The individual mandate delay (H.R. 4118) passed the house Wednesday by a 250-160 margin and, thanks to Senator Rand Paul, the bill should be on the Senate calendar by the time you read this.

Although there are tricks to bringing it up, bringing it onto the calendar means that any Senator can force the Senate to vote on delaying the mandate — or any other issue any Senator chooses to bring before the Senate.

Think about it!

Nancy Pelosi and all of Democrat Washington are going through discharge-petition conniptions to get around John Boehner.

But a single Senator could do the same thing to Harry Reid. And the only obstacle is lack of expertise — or courage.

What conceivable argument could there be for not forcing Mark Pryor, Mark Begich, Mary Landrieu, Kay Hagan, John Walsh, Mark Udall, Jeanne Shaheen, and Mark Warner to vote on the mandate — when their “yes” votes would send it directly to Obama’s desk?

Is the objection that Obama will veto it? That “Red State” Dems will get undeserved “good” votes?

Here’s the worst-kept secret in Washington: Sometime between April 1 and November 1, Obama will waive the individual mandate penalties for 2014.

He will do this because otherwise, over 20,000,000 Americans will go into the 2014 elections facing fines of 1% of their adjusted gross income.

And he will do it at the ostensible demand of Begich, Pryor, Landrieu, Hagan, Walsh, Udall, Shaheen, and Warner — unless the GOP forces them (or him) into a box before that.  Incidentally, Friday’s newspapers report that Landrieu, etc., just did exactly that on substandard plans.

Is the objection that we shouldn’t “improve” ObamaCare with measures short of repeal?

I agree. Particularly with respect to letting liberals off the hook on the medical device tax.

But although Obama will be forced to take a “temporary hit” on the mandate, over the long term it is, unlike the medical device tax, “the whole enchilada.” Its demise takes the entire program down.

For heavens sakes!

Pelosi understands the electoral importance of giving illegals something to vote for  —  and of keeping Democrat issues alive.

Is that too hard for Republicans to comprehend?

ObamaCare is a powerful motivator.

But if Republicans’ message to voters that Obama, in 2015, will be able to outsmart and outmaneuver two houses of Congress — both in Republican control – what will that say to the voters about the GOP?