Directly contradicting both Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has now said that, while he views the public option as important, he’s more interested in passing a health care reform bill.

Hoyer (D-Md.) emphasized his support for a public option in a teleconference call with reporters, but also said he wants to ensure Congress sends a bill to the president.

“I’m for a public option, but I’m also for passing a bill,” he said. Democrats believe the public option is necessary, useful and important, he added, “be we’ll have to see.”

He then said there are many other important parts of healthcare legislation that have been approved by three committees in the House.

President Barack Obama already has signaled he won’t insist that a public option be included in final healthcare legislation, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Sunday opened a firestorm with the political left by saying that a public option was “not essential” to a healthcare bill.

Hoyer has long been seen as a voice for centrist Blue Dog Democrats, who have reservations about the public option.

Both Pelosi and Obama, apparently living in their own universes of liberalism, have stated that socialized health care simply must be part of any health care reform measure. While Obama seemed to be showing signs of retreat on the issue earlier, he has recently reaffirmed his commitment to the government takeover of our health care system.

So here’s the question: Why is Steny Hoyer, second in command in the House, directly contradicting Nancy Pelosi, effectively the most powerful individual in the House? Obviously they’re both of the same party and committed to the same cause. Pelosi just recently stated that no health care measure could pass without the public option, yet here Hoyer is contradicting her not long after.

Ed Morrissey floats the possibility that it’s a PR strategy: Hoyer gives the Blue Dogs hope for a bill without a measure that will lead to their electoral defeat, while Pelosi placates the liberal loonies who want to see private insurance driven out. But, as he notes, that strategy won’t last long. Sooner or later one of the two sides will prevail, leaving the other disenfranchised.

Only one thing is certain: Things are about to get interesting.