Democrats Say Now on Healthcare; GOP Says Start Over

The regular Tuesday Senate leadership stakeout by the famed Ohio Clock brought little movement on the healthcare debate other than to suggest that both sides are digging in for a long August recess.

As usual, the Republicans went first before the cameras. They said that they expect the whole issue to start again from the beginning when Congress returns from the August recess. "It's time to push the reset button," said Sen. John Thune, the GOP message man. Another Republican leader, Sen. Jon Kyl, said that once Congress gets an earful from constituents during the vacation, "We'll come back in September and say, 'Let's start all over again.' "

Next up was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who approached the microphones right off the Senate floor alone and in pretty good spirits. He naturally said that it's full steam ahead. "The biggest cost in our [healthcare] system is inaction, doing nothing," he warned. His plan is to huddle with Democrats next week to map out an August plan of attack to get healthcare reform back on track in September.