On the eve of Harry Reid’s unveiling of the merged Senate health care bill, Tom Carper, who’s some kind of compromise-production machine, trotting out one lame compromise on the public option after another, pronounced that “some people” would have a problem voting to advance a public option at all.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) cast serious doubt tonight on whether conservative Democrats will ultimately vote for cloture on the Senate health care bill if it retains a public option with an opt-out clause, and gave new details on yet another compromise that he says might work for them [...]

“We’re concerned that a number of centrists aren’t prepared to vote for a national public plan, even with an opt-out,” Carper said in response to a question from TPMDC. “We’re trying to find something that addresses their concern about government run, government-funded, but still addresses the need for the affordability needs and the need for more competition in states that don’t have it.”

“What we’re asking centrists is, What concerns do you need to have addressed so that you can vote for cloture, either to bring the bill to the floor, or to take the bill off the floor and to go to conference? And the two concerns we keep hearing over and over again: government-run, government funded.”

It’s entirely possible that Carper is being constructive, taking the lead on bridging these divides. It’s also possible that his former chief of staff is now a WellPoint lobbyist and he’s been convinced that the interests of WellPoint equals the interests of the country.

That may be why WellPoint, the nation’s largest health insurer, has retained Carper’s former chief of staff to lobby on health-care reform. Jonathon Jones became Carper’s chief of staff just a few weeks after Carper came to Washington in 2001, and served in that role until the end of 2006. With his boss reelected, and now serving in the majority party, Jones cashed out and went to work at the K Street firm Johnson, Madigan, Peck, Boland & Stewart.

In early 2009, Jones became a partner, and the firm changed its name to Peck, Madigan, Jones & Stewart.

Then, on September 25, insurer WellPoint hired Jones’ firm to lobby in the issue areas of health care, insurance, and Medicare/Medicaid, according to the lobbying registration filed last week, which lists the anticipated “specific lobbying issues” as “Healthcare reform legislation, specifically proposals affecting health insurance providers.”

I’m just wondering who’s “casting serious doubt” on the public option – unnamed conservative Democrats, Tom Carper, or his ex-chief of staff?

As for the substance of Carper’s latest compromise, well… I think you can guess.