The end of the battle is only the beginning of the war

March 21, 2010, will go down in history as the day Congress voted to expand the social contract the U.S. government has with America. Late Sunday night, 219 Democratic Congressmen and women went against 178 Republicans and 34 Democrats in a historic vote on health care reform.

This has been a bruising fight and, unfortunately, in Washington, decision-making isn't as easy as completing brackets for March Madness. Many of the men and women elected to serve us were caught between a rock and a hard place, with the White House breathing down their necks and their constituents back home clamoring about a bill they knew wasn't right and maybe not even legal.

For President Obama, this may be the end of a battle, but it is only the beginning of the war.

Lawmakers battled with one another and, ultimately, the remaining conservative and pro-life Democrats were won over after White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel made a pact in the Congressional gym with Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak and promised an executive order to prohibit federal funding of abortions.

The biggest question on my mind remains, How could something as important as health care reform be passed without bipartisan support?

We're not talking college basketball here, friends. The American people are following this issue like no other. By now, many of you have a grasp on the nuts and bolts of this bill. You understand the less threatening points like coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and expanded coverage for young adults who often go without health care. Don't you think these changes could have been made without massive tax increases and disruptions to the system? And how can anyone call this a "reform" bill when it doesn't fully address costs or malpractice reform?