House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to preside over the House, managed to overcome the defection of 39 Democrats to the "no" column, and attract a lone Republican to give her just two more votes than the 218 she needed to get the overhaul legislation passed — and to hand the president a big win for his top domestic priority. "I thank the president for his tremendous leadership, because without President Obama in the White House, this victory would not have been possible" Pelosi said at a press conference immediately following the vote. Full Article at NPR