Tom Daschle Says "Climb That Hill!"

Health reform guru Tom Daschle uses Ted Kennedy Jr.'s story of his father's encouraging him to climb a snowy hill with his new artificial leg to illustrate the determination Democrats must show to make health care reform succeed. "I know you can do it," the Senator told his wavering son. "There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day."

Daschle says he'd prefer a bipartisan health care solution, but doesn't not want to lose a precious opportunity:

"By far the best path to success is to continue to pursue a traditional, bipartisan solution. . . . However, should Republican intransigence continue, Democrats cannot simply stop. They cannot ignore the human suffering as well as their fiscal responsibility to act. They must focus on the budgetary implications of health reform and use the Senate rules of budget reconciliation to allow a health-care bill move with majority support. The choice between complete legislative failure and majority rule should not pose a dilemma for any Democratic senator."

You can read Senator Daschle's inspiring Wall Street Journal op-ed here.