Congress had passed a similar measure last year, when the program--first created during the Clinton Administration, with bipartisan support--was up for renewal. But President Bush and his conservative allies refused to go along, saying it was "government-run health care."
The bill's supporters, which included not just the Democrats but many Republicans as well, couldn't quite muster the votes to overcome the veto. They had to make do with a meager one-year extension--and hope the election would bring new leadership to the White House.
It did and, thanks to a larger Democratic majority, the measure finally passed. And its stronger now than it was last year. Among other things, the children of legal immigrants are now eligible for coverage.
Now several million children and, in some cases, their parents will be able to get health insurance they might otherwise not have. They will be healthier and they will be more financially secure.
By the way, among those in attendance at the ceremony was Graeme Frost, the young boy whose appeals on behalf of S-CHIP made his family the object of harsh, frequently dishonest attacks by the right wing. Good for him. Good for the rest of the country, too.
--Jonathan Cohn