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Opinion: Who received Obama’s presidential calls after today’s Senate healthcare vote (Hint: <em>Not</em> Mitch McConnell)

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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.

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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 (Turner had his health insurance rescinded in January 2008, after the insurance company went into his record and alleged failure to disclose his full medical record when applying for coverage.)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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