Somewhere tonight there are some angry, closeted Republicans about the fact that a civilized society would dare give equal rights to all its citizens. This is a historic vote, and one that makes me feel a bit better about where my country is after some of the caves by Democrats lately.

In his speech, Barney Frank gets it exactly right. "The opponents don't want to debate the bill on its merits." As they don't want to with Iraq redeployment, healthcare for children, etc. and so forth. On the merits, right-wing nuts tend to lose.