Who received Obama's presidential calls after today's Senate healthcare vote (Hint: Not Mitch McConnell)

After the Senate's vote today passing his healthcare legislation, but before he flew off for 10 days in Hawaii, President Obama telephoned 14 people about the bill.

The first recipient, according to the White House, was Sen. Ted Kennedy's widow, Vicki.

But take a look at the 14th and final person he phoned, his politically doomed Senate successor from Illinois.

Here's the full list of names, as released by the White House:

Mrs. Vicki Reggie Kennedy and David Turner of Little Rock, Ark. (Turner had his health insurance rescinded in January 2008, after the insurance company went into his record and alleged failure to disclose his full medical record when applying for coverage.)

Also, Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Max Baucus of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Chuck Schumer of New York, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Patty Murray of Washington and, tah dah, Roland Burris of Illinois.

In an effort to change the harsh partisan tone of Washington, no Republicans made the cut for the president's VIP call list. So the campaign promise to make that reform outreach seems to have evaporated too.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Pete Souza / White House (file).

Comments

[Ron]

What is there to say to a Republican? Sorry you were so blockheaded and stubborn? Sorry to see you are so intent on ruining my Presidency? Sorry you listen to Rush and Glenn? Sorry you are not interested in the health of the American people?

[Jon Weiss]

The Democrats are applauding Harry Reid for all the under the table handshake deals involved in his engineering the Senate vote. The $300 million to Mary Landrieu, the tax exemption for Ben Nelson, the exemptions for South Florida and New York and the condemnations issued by Reid to all Republicans who didn't engineer their own handouts.

But in September 2004 House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, was admonished by the House ethics committee for offering to endorse the congressional candidacy of the son of retiring Republican Representative in exchange for his vote on a $395 billion Medicare prescription-drug program in 2003.

Where is the admonishment of Reid for his vote buying?

Buried under the Democrat Double Standard??