Heads are spinning after the discredited Senate Finance Committee blocked the public option from being part of the health care bill proposed by Senator Max Baucus [3] of Montana and then voted for spending $50 million on the (also discredited) abstinence-only education program that President Obama had pressed to eliminate from the federal budget.

According to the Associated Press [4], "Two Democrats, Kent Conrad [5] of North Dakota and Blanche Lincoln [6] of Arkansas, joined all 10 committee Republicans in voting 'yes' on the measure by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch [7] of Utah."

This is the same group who voted with Chairman Baucus against a public option "level playing field" amendment offered by Senator Charles Schumer [8] of New York in the Committee this week. These three Democrats, who voted with all the Republicans against that amendment, also voted together with the Republican block against a broader public option amendment offered by Senator Jay Rockefeller [9] of West Virginia. That measure was endorsed by the Center for Media and Democracy's Wendell Potter [10].

But, the fight for health care reform and against insurance industry-written proposals continues.