Senate votes down Nelson anti-abortion amendment

The Senate just rejected (“tabled”) an amendment sponsored by Ben Nelson and Orrin Hatch that would have provided tougher anti-abortion language in the health care reform bill. The vote was 55-45.
Senator Nelson has been pretty clear that he won’t vote for the Dems’ bill without the kind of language he unsuccessfully attempted to insert. Without Nelson and Lieberman, Harry Reid will have to hold onto Blanche Lincoln and win over both of the Maine Senators.
This won’t be easy, particularly since Senator Snowe, probably the more woo-able of the two, said today that the Dems are taking their legislation in the wrong direction.
But Reid may have some sort of Plan B compromise in mind to get this thing back on track if it continues to drift off the rails.