WASHINGTON -- As the only one of five committee chairmen charged with health care reform who is making visible progress, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was being quizzed by reporters last week about President Clinton's appearance on Capitol Hill to rally support for the effort.
The Massachusetts Democrat had already begun lumbering off when he got a final query about whether he was the one who had prompted Mr. Clinton's last-minute decision to meet with Republican critics as well as with his own party leaders.
Flattered by the suggestion he had a hand in this intrigue, Mr. Kennedy suddenly whirled around with an impish twinkle in his ** eye and quipped: "No, I wish I had. Can we start this over again?"
Somehow, in the flash of that magnificent Kennedy smile, the years just disappeared.
These are glorious days for America's aging political prince. After three tumultuous decades of high drama and low moments, Mr. Kennedy is playing a pivotal role in what could be the crowning achievement of his career: enactment of national health care legislation.
"This is the fulfillment of something he's been working on for at least 25 years," said Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, the senator's nephew and another Massachusetts Democrat. "He's going to move mountains to get it passed."
At a time when other congressional leaders are weakened or distracted, Mr. Kennedy has his Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee steadily moving forward. He is seen as certain to be the first full committee chairman in either the House or Senate to win approval for any version of health care reform legislation.
And despite his reputation as the poster boy for liberal Democratic causes, Mr. Kennedy is picking up Republican votes for nearly every section of his bill. He has a reliable majority of Democrats, but he urges his committee members to shape bipartisan compromises every time they hit a snag.
To some degree, the Republicans are just trying to make the best of what they consider a bad bill because it is too generous in its benefits and too burdensome on employers. On the final vote for committee approval for the Kennedy proposal, the only Republican likely to support it is James M. Jeffords of Vermont, a co-sponsor of the original Clinton proposal.
Mr. Kennedy's bill is also certain to run into opposition from conservative and moderate Democrats when it reaches the Senate floor.
