let's bring in national political reporter for "the washington post" and coast author of "the battle for america 2008." dan, doesn't look as though the republicans are climbing onboard. is this a 60-vote strategy or try to get olympia snowe and susan collins? >> they're still trying very hard to get both those senators, in particular, senator snowe to come on board. i think they would like at least some cover to have a republican vote on there. but this has been, for some time, as we know, mostly democratic or almost all democratic strategy that the white house has had to employ. the bulk of the republicans decided some time ago that they were not going to sign on to this bill. the cbo numbers that came out last night on the finance committee bill that have given that bill a little bit more of a spur, but as senator gregg said, that bill has to be merged with another bill. there are three competing bills in the house. it's not clear yet what this final, final bill will actually contain.