The Health Care Summit wasn't expected to produce a bipartisan agreement on health reform, and it did not, but it did produce some interesting moments when both parties weren't spouting their usual talking points on health legislation.

"I really appreciate this exchange," said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY).

"It would have been helpful if we had had this nine months or a year earlier," he lamented.

And that was something to think about during the hours and hours that this event grinded on.  What if the Democrats had seriously tried to reach across the aisle?

Of course, the Democrats would argue that they did, and that Republicans weren't interested in doing anything but saying the word "no".

But like most major legislation, it was written almost exclusively by the majority party, with little input from the minority.

And so?  Where do we go now?  

That seems obvious - Democrats will try to patch up the differences among themselves in coming weeks and find a way to jam everything through the Congress, partially by using budget reconciliation, thereby avoiding the threat of a filibuster in the Senate.

Reconciliation bills have very distinct rules - you aren't supposed to put anything in those bills other than revenue and spending items.

That means if Democrats are going to try to put items like abortion language and other topics, they will have to get "creative" - and that might mean bending the rules.

And if they start bending the rules, the Republicans will rightly blow their top and probably bring the Senate to a halt.

Remember the fuss over the nuclear option with regards to filibusters and judges?  This is sort of the same kind of thing.

Of course the Democrats will need to do one thing before we can get to that point - and that is keep their members together.

Something tells me that they can get to 51 in the Senate.

But getting to a majority in the House, that may be much more difficult.  And I will say it again - every day that health care reform stays in the news is probably a good day for Republicans.

So the Democrats must do three things:

1) Approve new funding changes in a reconciliation bill

2) If they keep policy items out of a reconciliation bill, then a new bill would be needed as a vehicle for those items

3) The House would have to approve the original Senate passed health bill.

One of those three is difficult.  Two will be very hard to do.  All three?

That could take most of the next few months.