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The Boston Globe published a profile Tuesday on Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus. It focuses on his push for healthcare reform despite a slumping economy and how, as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, he has filled a "leadership void" on the issue. With longtime healthcare-reform advocate Sen. Edward Kennedy suffering from brain cancer, and former Sen Tom Daschle withdrawing his nomination for Health and Human Services secretary because of tax problems, their is a growing consensus that overhauling the healthcare system could hinge on Baucus' efforts.

That Baucus himself isn't passing the buck on healthcare reform has been the most encouraging sign in a tumultuous year for advocates of universal healthcare. The careful Montanan, known for irritating the left wing of his party by compromising with the GOP on a range of matters, including the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill, has suddenly become a leading force behind legislation that liberal Democrats have longed to pass for the last half-century.

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