US: The US senate sat in rare weekend session to debate a prescription drug bill that is a cornerstone of Present George Bush's re-election platform. The senate approved the bill at dawn yesterday after the longest roll call in the chamber's history.
During the extended vote, which lasted three hours instead of the usual 15 minutes, furious lobbying by Mr Bush "turned" two House members and secured a razor-thin victory. The bill would create a prescription drug benefit for 40 million older and disabled Americans, as well as a new option for private health care coverage.
Democratic senators hope to block it because of some elements they say are unacceptable, including a provision for direct competition between private enterprise and traditional Medicare beginning in 2010.
On Friday the Senate blocked the Energy Bill, another primary policy initiative of the Bush administration, which provides billions of dollars in tax breaks to energy companies.
The bill also provided legal immunity to manufacturers of a petrol additive blamed for water pollution and did not promote better vehicle efficiency, leading several Republicans to join Democrats in opposition.