Reid gets a tearful phone call from Kennedy's widow

Victoria Kennedy, widow of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), was in tears when she called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) a little after 8 p.m. on Saturday, only moments after the Senate voted to begin formal debate on the health care bill.

"She was crying pretty hard," Reid told reporters, and she said "Ted would be happy."

"We both agreed that [Kennedy] would write me one of his liitle letters," Reid said, "and we both felt he was watching us tonight."

Universal healthcare coverage was a longtime goal of the Massachusetts senator (on right, with Victoria), who passed away in August of this year.