More On the Gephardt Missed Vote

Gephardt said although he opposes the bill, he doesn't think his vote would have made a difference.

"I try to make as many of the votes as I can, but the Republicans tend to produce as many votes as they need to win these things, unfortunately," he said during a campaign stop in South Carolina. "They are in control. They have enough votes to do that."

The two leading House Democrats echoed Gephardt's assessment, saying even if he had voted against the bill, the Republican leadership would have persuaded another moderate to support it. A tied vote would have meant defeat for the measure.