There was no shortage of opinions and analysis from last week's health care summit, but the question I asked this Sunday was, "Has anything changed?"
The answer seems to be no.
Joining me this morning were two leaders from different sides of the debate - Republican Sen. John McCain and White House Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle.
McCain said a "fundamental problem" still exists between Republican's and Democrat's views of what health care reform should be. He and Rep. Eric Cantor reiterated the GOP's call to start over, citing that the current bill was crafted in a partisan way and has been rejected by the American people.
But DeParle made clear that the White House has no intentions of starting from scratch and would not rule out the use of reconciliation to get the legislation passed.
McCain has been vocal in his opposition of passing health reform through reconciliation, saying the procedure that would prevent an attempted filibuster is not meant to pass such sweeping reform. However, McCain has on nine occasions voted for bills that passed through reconciliation.
"Yes, I have voted for them, but I objected strenuously to us changing the rules of the Senate so that 51 votes would prevail," McCain told me.
That defense does not have much traction with Democrats who are quick to point out the parliamentary tactic has historically been used more frequently by Republicans.
Whether it is through reconciliation or not, DeParle predicted Democrats "will have the votes to pass this in Congress."
More from McCain
Pundits have observed the Arizona senator has been shifting more conservative in the months leading up to his re-election bid. One area of particular interest is the former POW's stance on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
McCain has said he supports the law because that has been the recommendation of military leaders. But with Adm. Mike Mullen and Gen. Colin Powell recently calling for an end to the policy, McCain has been under increased pressure to change his view.
But even with Powell and Mullen's comments, the senator has yet to change his mind about Don't Ask. He told he me he would only be willing to change his view if a comprehensive study recommended an end to the policy.
For more from McCain and DeParle, plus an explosive roundtable with Reps. Eric Cantor and Debbie Wasserman Shultz, visit our Web site.
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