Yes, This Pretty Much Nails It

In discussions of the White House's complete capitulation on the public option (to say nothing of their taking single payer off the table), a progressive activist, nails the problem:

But the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, the group that's behind a letter being circulated among Senate Democrats to push the plan, isn't giving up. "The White House obviously has a loser mentality -- but America rallies around winners," co-founder Adam Green e-mailed reporters shortly after Gibbs's remark. "Polls show that in state after state, voters hate the Senate bill and overwhelmingly want a public option, even if passed with zero Republican votes. More than 50 Senate Democrats and 218 House Democrats were willing to vote for the public option before, and the only way to lose in reconciliation is if losers are leading the fight. That's why Democrats in Congress should ignore the White House and follow those like Chuck Schumer and Robert Menendez, who know that the public option is a political and policy winner."

(emphasis mine)

I'm not sure why Barack Obama and His Stupid Minions^™ are so eager to play to lose, it could be that they are so risk averse that they are paralyzed with fear, it could be that they are closet Republicans, or it could be that they believe that Republicans can be successfully courted on this.

I hope that it's not the 3^rd option, because if they believe that, it means that the man with his finger on the button to destroy the world is completely delusional.