Moderate Dems pivotal in Saturday health care vote
WASHINGTON -- As Democrats try to make sure they can count on all 60 of their members in a key Senate vote on health care tomorrow night, they've been sparring with Republicans on the Senate floor. The 60 votes include three moderates who'd been wavering. One of them, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, says he'll vote to move ahead with debate on the bill. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana has indicated she'll do the same. But a spokeswoman for Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas says she hasn't yet made up her mind. On the Senate floor, Republicans displayed the Senate bill and the House bill -- each about 2,000 pages - on top of each other, and labeled them as unwarranted government intrusions. Democrats defended their plans, and criticized Republicans for not producing bills of their own. Dick Durbin of Illinois said the GOP plan is "zero pages long because it has zero ideas." (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
