ANOTHER MAJOR LEGISLATIVE VICTORY FOR OBAMA: U.S. health bill passes crucial Senate test

     In a middle-of-the-night vote in a snowbound U.S. capital, Democrats unanimously backed the first in a series of three procedural motions to cut off debate and move the bill to a final vote by at least Christmas Eve.

     "We'll get this passed before Christmas and it will be one of the best Christmas presents this Congress has ever given the American people," Democratic Senator Tom Harkin said.

     Monday's vote was the first test of whether Democrats could secure the 60 votes needed to overcome unified Republican opposition and muscle healthcare reform through the Senate.

     Republicans acknowledged they could not stop the bill, which would spark the biggest changes in the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system since the 1965 creation of the Medicare health program for the elderly.

     "The impact of this vote will long outlive this one frantic, snowy weekend in Washington," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said. "This legislation will reshape our nation, and Americans have already issued their verdict -- they don't want it."

     The bitter healthcare debate has consumed the U.S. Congress for months and raised the stakes for Obama, with his political standing and legislative agenda on the line less than a year into his first term.

    The Senate cast the vote in a formal roll call, with senators calling out their votes from their desk. Democrats hugged and shook hands in celebration afterward, while Republicans headed home quickly.

     Get MORE of this Reuters report by John Whitesides and Donna Smith, HERE.