Before members of the Senate Finance Committee were forced to go on the record about the public option, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) refused to state a personal opinion on the question calling it "moot," and focusing all of his efforts on advancing a system of private, non-profit co-operatives instead.

Since then, though, Conrad's message has changed slightly, though he still says a public option will be a hard sell in the Senate. In response to a question from TPMDC, Conrad said it's "hard to see" where the public option gets the votes.

However, earlier this month, Conrad voted against two separate public option amendments, one of which would have tied a government insurance plan to Medicare reimbursement rates, another, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), would require the plan's administrator to negotiate rates with providers. During the debate, he took a much softer stance on Schumer's plan than on the more robust alternative. And, as such his position on the general question has changed.

Conrad now says, frequently, that he objects to a Medicare-like public option on the grounds that North Dakota has some of the lowest reimbursement rates in the country. But he stays mum on the Schumer-like public option, suggesting that though his preference may be for co-ops, he's unwilling to be a spoiler for a more modest public plan.