We'll see where this goes

From the Times:

Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, said Tuesday that she would support the Democrats’ landmark health care legislation.

[snip]

“The mark before us produces some bipartisan landmark reforms,” Ms. Snowe said. “It bolsters what works in the system and engenders quality and competition.”

Ms. Snowe praised provisions in the bill that would help small businesses, and said it was the government’s responsibility to make sure that insurance was affordable for individuals and families.

I'm not sure how "bipartisan" the reforms are, but the legislation is certainly landmark. I'm still waiting to see what the final bill looks like.

I'm also curious to see how this plays out:

Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) is risking a shot at becoming the top Republican on an influential Senate committee by backing Democratic healthcare legislation, according to senators on the panel.

A Senate Democrat on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee said Republicans on the panel are threatening to vote against Snowe, who is in line for the senior GOP post that is about to come open.

[snip]

“A vote for healthcare would be something that would weigh on our minds when it came time to vote,” said a Republican on Commerce, who said Snowe would otherwise be assured of the ranking member post if not for the healthcare debate.

I think Snowe is right to vote for the bill, obviously, since I'm a liberal who supports health care reform. I also think it's smart politically, since Maine is a generally liberal state with an economically depressed population and a weak industrial base. While I'm sorry that obstructionism is the price for a committee chair, Snowe won't be chair of anything if she gets voted out of office the next time around (which is, admittedly, several years off).