Campus Progress has the transcript of the above video:

BOXER: There's nothing in this amendment that says if a man some days wants to buy Viagra, for example, that his pharmaceutical coverage cannot cover it, that he has to buy a rider. I wouldn't support that. And they shouldn't support going after a woman using her own private funds for her reproductive health care. Is it fair to say to a man you're going to have to buy a rider to buy Viagra and this will be public information that could be accessed? No, I don't support that. I support a man's privacy, just as I support a woman's privacy.

That was all well and good, and fitting for a Congressperson. But you know what she really wanted to say was, "It Ain't None Your Business!"

What' s the matter with your life? /Why you gotta mess with mine? /Don't keep sweatin' what I do/'Cause I'm gonna be just fine!

Can we formally vote to make this the pro-choice anthem? Just saying.

At any rate, Senator Nelson of Nebraska seems to want to make it his business to keep bringing up old stuff. The Guttmacher Institute did a comparison of Stupak-Pitts and Nelson's Amendment and confirms what we all knew going in - the bills are the same shit, different day:

"As with Stupak-Pitts, this amendment would restrict abortion coverage well beyond the status quo and could have profound implications even for coverage in the private market, paid for with private funds," emails Adam Sonfield, senior public policy associate of the Guttmacher Institute. "It also, like the Stupak-Pitts amendment, takes what had been even-handed language respecting and protecting the conscience of providers on both sides of the abortion divide and turns it into biased language that allows for discrimination against health care providers willing to provide or refer for abortions."

Amy Sullivan of Time is letting Nelson have it over at Swampland:

What is it about those Nebraska governors-turned-senators? Did they not get enough attention as children? Do they chafe at being told they hail from a "flyover" state? Does that unicameral legislature leave too few adoring supporters? Bob Kerrey was infamous for waiting until the verrrrrry last moment to make up his mind on important pieces of legislation, waiting until he'd been courted and wheedled and begged. And now it appears Ben Nelson is looking to make himself similarly indispensable to the Democratic effort to pass health reform legislation.

So what happens when the Nelson amendment fails? Last week, Nelson was threatening to filibuster health reform if his abortion language was not included, but he's since walked that back. Even a Nebraska attention-seeker can only go so far, after all. Democratic leaders have said they're working on other compromises to win Nelson's support for the final bill, but it's unclear that he was ever willing to vote for health reform, even if his amendment were to pass. And other pro-life Democrats—like Bob Casey, who is a co-sponsor of Nelson's amendment—have not said the issue will determine their vote.

Casey has talked about introducing parts of his Pregnant Women Support Act in order to insure that the bill contains measures to reduce abortion rates. But such a move would be almost entirely for his own comfort, and not to bring more pro-life senators aboard or placate the Catholic hierarchy. Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' secretariat of pro-life activities, told the Wall Street Journal over the weekend that compromise in the wake of a defeat of the Nelson amendment was "not a negotiation we're prepared to have," adding, "I really don't know how you compromise further."

Another factor arguing against additional abortion amendments is the fact that if Reid cannot count on Nelson to get to 60 votes, he will have to pin his hopes on Olympia Snowe, a strong supporter of abortion rights. Snowe's main stated concern about health reform is the public option. But stronger abortion restrictions would only make her less likely to sign on to be that crucial last vote to pass reform. Which is why as of Monday night, Democratic leaders were much busier crafting a public option compromise than worrying about abortion negotiations.

Speaking of the public option compromise, some of the initial news is in: Senators are backing away from a public option and instead are looking at expanding the scope of existing programs.

After five days of intensive talks among five moderates and five liberals, the outlines of a compromise aimed at appeasing both ends of the Democratic political spectrum were emerging: a plan designed to expand insurance coverage without creating a new government-run program.

Under the compromise, the public option would be removed from the bill and replaced with a new government-administered national insurance plan similar to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan, which serves members of Congress and federal workers.

To sweeten the deal for liberals, people 55 and older would be able to "buy-in" to Medicare and purchase coverage in the popular government program for the elderly. Liberal Democrats such as Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia have been pushing the idea for years.

It's currently unclear how much this plan would help, particularly considering what passes as an increase:

The negotiating group is also looking to expand Medicaid to cover people with incomes 150 percent above the poverty line, up from 133 percent under the Senate bill, and to impose stronger regulations on private insurers.

This doesn't seem to be good enough for Republicans, who trying to throw monkey wrenches into the process however, and whenever, they can. When Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor yesterday comparing the stalwart stance of the GOP to the opponents to abolishing slavery, desegregation, and suffrage for women, the GOP complained they were being smeared.

Then, RNC chair Michael Steele sent a message to Obama to "delay" health care reform, saying:

"Congress can't afford to throw the American people further in debt now and splurge on a risky health care bill when we may need all the resources at our disposal next year to rebuild a sagging economy," Steele wrote in a letter than will be sent to the White House on Tuesday.

"We are asking you to delay your efforts to push your health care bill through Congress by the end of the year," Steele continued. "Until we are sure job creation has begun in earnest, we should put aside our differences on health care. We should watch our spending. We've got an economy to rebuild and restore."

Funny that Steele's pronouncment comes as the health care reform process is inching toward a close. That argument may have had a shot before the townhall meetings, and before the Republicans allowed fear-mongering to define their talking points on health care reform. Now, it just seems like too little, too late.

Boxer's message to men who support abortion riders: How would you like it if we singled out Viagara? [Think Progress]
Guttmacher: Nelson Abortion Amendment Virtually Identical To Stupak [TPM]
The Health Reform Abortion Wars, Part Deux [Time]
Public option compromise takes shape [Politico]
GOP erupts over Reid slavery, segregation remarks [Politico]
Michael Steele to President Obama: Delay health care [Politico]

On the PETA paged entitled ‘Save the Sea Kittens!’ PETA claims that “People don’t seem to like fish” and that “we’re going to start by retiring the old name for good.” PETA urges members to sign a petition asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to stop the “hunting of sea kittens (otherwise known as fishing)”. PETA argues that “Sea kittens are just as intelligent (not to mention adorable) as dogs and cats, and they feel pain just as all animals do.” Sadly, after yesterdays news, it would seem that kittens have a few problems of their own to worry about, so maybe PETA should chose a new approach. [News.com.au]

ANA MARIE: I think i caught whatever you have! Darn internets.

MEGAN: Man, this newfangled technology will transmit viruses so quick... I'll stop with the techie jokes.

ANA MARIE: And I even have a Mac! So. Is inauguration over yet?

MEGAN: No, you'd have to sleep longer for that. But official Washington has heard our pleas, and ordered up 5,000 porta-potties for the inauguration.

ANA MARIE: Well, I guess that's good about the porta-potties. Though I cringe to think about the situation nonetheless. It's an awesome, inspiring, history making occasion, and yet I suspect we'll have some very ugly scenes. Ugly, smelly, disease-carrying scenes.

MEGAN: I think it's fair to say that, at the very least, some people will be peeing in bottles. But if you want to talk about ugly, disease-carrying scenes, let's talk Nobel corruption scandal.

ANA MARIE: Over HPV no less. Yowza. That's just really depressing. Not keeping-a-childrens-hospital-from-getting-money depressing, but right up there.

MEGAN: There's also all-expenses paid trips to China to "explain how the process works," which I'm pretty sure is the international phrase for "collect more bribes."

ANA MARIE: Also, a kind of poetic synecdoche: The trip to explain how it works was itself an example of how it works.

MEGAN: Scary how the Chinese already understood.

ANA MARIE: And yet it's not like they care about the HPV vaccine. Or, you know, girls.

MEGAN: Well, sure, I mean, men can't get cervical cancer.

ANA MARIE: So I'm actually starting to feel some sympathy for the Caroline Kennedy back-backlash. I still can't really get behind her but the piling on is kind of ugly.

MEGAN: I've lost track of what I'm supposed to think of her candidacy today, actually.

ANA MARIE: I just spent all day listening to to cable folks mock her for not talking to the press which just reminded me of how IMPORTANT THE PRESS THINKS THEY ARE.

MEGAN: Also, apparently she failed to vote in some mayoral primaries in the nineties, so I'm guessing New Yorkers think they're almost as important as the press.

ANA MARIE: Or, rather, NYC mayoral primary candidates do. The whole thing reminds me more of Hillary than anything Camelot-y. And it really doesn't remind me of Palin... should it? I'm sort of serious.

MEGAN: Kathleen Parker says no, since a Senator can be good by just raising money and getting attention and Palin was running for the opportunity to be President if John McCain kicked the bucket.

ANA MARIE: I suppose that's a useful distinction.

MEGAN: A less useful distinction: the line of crap the Bush Administration is using to explain its unwillingness to sign a UN declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. States rights!

According to some of the declaration's backers, U.S. officials expressed concern in private talks that some parts of the declaration might be problematic in committing the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In numerous states, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.

Man, when was the last time we claimed states rights didn't allow us to combat discrimination...?

ANA MARIE: Way to go out in style. I have a friend on the WH beat who tells me that the Bushies really believe "they've left the world in a better state than they found it." To which I can only reply: I guess that depends on the STATE OF YOUR MIND.

MEGAN: Between that and making sure no one has to give us heathens our birth control, I'm sure they do think it's better. I mean, Saddam Hussein is dead, the Saudis and Egyptians can keep executing their gays as God intended, and maybe us libidinous sluts won't tempt men as much if we can't get constant abortions.

ANA MARIE: I was about to object to being included in the "us libidinous sluts" team but then I remembered this quote from Rick Warren JUST THIS MORNING:

CURRY: If science finds that this is biological, that people are born gay, would you change your position?

WARREN: No, and the reason why is because we all have biological predispositions. I'm naturally inclined to have sex with every beautiful woman I see. But that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

MEGAN: Eww. Rick Warren, STOP THINKING ABOUT MY HOOHA!!

ANA MARIE: WE ARE ALL LIBIDINOUS SLUTS, I guess. EVEN RICK WARREN. What bizarre logic. I can't quite get my head around it, because, you know, actually, I don't think that's how human (hetero) sexuality works!

MEGAN: What, you don't walk around with the female equivalent of semi-chub looking at attractive men all the time?You aren't not continuously having sex with strangers by sheer force of will?

ANA MARIE: I guess he obviously thinks that gays have are "biologically predispositioned" to have sex with every hot same-sex thing they see, or that's just what he tells himself while he's furiously masturbating in his car over the pleasant looking woman that just bagged his groceries. How awful it must be to be Rick Warren!

MEGAN: I mean, if he masturbates that much it can't be that bad.

ANA MARIE: Well, I had sort of been inclined to like the guy, actually, given the other evangelical options, but this is such a crazy interpretation of what it means to be gay — or to be sexual, period — that I'm now kinda scared!

MEGAN: I'm just going to put this out there, despite it being the obvious end point, because it's a rainy Friday and I'm all about the cheap jokes on rainy Fridays. Maybe that's Rick Warren's interpretation of what it means to be gay and sexual because it's Rick Warren's experience with what it means to be gay and sexual.

ANA MARIE: Yikes. Except of course, he is gay for beautiful women.

MEGAN: Bisexuality is an option, yes.

ANA MARIE: I can't wait to her what Andrew Sullivan has to say about this. (And when is the last time anyone wrote that sentence!)

MEGAN: Definitely before he got obsessed with what Sarah Palin did/did not last have in her uterus. I think we need a chaser, and I nominate the 4-year-old New York girl who got tickets to the inauguration, because I'm hoping there will be pictures of the cute.

ANA MARIE: OMG PONIES! Yes, I am hoping too. Love how her dad was all, "She's taking me." Just keep her away from the porta potties, dad. You'll be fine.

MEGAN: Awww there is a picture, of her kissing Chuck Schumer.

ANA MARIE: That's the closest Schumer has gotten to cute since he got between Sasha and Malia and a microphone. Also? The little girl's name is "Lou." She totally needs to have a cameo in the Jon Favreau dramedy we're pitching to AMC after crappy closes (:))

MEGAN: Yes, they have to meet cute at the Inauguration. And she's lost and in the midst of the most important day of his life, he helps her find her daddy. Or is that too Sorkin-esque? It felt very Josh Lyman.

ANA MARIE: She's there with her age-appropriate but hot cousin and JF has to intervene when Rick Warren can't resist his biological urges!

MEGAN: Rick Warren, teeth bared, bounds off the platform and races like an animal on all fours straight for the cousin! (Wait, now I've seen the Wolverine trailer too many times)

ANA MARIE: "Lou" witnesses the horrible scene and Favreau takes the whole family to meet with Obama who delivers a heartfelt apology for underestimating Warren's self control. "Next time, I'll pick a gay guy," says Obama, "they don't think with their..." And Favreau does a "zip it, boss!" move, leading the adults to laugh at the avoided truth... until little Lou goes, "think with their biological urges?" And everyone laughs. And scene. Next episode: JF and hot cousin on a date!

MEGAN: With pratfalls, of course! Everyone loves a pratfall! Not as much as a crotch injury, but those are less prime-time friendly.