Reid: "We Sent A Message To America ... That We Will Not Let This Economy Fail."

(The Politico)  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) offered praise for his Senate colleagues following tonight's big Wall Street bailout vote, and he urged House members to quickly pass the legislation.

"We sent a message to America, all Americans, that we will not let this economy fail," Reid told reporters after the Senate finished voting. "This is not a Democratic bill, this is not a Republican bill, this is our bill. It will help stabilize the economy and helps people on those little side streets across America, those mean streets across America."

Reid urged House members to adopt the bill quickly in order to stem the looming credit crunch that is threatening to derail the U.S. economy.

"It is my expectation that the House of Representatives will follow suit," Reid added. "Inaction is not an option, which is why we worked expeditiously and in a bipartisan manner to stop a bad situation from getting even worse."

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is up for re-election, said the strong bipartisan vote for the rescue plan was "the Senate at its finest."

"In the years that I've been here, I can't recall a single time where, in this close proximity to an election, both sides have risen above the temptation to engage in partisan game-playing, if you will, to address an issue of great magnitude," McConnell said.

McConnell praised Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain for returning from the campaign trail for the vote, saying their presence "was also quite significant."