[Costello:] Democrats blocked the controversial Keystone pipeline bill and deal a big political blow to one of their own in the process. The bill, which needed the support of 60 senators to send it to President Obama's desk, missed the mark by just one vote. The defeat is especially stinging for Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat who's facing an uphill battle to go back to Washington after 18 years in the Senate. Landrieu hoped to use the bill's passage to show she still has power in Congress, but her attempts to get Democrats on board were not enough.
[Sen. Mary Landrieu , Louisiana:] There is no blame. There is only joy in the fight. Where I come from, we just never talk about quitting. And we don't talk about whining. After the game is over, and this is not a game, it was very serious, but when I played ball, whether you won or lot that day, you just shook the opponent's hand, you got up and you went to fight another day.
[Costello:] Her fight's much harder now, Dana Bash, because I think the Democrats have pulled the money. They're not helping her anymore. She's alone on an island.
[Bash:] She is and this was a really tough loss for Mary Landrieu politically and, of course, when it comes to the substance of what she was trying to do, approve this Keystone pipeline. She was pleading with every one of the Democratic colleagues. I talked to many of them that she put phone calls into, that she cornered on the Senate floor, in corners of the hallways of the Capitol. She was so close. Just one vote short of getting this passed. But she couldn't find that one last Democrat to do it. So, as you said, she is going to go back to Louisiana, fight to keep her seat in this runoff on December 6th. It was already an uphill climb for her to come back without a victory on this wouldn't directly affect Louisiana but because Louisiana is such an energy- important state, has such important energy interests, it would have maybe indirectly affect the state did not have that victory. But, look, she has been in runoffs before. I have covered them before in Louisiana. She has been very far behind. She's been able to pull it off. She and her family are very powerful there. So I wouldn't count her out, but it's going to be very difficult.
[Costello:] The Keystone pipeline itself, Congress is likely to vote on that next year, right, when Republicans control both houses of Congress and it's likely to pass, right?
[Bash:] Absolutely, to pass pass big time because Republicans are either going to have 53 or 54 votes in the Senate. All of them support the Keystone pipeline. You add the Democrats who do support it. I believe 10 who voted yes yesterday are coming back and, of course, in the House, there's going to be a very big Republican majority. They'll pass it easily, as they always have. So the White House was breathing a sigh of relief last night that they didn't have to deal with the question of to sign it or to veto it. To veto something that their fellow Democrat, Mary Landrieu, really wanted. But it's going to be a short-lived sigh of relief because it's going to be right in their lap probably very early next year. Republicans are promising to do so. It doesn't look like they would have a veto proof majority, but this is going to be something that we're that is going to be coming back into the fold and might be, when you look at the broader context of horse trading and negotiating on other issues, might be something that is going to be in the mix for Democrats and Republicans to talk about because there is so much bipartisan support for this for this, even though it definitely divides people on the environmental issues. People Democrats have made this their number one rallying cry, saying that they cannot let this pass.
[Costello:] We'll see what happens next year. Dana Bash reporting live for us. Thanks so much.
[Bash:] Thanks, Carol.
[Costello:] I'll be right back.