todd webster, jonathan wiseman and karen hanretty.friend bill press, radio talker, was at the press briefing with robert gibbs, and asked him this question about basically trusting senator grassley. >> can you still count him as an ally? >> i still think there is a possibility of bipartisan agreement through the finance committee in order to make progress on a piece of legislation that can pass the senate. >> he seems to be playing rope-a-dope with the white house. >> well, i will -- i guess we'll see about that. >> todd webster, is the white house playing softball on this issue? i think they are. what do you think? >> i need 60 of course, and the program will be stronger if they do have republican support for it. i think, you know, the clock is ticking, but it's not in the final seconds yet, so i think they ought to try to hold out, and if not grassley, then olympia, or susan collins or some of the moderate republicans. >> the senator from iowa has made it very clear that he will are not support anything that has any language every a

democratic strad gist todd webster with us. politico reporter ken vogel. ellow at the heritage foundation. todd, how different would it be -- okay, i guess we just lost the signal to todd webster. another communication problem. he's the former democratic worker in the daschle administration, in his office. ken, let me ask you tonight. white house backing. they're backtracking. or what are they doing? i mean, are you clear that where the white house stands, and do you think their messaging has been spot-on? >> i don't think their message is has been spot-on. i do think, however, that this floating of a trial balloon on the public option possibly taking off was a very purposeful effort to see how that would affect congressional support, public support for the plan as a whole. however, i think it's a bad sign that they -- signal that they were willing to make this concession this early in the game. i think that regardless of how secretary sebelius tries to recast it or regardless of what joe kline says, many people viewed it as not just an essential part of th

todd webster, you worked on capitol hill for a long time. democratic side, tom daschle, you knew the force, you saw the force that ted kennedy brought to people's lives and to action to get things done. how much of a divorforce was he it came to the 11th hour, todd. >> one of the great ironies in the last 48 hours, hearing the tributes to ted kennedy coming pouring out, after spending deck kids raising money by demonizing ted kennedy as the great liberal, irish catholic embodiment of all that's wrong in washington, republicans are actually coming out and being very gracious and making very kind and supportive statements, they loved ted kennedy, they knew that they could get a deal done with ted kennedy. if you look at president bush, his only two domestic accomplishments, the prescription drug bill, and another piece of legislation were only made possible because he had ted kennedy's support. now with the health care bill, you know, you have got other republicans, orrin hatch who's on the finance committee, who was a supporter and a co-spons