If yesterday’s rambling on slavery and civil rights wasn’t a comedy goldmine for his critics, today’s comment on abortion will be.  While making a statement prior to the Senate voting on an abortion amendment to the Health Care Reform bill, Reid says the following:

I don’t believe that the Senate needs to go as far as this amendment would take us. No one should use the healthcare bill to expand or restrict abortion. No one should use the issue of abortion to rob millions of the opportunity to get good healthcare. This is not the right place for this debate. We have to get on with the larger issue at hand. We have to keep moving toward the finish line and cannot be distracted by detours or derailed by diversions.

The House bill passed in part due to the abortion amendment that was added in the last day of debate. Without that amendment, they would not have won the support of Representative Joseph Cao and two other Democratic Congressmen, the votes needed to achieve the 220 to 215 vote victory. When whatever version of the bill that comes out of the Senate is merged with the House bill, the abortion limitation language will pop up in the combined bill. It is the only way both Houses will pass the legislation.

Considering that there is already a three decade old law in Congress that bars the spending of Federal tax dollars on abortion, Reid should understand that the Health Care Reform bill has to contain language in line with the existing ban anyway. His argument that “we have to get on with the larger issue” doesn’t hold water. He cannot change the law on his own.

While it is unfortunate that the Senate voted against the Amendment by a vote of 54 to 45 (with members from both parties crossing the aisle), it does look like some rewrite will have to come around in order to Reid to get the 60 votes he needs to pass the bill. With Nelson and six other Democrats breaking ranks with Reid on this issue, it looks like he will not get the needed 60 votes. I’ve already stated that the Senate won’t have this resolved before the end of the year, so look forward to January and see who starts to shift their statements on abortion. My vote is on Reid.

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