AP: Nelson (D-Ne) praises Snowe's vote

http://www.omaha.com/article/20091014/NEWS01/710149819

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson praised Maine GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe's vote to advance a health care reform bill out of the Senate Finance Committee but the Nebraska Democrat isn't coming out in favor of the bill.

During a Wednesday conference call with reporters, Nelson praised Snowe's vote a day earlier as "a sign of some bipartisanship that I hope will be expanded as health care moves onto the Senate floor."

Like Snowe, Nelson is a moderate considered to be a swing vote in the passage of a final health care overhaul bill.

But Nelson has refused to publicly back any measure yet introduced. On Wednesday, he said he's keeping an open mind and that there is still a lot of debate ahead on reform.