As we head towards the healthcare conference committee, Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson (a.k.a. LieberSon) are once again demanding total surrender by the House or they will Kill The Bill.

(Funny how Democratic leaders viciously attack progressives who remotely suggest Kill The Bill, but not LieberSon!)

So here's a crucial political question: would Democrats get a more progressive bill if they traded Maine Republicans Olympia Snowe and/or Susan Collins for LieberSon?

This trade to take two forms: a simple trade of votes on this bill, or a full trade of parties. Wouldn't Snowe and/or Collins be tempted by committee chairs?

To answer this question, I've sketched out a table highlighting the main differences between the House and Senate bills. I've left room for readers to tell me the positions of each of the four Senators on each of the particular issues - whether they are closer to the Senate or the House.

Here's the bottom line: If it turns out that Snowe and/or Collins are more progressive than LieberSon, then a trade would make perfect sense.

(Full disclosure: I am not a wonk and I haven't read the bills so I'm relying on blogs. Therefore this table may be inaccurate due to limited and outdated sources. If you want to help me make it better, please do the homework I just don't have time to do.)