Group aims at 8 senators for public option

An alliance of liberal advocacy groups is stepping up pressure on Democratic senators to declare their support for a government-backed health insurance plan. The alliance hopes that by getting at least 50 senators on the record as supporting a public option, they can persuade other fence-sitters to jump to their side and push through a bill with a public option, even if only with Democratic support. So far, they say, 45 senators, all Democrats, have said "yes."