In the aftermath of President Barack Obama’s health care reform address to a joint session of Congress on September 9, much of the focus has been on how often and in what venue Rep. Joe Wilson will apologize for his outburst.

As everyone knows by now, the South Carolina Republican violated Capitol Hill decorum by shouting, “You lie!” to Obama when the president spoke about health care and illegal immigrants.

But if I were in the audience, I would have been inspired to make an extemporaneous comment at a different point in the speech. I would have had to bite my tongue when the president linked Sen. Edward Kennedy’s legacy to health care reform.

Obama was right to extol the virtues of Kennedy’s ability to reach across the aisle to secure legislative accomplishments. He scanned the audience and mentioned one by one some of the Republicans who teamed up with Kennedy over his illustrious Senate career: Orrin Hatch on children’s health insurance; John McCain on the patients’ bill of rights; Charles Grassley on children with disabilities.

If I had enough time before security removed me, I might have said:

“Sir, you just mentioned more Republicans than are likely right now to vote for the Senate version of health care reform. Are you going to stake your presidency on a bill that draws only one GOP senator or are you going to demand of your Democratic friends that they come up with a bill that attracts 15 or more?”

The Senate Finance Committee remains the last best hope of bipartisanship on health care reform. Three Democrats and three Republicans, led by Chairman Max Baucus, D-Montana, have been working for months on a bill. A framework for the legislation has been released and a formal bill will be introduced this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, September 15.

Hours before the president spoke September 9, Baucus announced that he will move forward with a markup during the week of September 21 with or without Republicans on board. But Baucus will continue to try to persuade Republican colleagues as the committee begins voting on the bill.

It is the measure that is viewed most favorably by the business community, which is a good harbinger for attracting Republican support, because it lacks an employer mandate. Another characteristic that could garner GOP interest is that it leaves out a public health insurance option. The four other health care bills—three in the House and another in the Senate—include an employer mandate and the public option.

In his appearance before Congress, Obama stressed that he wants a health care bill completed this year. That means that the House and Senate have to each pass a measure, conduct conference negotiations and pass a final bill in a matter of weeks.

That will provide plenty of opportunities for Obama to demonstrate that he can say “no” to House Democratic leadership and organized labor, each of which has indicated that the public option must be part of a health care bill.

In an effort to please as many Democratic constituencies as possible, the Senate may opt to pass some parts of health care reform with 60 votes, the number required to overcome a filibuster, and other elements with only 51 through a complicated parliamentary maneuver called reconciliation.

Taking that path is sure to spark political fireworks.

Health care reform “should be done in a bipartisan fashion and not through procedural gimmicks or short cuts,” said Paul Dennett, senior vice president for health care reform at the American Benefits Council.

With the current Senate makeup of 59 Democrats—Kennedy’s seat will remain open perhaps until January—the majority party needs to attract at least one Republican to get health care reform approved under normal rules.

Being satisfied with only one GOP vote presents political risks. Former Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole said American voters are smart enough to know when a majority party is strong-arming legislation through Congress.

But Dole also said that if Republicans sit out health care reform, they will not be able to retake Congress in the 2010 elections.

“We’re not going to do it unless we have something to show for [health care reform],” he told a September 9 forum at the Newseum in Washington sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center and Better Health Care Together. “The American people are going to wonder: What were the Republicans for?”

Dole knows better than anyone how Washington works. Democrats and Republicans should heed his advice that both parties need to be on board for health care reform.