"Oh what a night," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said moments after the vote, after fielding a congratulatory call from President Barack Obama. "Without President Obama in the White House, this victory would not have been possible. He provided the vision and the momentum for us to get the job done for the American people."
Obama has made health care reform his signature legislative priority - and he put his personal prestige on the line Saturday by traveling to the Capitol to rally Democrats, telling them to "answer the call of history" by passing the bill.
In a written statement after the vote, Obama hailed the House bill as one that would "make real the promise of quality affordable health care for the American people."
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