Dodd: If Troops Can Work Christmas Eve, So Can Congress

Senator Chris Dodd, a champion of the Democratic health-care bill, said Wednesday afternoon that if Republicans keep delaying progress on the reform bill, the chamber ought to keep working until they hear the jingle of sleigh bells.

Wednesday marked the Senate's third day of floor debate on just the first of many proposed amendments, a bill-killer from John McCain that would take any cuts to Medicare off the table. Congress is slated to adjourn on Dec. 18, so Republican senators are hoping they can stonewall debate into the new year.

Not so fast, Dodd said at a press conference. "If we can't do it today or tomorrow or next week, then I'm prepared to stay however long it takes to get this done," Dodd said at a press conference. "If that soldier can be on guard for us over there, we can certainly be on guard for them right here."

Dodd said leadership is also open to using any procedural techniques at their disposal to force votes and start to move the process forward.

"Certainly three days to debate the McCain Amendment has been more than adequate," Dodd said.

In a morning Democratic caucus meeting, he said, "I think there was almost unanimous feeling that enough is enough," he said. "We're going to move along here now, and we're going to stay here as long as it takes, as many days as it takes, to complete this."

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