We'll find out soon whether Democrats - seemingly under siege no matter where they turn - can get anything done with health-care reform.

At the moment, too many of the fractious Dems are holding out for their personal ideal bill, whatever it may be. But two things are crystal clear: not one single Republican is going to vote for anything Democrats want. And it is impossible - and always will be - to craft a bill that every single Democrat wants.

So here are the choices:

Either the Democrats decide that compromising is a major part of their responsibility and they pass a bill (my preference: they simply pass the Senate bill), or they give up the chance to move the country forward.

Health insurance for millions more Americans? Health-care security? Lower health-care costs? None of that will happen. But two things will:

Costs will keep rising (some experts predict that insurance premiums will double in less than a decade).

And Republicans will conclude, rightly, that they can stop anything the Obama administration wants, simply by yelling "Boo!"

Oh. And there'll be one other result: Republicans will win control of the House and the Senate in the November elections. Democrats will have convinced most Americans that they can't get anything done.