On KUOW Friday, I asked Rep. Jim McDermott if the House should just pass the Senate's health reform bill and get it done. He said there were half a dozen different ways to go and they should take their time to pick the right way. He predicted reform would be passed within a month. He didn't think Congress should be stampeded, especially by liberal bloggers.

McDermott is looking ahead to the State of the Union address Wed., Jan. 27, as an opportunity for President Obama to lay out the post-Massachusetts-debacle direction. "The president is going to speak to us on Wednesday next week. Why should we run off in one direction and the president gets up there on Wednesday night and says we ought to go in a different direction? Why don't we just wait and figure out where we're going to go together?"

Is it time for liberals to panic? He's not discouraged, putting faith in the president's rhetorical powers. "I know that living on the West Coast, the tide goes in and the tide goes out and you shouldn't get all in an uproar when the tide goes out because it's coming back. It will come back on Wednesday night or Thursday morning." Pundits, check your tide tables!

McDermott seemed maybe just a little manic, like a coach trying to rally the team to come from behind at half time.