Yes Virginia There is an Option to the Public Option

Howard Dean likes the new option to the public option (see video below). Even Mr. I'm-so-fiscally-prudent-that-I-can't-be-your-commerce-secretary Judd Gregg says it makes sense.

The agreement capped several days of high-stakes negotiations by a group of 10 Democratic senators -- five moderates and five liberals. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) had advanced a bill that would have had the government directly operate a health-insurance plan, while giving states the right to opt out.

In place of that, the senators embraced a more limited proposal that would empower the government's Office of Personnel Management to put in place a new low-cost national health plan, congressional aides said. The office already administers plans offered to federal employees and members of Congress. The new national plan would be run by nonprofit entities set up by the private sector, and would be available to the public on the new insurance exchanges that would be created under the bill. WSJ

But other liberals don't like it one bit that the public option is not on the table (there's still a trigger). At least not as of yesterday.
The public option became a left vs. the right thing, and the left thought they should win this one. They thought that they had already compromised by putting away the idea of a single payer system. They thought Obama should've took a stronger stance advocating the public option. Obama stood strong in not taking a stance for any one thing but rather whatever option would accomplish the goals that he set out.
Both the left and the right forget that their views aren't the only ones or the right ones. It's not an either or thing.

Most Americans don't even think along political lines. While my views are more aligned with the left, I prefer not thinking within an ideological camp.
Now that Dean is on board with the new compromise, liberals will probably follow suit. Even Paul Krugman offers a small blessing. Like Dean says, this is what should've been done in the first place:

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