Politico's story this morning suggests Pelosi doesn't have the votes, but our sources insist the leadership isn't yet at that stage. The Democratic whip's office has been surveying members on the public option for the last several days to get a sense of where they stand on different elements of the bill, a strategy that will inform the final version of what the House introduces.

Mike Allen knew it was fake and false yet he published it because

House sources think Democrats may have spoken with Allen to apply pressure on Pelosi at this late stage in the game.

Also the White house quickly and effectively put an end to this and the other rumors that has been floating around that Obama prefers a trigger.

In denouncing the report Presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett went further when she jabbed at the Politico story while appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe today, saying of the reporter who penned the piece, "I don't know whether Mike Allen can actually count votes or not."

This is not a coincidence. It is a coordinated attack by the opponents of the Public Option. They want to control the story in order to kill the Public Option. I am glad that the quick reaction from the Whitehouse and the House has put that to an end. But they will stop here. Politico's Mike Allen an ineffective Whitehouse reporter for the Washington Post during the Bush administration is back to his old tricks of fake news reporting.