The next (and possibly final) showdown on Obamacare will not be between Republicans and Democrats. President Obama has summoned the Senators from his own party to the White House for a Tuesday meeting that could be the last chance he has to bribe, blackmail and/or bully fellow Democrats into passing some version of health care reform this year.

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All 60 members of the Democratic caucus have been invited including Independent Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) who has voiced strong opposition to the latest version of the Senate bill which includes an expansion of Medicare in place of a so-called public option and a dozen Democrats have expressed concern over the issue as well. Call it an expansion of an existing program, a public option or anything else; it's the same step toward putting private insurers out of business and creating a single-payer, government run health care system that would force inferior health care service on the American people.

Congressional officials have said the administration is recommending the Medicare expansion be removed from the bill which shows how truly desperate the White House is to get something, anything passed. President Obama seems willing to abandon his supposed beliefs about what kind of reform is needed just to get a political victory by having something make it past the Senate by his Christmas deadline.

The Medicare "buy-in" which just days ago was touted as a major breakthrough by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has apparently been scrapped from the bill. According to liberal Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), "it looks like" the Medicare provision would be removed. (source)

But there is more at issue in this bill than the Medicare expansion idea. Disputes among Democrats over government funded abortion, the importation of prescription drugs and other elements each have their supporters and detractors within the party. And then there's the largest issue of all - literally and figuratively - the cost of Obamacare which promises to be well over a trillion dollars. How much over a trillion remains to be seen as we wait for the Congressional Budget Office to crunch the numbers.

In keeping with Candidate Obama's promise of transparency in government, it would be nice if we could watch tomorrow's White House meeting on CSPAN. But I doubt anyone that will be in that room wants the American people to see the dissent in the Democratic Party nor the techniques that will be employed in an attempt to squelch that dissent.