'Opt Out' Saves Public Option?

Have the Democrats' warring health-care factions finally found a middle road? Talking Point Memo reports that conservative and liberal Democrats are warming to the public option—as long as it has an "opt out" clause that would allow individual states to decline to participate in the public health-care option should they so choose. Proposed by Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Tom Carper, the opt-out option has public-option-wary Ben Nelson’s support, and Finance Chairman and Blue Dog leader Max Baucus is willing to listen. Though Baucus has been skeptical of the public option so far, an aide says he "will look closely at this proposal... and could consider supporting them as part of an overall package as long as it achieved his health-care reform goals while getting 60 votes." TPM notes that "the idea is still very young," but "seems to be finding friends very quickly."