Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, appeared on MSNBC today and promised, "We're going to have a public option" in the Senate health care reform bill.

Harkin, who sent Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) to negotiate merging the HELP and Finance bills with Sens. Max Baucus and Harry Reid, also said, "The President has to come out."

"I hope the White House will be a little more forceful on this issue," he said.

He said the merged bill will come out late this week or early next week.