There was good news, very good news, out of the Senate today courtesy Sen. Ted Kennedy, who returned just in time to cast the deciding, veto-proofing vote on the Medicare bill. He fittingly received a standing ovation on his return.
(Click on the picture to launch video.)
Here's his statement:
I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens and that’s to protect Medicare.
Win, lose or draw, I wanted to be here. I wasn’t going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference.
This is a critical bill that among other things, blocked a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors. Those cuts would very likely have driven more doctors and hospitals to refuse Medicare patients. The Senate attempted to vote prior to the July 4 recess, and came within one vote of cloture.
The administration has been lobbying the Republican caucus hard on this bill, including, rumor has it, sending Cheney up to the Hill today to the Republican luncheon to whip them. Kennedy's vote today helped break the Republican opposition to the bill, and the WINOs flipped their votes.
Sen. Reid issued the following statement calling on Bush to sign the bill:
The House strongly passed this bill in bipartisan, veto-proof fashion by nearly 300 votes, and the Senate has now passed it by a veto-proof margin as well. It is now up to the President to sign it into law. I call on him to join Congress in making sure Medicare works better for every American senior and TRICARE works better for our troops.
Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for making a bad day in the Senate better, and for keeping your commitment to the nation's seniors.
And guess who didn't show up to vote today? Yeah, that's right. John McCain.