Senators napping, munching on lobster

Mid-way through a full evening of voting on amendments to the Senate's healthcare reconciliation bill, Democratic senators are fueling up by munching on lobster rolls in the Democratic cloakroom — a delivery from Legal Seafood in honor of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and a former top Kennedy aide, said he did not know who was responsible for the delivery but that it was done as a tribute to Kennedy. The late senator died in August from brain cancer, and had championed healthcare reform as "the cause of my life."

Senators were sometimes napping when off the floor, but Manley said most are ducking out to their hideaway offices near the Senate floor instead of using cots in the cloakroom.

Manley said the Senate will continue until at least 1 a.m., at which point senators will reassess how many more hours to continue.