I seem to recall that just before the logjam broke on stimulus in the Senate, some Republican or other demanded that any committee compromise come with leadership guarantees that it "not be made more liberal"..

Then there is the iron political logic which says Baucus is a chump

On the Senate side of the Capitol, where efforts to produce a bipartisan health care measure continued in the Finance Committee, top Republicans were eager to avoid any early compromises that would let Democrats head to their home states for the August recess boasting of any progress.

With poll numbers suggesting there could be substantial political advantage in sending Democrats home without a clear deal on the health care bill, Republican leaders have exerted enormous pressure in recent days on Senators Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, who are their two of the top negotiators on the health care bill.

Mr. Grassley, the senior Republican on the Finance Committee, and Mr. Enzi, the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, are members of the team of six senators working to draft compromise health care legislation.

That has put them directly in the path of a fast-brewing political firestorm, as their party’s leadership maneuvers to torpedo any emerging compromise and force Democrats to start over.

*NyT

The Republicans have one goal: kill healthcare reform. Everybody knows that except Baucus. Or maybe he knows it but is such a total pussy, he can't keep from bending over.

There are only 3 bills.
1. A partisan bill
2. A very bad bi-partisan bill
3. No bill

If this isn't clear to the leadership then they need a wakeup call.

For an interesting take on what Baucus may or may not be trying to do, or how he is getting played by playing with wrong people at the table, check out this by Nate Silver at 538:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/07/only-winning-move-is-not-to-play.html

I realize it may be beyond Reid to do it, but how come no one is floating reconciliation (ie the nuclear option) to get these clowns off their butts? Why did the Senate put it in the budget if the Dem leaders aren't going to have the stones to even mention it?

Because right now you have a moderate majority leader telling a moderate to conservative committee chair that he needs to "pretty please" get something done, and all Baucus has done is target 2 very conservative GOP Senators whose help is not neceassary to passage under reconciliation. This really has to horrify the 55 or so Dems who are more progressive than Baucus (I'm excluding Lieberman, Nelson (D-Mutual of Omaha), Landrieu (D-Crazy Cajun), and Reid).

Republicans have one thought and one thought only - KILL IT. You may think they are just stringing Baucus along, but he knows exactly what is going on and, apparently it is fine with him. I'm seeing reconciliation, just like the Republicans did with that stupid tax cut. F them.

I share the opinion that only a strong public option will be capable of getting the premium inflation under control, and sustainable.