While eyes are fixed on some of the most vocal Republican opponents of Sen. Chris Dodd’s financial overhaul bill to see if the measure will be opened up to debate today, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe’s voice could be the most important.

Snowe, a moderate who has crossed party lines before, is being heavily courted by the Democrats to provide the precious 60th vote needed to start debate.

“I’m always willing to be the only Republican if it’s the right thing,” she said. “It’s important to do the right thing in this. Hopefully, we can get the bipartisan support to do it at the outset.”

Leaders from both sides of the Senate aisle yesterday boasted that they were inching ever closer to striking a bipartisan agreement, but there were doubts that an agreement could be reached by today.

So, with a number of key Republicans suggesting it could be another week or two before a truce is reached, Snowe’s role becomes more prominent.

Though there is broad agreement on both sides for the creation of a consumer protection agency, rules for derivatives and winding down systemically important financial institutions, the sides remain at odds on other issues, such as the creation of a fund to dismantle big banks and how much latitude the Federal Reserve should have in injecting capital into banks during a crisis.

In addition, Democrats are feuding over how far derivatives regulation should go.