I had a chance this afternoon to sit down briefly with Rep. Phil Hare today as he passed through Chicago.  Below is the first part of our interview, which touched on Sen. Ted Kennedy's death and the prospects for passing health care reform this fall.  Hare said that he'd hoped Kennedy would be able to "come to the floor and vote for a health care bill that he'd worked so hard on," adding, "He'll be there in spirit.  And I think now, more than ever, we need to push this."   Hare also reiterated his commitment to vote against any bill that does not include a public option. 

The interview was filmed in a downtown restaurant and, as such, comes with a complimentary soundtrack:

We'll be posting part two tomorrow.