "Valentine's Day."
For what it's worth, I don't think it will take that long, for reasons I'll soon explain. But I thought I'd share that information anyway.