IN THE NAME OF DECENCY, THERE SHOULD BE A BIGGER MARGIN OF VICTORY THIS TIME

I'm sure you know about this:

With the Senate working through an all-night session on a package of changes to the Democrats' sweeping health care legislation, Republicans early Thursday morning identified parliamentary problems with at least two provisions that will require the measure to be sent back to the House for yet another vote, once the Senate adopts it....

According to all reports, this isn't expected to be much of a stumbling block in the House. The vote on the package of fixes was 220-211, and it's assumed that the vote will be about the same this time.

But I think the margin should be much greater.

As I said on Sunday morning -- when the intimidation was just beginning, before the propane line was cut at the house of Congressman Tom Perriello's brother, before a coffin was placed on Congressman Russ Carnahan's lawn, before someone left a voicemail at a Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's office referencing "snipers," before Congressman Bart Stupak received many of his recorded death threats -- the ugliness and threats of violence should embolden more Democrats to vote for reform. It should be the declared reason some of them vote yes.

Why doesn't at least one former fence-sitter who ultimately voted no now stand up and say, "I was undecided, and then I voted against the bill and the package of changes, but now I'm voting yes -- I'm standing with Congressman Stupak and Congresswoman Slaughter and Congressman Perriello and Congressman Carnahan and with all the others who've been attacked and threatened and spat on. I'm taking a stand against the viciousness of the extremists in the opposition"?

In fact, this should be the declared reason every single Democrat votes for the package of fixes this time.

And if there were any honorable Republicans left in Washington, they'd vote for it, too, for the same reason.