While there was a sharp sense of action on health care on Monday and Tuesday in the Capitol, the debate had the feel of a hangover yesterday, as lawmakers waited to see the final text of the health care reconciliation bill as well as a report from the Congressional Budget Office.

Despite rumors all day that the CBO "score" (cost estimate) would be issued on Wednesday, top Democrats acknowledged to reporters late in the day that it wasn't happening, and that backers are still hoping for a CBO report today.

That most likely means a vote on health reform would not occur until Sunday at the earliest.

Why that delay?  That's because Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that no vote would take place in the House on health care reform until 72 hours after the CBO report is issued, along with the text of the reconciliation bill.

Of course, Sunday is the day that President Obama is supposed to leave for his trip to Asia.

What happens if the CBO report and the reconciliation text don't come out until Friday?  Will the President stick around an extra day?  Is he thinking about scrapping the trip entirely?

I bet that gets asked at today's White House press briefing.

Now, what about the vote count in the House on health care?

Democrats won a few rounds on Wednesday, as they brought Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) back into the fold, the first Democrat to publicly switch from 'No' to 'Yes' on health care reform.

They also have won over a few of the pro-life Democrats that some thought might stick with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI).  But remember, those are 'Yes' votes that will stay in the 'Yes' column, not vote switches.

As I wrote earlier this week, Stupak might only have a half dozen votes - but that still could be too many for Democrats to overcome.

We'll see on Thursday if this CBO delay fades away, or whether there is something more politically treacherous involved here for Democrats in the details of this bill.