The opinion of the Washington chattering class (including Mr. Noah) notwithstanding, the public option is both good policy and good politics and that's why the public supports it. If the Democrats in Washington pass a health care bill without it, their heads will surely roll, and deservedly so.

Why?

Because a mandate to buy health insurance without some mechanism to hold down premiums will just deliver millions of currently uninsured citizens to the tender mercies of private health care insurers. How do you spell g-o-u-g-e-d? And when said citizens get the bill, they will be furious and take it out on those who are to blame for their predicament -- the Democrats who passed that monstrosity.

All the bleatings of moderate Democrats will disappear when they think about what will happen to them when their constituents realize they have screwed them. They would be insane to pass health care insurance reform without a strong public option.