President Obama on Sunday celebrated the House's passage of health care reform with a vivid metaphorical message to the other side of the Capitol. "Now it falls on the United States Senate," he said, "to take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American people." He wishes this were as simple as a relay race. The legislative process does work in stages, it's true, but in other ways, the president's metaphor falls apart. First, the competitors aren't running in the next lane. They're rolling out hurdles (or gurneys, as the case may be). Second, the runner who just finished the first leg is now trying to tackle the guy with the baton.

On Monday, less than 48 hours after the House passed the historic universal health care bill in a squeaker, 40 House...