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Journalism of Courage
The Senate on Wednesday passed a bipartisan measure that eases limits on the federal financing of embryonic stem cell research, setting up another confrontation over the issue with President Bush.
After the Senate vote, Bush repeated his vow to veto the Bill, saying it 8220;crosses a moral line that I and many others find troubling.8221;
The measure is nearly identical to one he rejected last year, the only time he has used his legislative veto power during his administration.
The legislation, which passed 63-34, attracted near-unanimous support from Democrats, as well as from 17 Republicans, many of whom spoke over the last two days on the Senate floor in often emotional terms about the hope offered by the Bill for eventual cures to a variety of debilitating diseases.
Polls show a substantial majority of Americans support embryonic stem cell research. But even counting three Democrats who were not present for the vote on Wednesday, the legislation fell one vote shy of what is needed for a veto-proof majority in the Senate.
8211;Michael Luo
