Durbin changes tune on Sen. Lincoln

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is now saying that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) does not know whether centrist Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) will vote with her party on healthcare reform Saturday.

Friday morning, Durbin told reporters the opposite. "She told Sen. Reid," he said, declining to elaborate. "You'll have to ask Sen. Reid." Reid's office declined to comment at the time.

But after Lincoln's office pushed back, telling reporters she was still reviewing the bill, Durbin issued a statement saying the press "incorrectly interpreted" his statement -- though he does not claim to have been misquoted.

"In a conversation with reporters earlier today, some of my remarks regarding Senator Lincoln were unclear and have been incorrectly interpreted," Durbin said in a statement. "Sen. Lincoln has not yet signaled her intention as to how she will vote on tomorrow’s cloture motion. I have worked with Sen. Lincoln for years and know that she will reach a decision that is best for her constituents, her state and the nation."

Lincoln and Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) are the last two Democrats who have not said what they will do when the Senate holds a procedural vote to advance the healthcare reform bill Saturday night. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Friday that he will support the procedural motion to proceed to the bill at that time but reserved the right to filibuster the final bill if his concerns about the legislation are not addressed.

Durbin's full statement about Lincoln and Reid is below:

In a conversation with reporters earlier today, some of my remarks regarding Senator Lincoln were unclear and have been incorrectly interpreted.

Let me be clear: Senator Lincoln has had a number of conversations with Sen. Reid about the health care reform legislation. She has asked important questions and there has been a positive and healthy give and take.

But Sen. Lincoln has not yet signaled her intention as to how she will vote on tomorrow’s cloture motion. I have worked with Sen. Lincoln for years and know that she will reach a decision that is best for her constituents, her state and the nation.