Conflict of interest

The House is set to vote today on overriding Bush's veto of the S-Chip bill for children's health insurance. Although an almost-incredible 81 percent of the public wants to expand S-Chip, and 74 percent are willing to pay higher taxes to do it (could the anti-tax fever be ebbing?), enough GOPhers will side with W to uphold the veto. It must be principle with those people; it couldn't be political calculation or plain good sense.

All of which presents Democrats with a conflict: Bush's veto--and its support by Repubs in Congress and the party's major presidential candidates--promises a Godsend for Democrats in 2008. But the outcome of today's vote means that children will go without health care. Not to put too fine a point on it, children will get sick and die who would not have had the outcome been different.