Politics: The administration stages a photo-op with handpicked doctors who support its health care reform. Fortunately, most doctors still believe that the first rule of medicine is to do no harm.

In this final installment of our eight-part series on how doctors feel about health care reform, we pass on the reasons given for supporting or opposing the government's plans.

TWO-thirds of doctors "oppose the proposed health-care plan," reports an Investors Business Daily/TIPP poll. Almost half would "consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement" if "Congress passes its health-care plan." Many of my colleagues feel like we're already struggling -- nor are we prepared to take care of tens of millions more patients.

Nearly half of doctors say tort reform is key to getting U.S. health care costs under control, according to the IBD/TIPP Poll on which this series is based.

Readers alarmed to learn in the first part of this series that nearly half of doctors would consider quitting if the government's health care overhaul goes through won't find much solace in another finding - that most of them also expect fewer people to go into their profession.

Doctors believe that health care reforms proposed so far will hamper drug innovation and new medical technology, eroding America's lead in providing high-quality, life-extending medicine.

Broad-based gains in consumer confidence continued in September, with the IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index reaching a 30-month high. But the improvement is not rubbing off on the grades President Obama gets on handling the economy.