Could this be done? Get 60 on the process to move the bill to floor debate, and then do the reconcilliation process after the conference report is finalized? Am I missing something here? If you go the reconciliation route can you do that AFTER the conference committee is done and not before?
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/10/27/analyzing_liebermans_threat.html?utm_source=DailyKos&utm_medium=BlogAd&utm_campaign=RSSSenate Democratic aides tell Political Wire that too much is being made of Sen. Joe Lieberman's declaration that he would back a Republican filibuster of health care reform legislation. They think he's just jockeying for influence and may even be there for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid when needed.
Lieberman said he may vote for cloture to bring the bill to the Senate floor. Once there, he will likely back efforts to strip the public option from the bill through an amendment.
cut
While Reid needs 60 votes to get the bill to the Senate floor for debate, The Hill says his ultimate strategy uses "a controversial legislative tactic called reconciliation that could require only a simple majority of 50 votes for final passage. That would allow the chamber's Democratic centrists to support the party on procedural votes and still vote against the final product."