Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill in a climactic Christmas Eve vote that could define President Barack Obama's legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in US history. The 60-39 vote on a cold winter morning capped months of arduous negotiations and 24 days of floor debate. It also followed a succession of failures by past congresses to get to this point. Vice President Joe Biden presided as 58 Democrats and two independents voted “yes.” Republicans unanimously voted “no.” The tally far exceeded the simple majority required for passage, but clearly showed the philosophical split between Democrats and Republicans over how American health care should be delivered. And that acrimony is expected to persist as the Senate's bill gets merged with legislation passed by the House. That has to happen before Obama can sign a final bill in the new year. There are significant differences between the two measures but Democrats say they've come too far now to fail. Both bills would extend health insurance to more than 30 million more Americans. The bill's passage will offer Obama a bright end to an often rocky year that began with huge hopes following his election victory. His public approval level now hovers around 50 percent as he copes with high unemployment, increasing violence in Afghanistan and the divisive health care debate. Obama delayed his Christmas vacation in Hawaii until the Senate vote, a sign of its importance to his presidency. The legislation will likely shape the 2010 congressional elections and possibly Obama's 2012 re-election bid. Obama has signaled that he's ready to go forward with the legislation. In an interview with PBS broadcast Wednesday, the president sought to shift the focus from how the bills differ to how they are similar. “I'm getting 95 percent of what I want,” Obama said. “Now, I might not be getting 95 percent of what some other folks want.” Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Massachusetts Sen.Edward Kennedy.
