"The passage of prescription drug legislation by the House of Representatives moves the Medicare program one step closer to providing millions of older and disabled Americans with some help against the rising costs of prescription drugs," said AARP spokesman Chris Hansen in a statement. The implication, of course, is that while this is "one step closer", the AARP and Democrats will continue to demagogue the issue. I suspect Dick Gephardt and his pals aren't too worried about this one - if anything it provides additional cover for further extending benefits.
Re#5 True. Nonetheless, hope springs eternal...