A healthcare reform journey, like other journeys, starts with the first step

The healthcare bill before the Senate today is not a full repeal of Obamacare. It is less than Republicans for seven years led voters to expect. But the perfect should not be the enemy of the good in politics, which is, notoriously, the art of the possible.

The question before Republican senators and representatives instead is: Is it better than Obamacare?

The bill is so new, insurance markets are so complex; federalism so messy, media accounts so biased, and the process so rushed, that it is difficult to pronounce definitively on the issue.

What the bill needs to do is get America off its current path toward socialized healthcare and to create space for markets to work their magic.

This makes the case for incrementalism and demands that Republicans practice it wisely.