NBC's Joel Seidman reports that former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, a key prosecution witness, is scheduled to testify today.  He is expected to say that Scooter Libby told him about Valerie Plame Wilson's identity as the wife of Joseph Wilson. 

From NBC's Mark Murray
According to the AP, a source says that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) is expected to file paperwork on Monday to form a presidential exploratory committee, which would make him the latest person to make this serious move for the White House. A Huckabee spokesperson, though, would not confirm the AP story to First Read.

While GOP presidential hopefuls like John McCain and Mitt Romney have spent the past year hiring staff and luring top party fundraisers, Huckabee has been relatively quiet, giving political observers the impression that he wasn't interested in running for the White House. If he does run, however, Huckabee has some qualities that would make him an attractive candidate -- including his weight loss of approximately 100 pounds (which voters could find inspiring) and his record as a pragmatic, yet conservative, governor.

We'll learn the full story about Huckabee's intentions when he appears on NBC's Meet the Press this Sunday.

From NBC's Andrew Merten
Former New York Gov. George Pataki, who could still jump into the 2008 presidential race, called President Bush's call for a troop increase "unnecessary" -- given that the Iraqi government has not offered an "expression of will and clear commitment" to stem sectarian violence and promote a unity government there. Pataki, who spoke at Georgetown University this morning, is the third possible GOP presidential contender to come out against Bush's troop increase. The other two are Sens. Sam Brownback (who has declared he's running) and Chuck Hagel (who hasn't just yet).

Despite his opposition to the troop surge, Pataki doesn't think the US should leave Iraq just yet. "We cannot simply withdraw," Pataki said, explaining that it would leave regions of the country vulnerable to complete control by al-Qaeda.  But he added that if the Iraqi government does not reel in Shiite extremists, then "we should withdraw our troops from all areas where the war is essentially civil" and focus solely on defeating al-Qaeda remnants in the Anbar province.

Pataki also commented on the lack of coordination by federal, state, and local leaders after Hurricane Katrina, contrasting it with the effective integration of relief work from all levels of government under his lead in New York after September 11.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Asked about the Senate's work on a non-binding resolution opposing his troop increase, President Bush replied, "I'm the decision-maker," in remarks he made this morning during his Oval Office meeting with David Petraeus and his Pentagon brass. Per the AP, he added: "I've picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed… Some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work."

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, Lauren Appelbaum, and Carrie Dann
If it's Friday, it's another round of weekend travel by the presidential hopefuls. Among the events to watch: Hillary Clinton's trip to Iowa tomorrow and Sunday -- her first to the Hawkeye State since 2003; Mitt Romney's own three stops there today; Rudy Giuliani's appearance in Bretton Woods, NH tonight and his keynote address tomorrow at the New Hampshire GOP convention; and Bill Richardson's Saturday visit at a Nevada Democratic fundraiser. Also, the National Review Institute's three-day "Conservative Summit" in DC begins today, and it will include speeches on Saturday by Romney, Newt Gingrich, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

President Bush, meanwhile, has returned to Washington after spending the last two days stumping for the energy and health-care proposals he unveiled in his State of the Union address. As of this writing, he's meeting with his top Pentagon brass, including David Petraeus, who will receive a full Senate vote later this morning on his nomination to be the top US commander in Iraq. After that, Bush will deliver remarks to House Republicans at their retreat in Cambridge, MD.

On Day Three after his State of the Union, however, it's still worth pointing out that Bush didn't once mention Hurricane Katrina or the ongoing Gulf Coast recovery in his 50-minute, 5,000-word address. It's a sharp departure for a president who declared in September 2005 that it would be "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen." And who mentioned it in last year's SOTU, saying: "A hopeful society comes to the aid of fellow citizens in times of suffering and emergency -- and stays at it until they're back on their feet."

In large part, the absence is a reflection of just how much the Iraq war has overshadowed American politics and Bush's presidency. It's also a sign that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are being rebuilt, although there's still much more to be done there. And it's more evidence of how some of the biggest stories (anyone remember the Iraq Study Group's recommendations?) are often forgotten. Last March, one issue at a Republican presidential cattle call in Memphis was whether some of the candidates were going to visit the battered Gulf Coast.

The Administration's botched response to Katrina helped undermine Republican claims to being the party that knows how to govern -- doing as much to damage the party brand as the growth in spending and the size of government under the GOP's watch. It was also a setback for the party's efforts to reach out to African Americans.

But the absence hasn't been entirely a Republican affair. Katrina recovery wasn't part of the House Democrats' initial "Six for '06" rollout. Sen. Jim Webb said in his State of the Union response that Democrats are serious about "addressing such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of New Orleans" -- but it was just one sentence of his speech. Even John Edwards, who announced his presidential bid last month from New Orleans and often talks about Katrina, didn't mention it in his statement criticizing Bush's State of the Union. That said, Edwards was in the city on Wednesday and did an online chat from there. And Barack Obama will be there on Monday, when he attends a Senate field hearing on Katrina.

However, Katrina will likely re-emerge as the Democratic presidential nominating contest heats up, especially for Edwards and Obama. And, locally, it will certainly be on display in this year's contest for Louisiana governor (in which embattled Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco will face a rematch from GOP Rep. Bobby Jindal), as well as during Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D) bid for re-election next year.

Many had been assuming that the sponsors of the competing non-binding resolutions opposing Bush's troop increase would eventually reach some kind of compromise. But the AP says Sen. John Warner (R) refused yesterday to cut a deal with Sens. Joe Biden, Carl Levin, and Chuck Hagel -- whose resolution passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. "Warner's decision bolsters chances that his resolution will be the one to win final Senate approval. Democrats are expected to vote for his proposal if their measure fails, and several Republicans said they prefer Warner's approach because it is less divisive." Also: "His decision to avoid bargaining also decreases the odds that a single resolution would emerge that would garner a strong, bipartisan vote reproaching Bush's plan, which the White House hopes to avoid." 

On TODAY, Hagel said the resolution he's co-sponsoring with Biden and Levin isn't confrontational, as his critics complain. "We're asking some tough questions," Hagel said. "This is not confrontational… We're not trying to hurt the president."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post writes that "antiwar groups are launching a public relations blitz to sway Congress [on the troop increase]. And a coalition of labor unions, liberal activists and Iraq war veterans, called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, will barnstorm through [several states] next week to pressure wavering Republican senators. In each state, television advertising will show six ex-soldiers intoning: 'When it comes to Iraq, America is divided. On the one hand, you've got two-thirds of the American people, a bipartisan majority in Congress, the Iraq Study Group and veterans like us, all opposed to the escalation… On the other hand, there's George Bush, who supports escalation. If you support escalation, you don't support the troops.'"

The New York Times: "Supporters of the president's policy were developing resolutions of their own. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said he would propose giving the Iraqis a series of benchmarks to demonstrate progress. A draft proposal from Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, declares that 'the United States military leadership in Iraq should be given a reasonable chance to execute the new plan for Iraq.'" 

As the Senate considers these non-binding resolutions, the Politico notes that Sen. Russ Feingold "has scheduled a hearing next Tuesday in his Judiciary Committee subcommittee to explore whether Congress has the authority to cut off funding for the U.S. military campaign in Iraq."

The Washington Post reports that the Bush Administration "has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort."

The White House will ask Congress for $10.6 billion for Afghanistan to help the country strengthen its security forces and rebuild after years of war, the AP writes. "The money would be on top of $14.2 billion in aid the United States has already given to Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the repressive Taliban." 

And the Los Angeles Times reports that Fox News on Sunday is planning "to broadcast footage from ABC's controversial miniseries 'The Path to 9/11' that was edited out of the docudrama amid criticism that it inaccurately portrayed the Clinton administration's response to the terrorism threat."

The New York Times covers Bush stumping yesterday for his new health-care proposal and indicating "he was ready for a fight. 'If people in Washington are serious about dealing with the uninsured, here is a serious idea for them to consider,' Mr. Bush said of his health care plan. 'They're just dismissing things because of pure politics.'"

USA Today: "White House spokesman Tony Fratto said public pressure — and demand for better health care — would force Republicans in Bush's party and Democrats who control Congress to work together."

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the Administration's budget proposal for the next fiscal year -- which is set to be released on February 5 -- will include a slow down Medicare spending "expected to add up to $90 billion in five years." In addition, the "proposals to save the government money on Medicare complement President Bush's plan to change the tax law to make employer-provided health insurance taxable as income."

The Washington Times notes that Bush's State of the Union speech pleased many conservatives, who were afraid the president would pander to Democrats.

The Chicago Tribune says Bush sent Education Secretary Margaret Spellings out to sell his proposed changes to his No Child Left Behind plan. Spellings was in Chicago yesterday to plug "the more controversial parts of the blueprint, including vouchers for students to attend private schools, allowing districts to bypass state-imposed charter school caps, letting districts circumvent teacher contracts to transfer teachers to the worst schools."

Proving that Bush and his Cabinet members aren't the only ones who can make a secret trip to Iraq, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have traveled to Baghdad. "The congressional delegation … includes Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa… The delegation is scheduled to return to Washington on Monday." 

Meanwhile, Pelosi's No.2 -- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer -- gives a speech today on Iraq at the Brookings Institution.

Yesterday, Sen. Tim Johnson's (D) office released another statement suggesting that the senator is continuing to make progress after suffering a brain hemorrhage in December. "Senator Johnson is showing evidence of more functional, spontaneous speech and is indicating preferences," Dr. Philip Marion of George Washington University Hospital said in the statement. "He is answering questions and following commands appropriately."

Al Sharpton yesterday made the rounds on Capitol Hill, chatting with presidential contenders Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and Joe Biden -- because he's concerned that they're not addressing important issues that affect the African-American community. Specifically, Sharpton's spokeswoman Rachel Nordlinger told First Read that he is concerned that he "hasn't heard candidates talk about civil rights issues."

The New York Times: "One purpose of the visit, two New York advisers and confidants of Mr. Sharpton said, was to send a signal to … Obama … that he should not take for granted the political support of Mr. Sharpton."

Sharpton's visit, the Washington Times adds, was not just to urge presidential contenders to address civil rights issues -- but to warn that if they didn't, he would run.

After his meeting with Sharpton yesterday, Obama said he feels confident that when people get to know him, he won't have a problem with the African-American vote. "'If you look at my black vote in my U.S. Senate race or my approval ratings back in Illinois, I feel pretty confident that, once folks know who I am, we'll do just fine,'" Obama said.

The AP covers Obama's call yesterday for universal health care. "Obama was previewing what is shaping up to be a theme of the 2008 Democratic primary. His chief rivals, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, also are strong proponents of universal health care and have promised to offer their plans."

John Kerry tells the Boston Herald it was his "gut" -- not others -- that told him he shouldn't run for president. "'Nine-tenths of them wanted me to run. I had an enormous amount of pressure to run,' the senator said. 'But I had to go with what was in my gut. My gut told me this was not the right time. Period.'" He added that both his wife and fellow Sen. Ted Kennedy were supportive of a second run.  http

But the Boston Globe, who also spoke with the senator, says that "there were warning signs for Kerry: Some of his top fund-raisers and staff members from 2004 were hesitant to commit to helping Kerry run again" while Clinton and Obama "were drawing a lot of attention as early contenders."

And the Boston Herald reports that some people want Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling to run for Kerry's Senate seat. "The Red Sox pitching hero didn't flatly rule out the idea, either, though he didn't sound like he was about to hit the campaign trail anytime soon."

The Washington Post examines whether Sen. Chuck Hagel will enter the presidential field. "Hagel said in a wide-ranging interview this week that he is discussing his options with his family and other confidants and will make a decision in the next six weeks. He said one possibility is forming a presidential exploratory committee and … seeking the Republican nomination. Or he may seek a third Senate term. Then again, he might take a more creative path" -- running for president on a unity ticket.

When asked by NBC's Meredith Vieira on TODAY whether he'll run for president, Hagel responded, "You'll be one of the first I let know."

Duncan Hunter kicked off his presidential run in Spartanburg, South Carolina yesterday, saying "My fellow Americans, with the support of our families, with faith in God, and with confidence in the goodness of American people, let's begin this race for the American presidency and let's win." 

Just before his big trip to New Hampshire this weekend, the Boston Globe reports that Rudy Giuliani has won the endorsement of former Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci (R), despite the fact that Mitt Romney asked for his endorsement two weeks ago. 

In the most dramatic testimony yet in the Libby trial, MSNBC's David Shuster reports that Cathie Martin -- Vice President Cheney's former press aide -- yesterday told Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald she informed Cheney and Libby that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA. This revelation about Plame Wilson's identity apparently came before Libby said he learned it from reporters.

NBC's Joel Seidman says the Libby trial is now recessed until Monday, when Martin will continue to be on the stand. The next witness scheduled to appear for the prosecution will be former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

USA Today adds that Martin "was the fourth witness to say Libby knew Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA employee before a conversation between Libby and NBC reporter Tim Russert. Libby told investigators he first learned Plame's identity from Russert."

The New York Times: "Unlike the previous three witnesses, who worked at the C.I.A. and State Department, Ms. Martin's testimony may prove especially damaging to Mr. Libby because of her perspective as a former insider in the vice president's office and as a former colleague of Mr. Libby."

From NBC's Huma Zaidi
Rev. Al Sharpton is making rounds on the Hill today, meeting with potential Democratic presidential candidates because he's concerned that they're not addressing important issues that affect the African-American community. Specifically, Sharpton's spokeswoman Rachel Nordlinger says he is concerned that he "hasn't heard candidates talk about civil rights issues." So far today, Sharpton has met with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd. This afternoon he'll meet with Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden. 

Sharpton's visit is notable given questions over whether Obama can appeal to both white and African-American voters, without alienating one or the other. Clinton, who has strong support in the African-American community according to some polls, could complicate Obama's success with this key constituency.

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Certainly, no one is more aware than John Kerry (D) that when a member of the Senate runs for the White House these days, the position he or she stakes out on Iraq is viewed through the prism of presidential politics. 

And, as in Kerry's own case, a candidate's presidential prospects may come to depend on how clearly he or she stakes out that position.  Kerry's inarticulateness in talking about the war -- "I voted for it before I voted against it," the botched joke he made in late October about getting "stuck in Iraq" -- was used by Republicans to undermine his credibility on an issue on which the decorated Vietnam veteran seemed otherwise well-poised to lead the charge for his party in 2004.

Kerry's announcement that he will forgo a 2008 bid for the presidency yesterday, coming at the end of a lengthy attack on President Bush's war policy on the Senate floor, suggests that he is hoping to become the party's most prominent honest broker on Iraq, a prominent critic with no grander political ambitions in mind.  Per NBC's Carrie Dann, Kerry said in his speech that "this isn't the time for me to mount a presidential campaign...  As someone who voted to give the president the authority to go to war, I feel the weight of a personal responsibility to act... in an effort to limit this war and bring our participation to a conclusion."

Meanwhile, two Senate Republicans with designs on the White House are publicly acknowledging that their chances could be torpedoed by their positions on the war and on Bush's proposed troop increase.  John McCain supports the war and the move to send more troops; Chuck Hagel opposes both.  As he and his advisors have conceded, McCain's presidential prospects are now tied to the success or failure of the troop increase, even though he may try to adjust his positioning at the margins by, for example, lambasting Vice President Cheney for giving Bush bad advice, or suggesting that the additional troops may not be stationed in Iraq long enough to be effective. 

Hagel, on the other hand, has renounced his vote in favor of the war and is co-sponsoring the original non-binding resolution opposing a troop increase.  Yesterday, he joined with Foreign Relations Committee Democrats in voting out the measure.  In making his case for it, Hagel said "maybe I'm wrong" for standing up against the Administration's policy.  "Maybe I'll have no political future."  His position aligns him squarely with a majority of the public, potentially making him an appealing general election candidate, but there simply may not be enough of an anti-war constituency within the GOP to give him a real shot at the nomination.  NBC political analyst Charlie Cook suggests that Hagel could become the McCain of the 2008 election -- the independent-minded maverick who gets glowing press coverage but can't get over the top.

Now that the Foreign Relations Committee has voted out the resolution opposing a US troop increase, the measure will go before the full Senate for debate and a vote, probably next week, where it will be open to more changes, NBC's Ken Strickland reports.  Only one alteration was made to the language yesterday: the word "escalation" was changed to "increase."  As Strickland notes, Sen. John Warner (R) has offered his version of resolution that also rejects the Bush plan.  Many Republicans feel that Warner's version uses more nuanced, nonpartisan language and could potentially attract substantial bipartisan support.  Vice President Cheney on CNN yesterday dismissed these efforts, saying they won't stop the Administration from going through with a troop increase. 

Today, it's the Senate Armed Services Committee's turn to hold a hearing on Iraq.  The committee is chaired by Carl Levin, who co-sponsored the non-binding resolution along with Hagel.  Yesterday, the committee approved the nomination of Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to oversee US forces in Iraq.  The Senate is expected to confirm Petraeus today.

President Bush, on day two of selling his State of the Union domestic proposals, heads to Missouri for health care events.

Not surprisingly, Cheney's tone in talking about Iraq was much more combative during his CNN interview yesterday than Bush's was on Tuesday night.  Cheney criticized the media for allegedly focusing too much on bad news coming out of Iraq, and noted that there have been "enormous successes" in the war.  

USA Today on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on the resolution opposing a troop increase yesterday: "The four-hour committee debate produced far more consensus than the roll call indicated, exposing deep misgivings in both parties about Bush's plans.  Only Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said he backed the president's policy...  Other Republicans who opposed the resolution made it plain their vote should not be interpreted as support for Bush's plan...  In order to pass the Senate, any anti-war resolution may need 60 votes: Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is threatening a filibuster." 

"While some lawmakers and antiwar activists have dismissed the resolution as largely meaningless, senior Republicans and White House officials have worked furiously to minimize Republican defections, worried that a large, bipartisan vote would have significant political and international repercussions," reports the Washington Post. 

While he admits that his bill tracks closely with the one approved yesterday in the Foreign Relations Committee, GOP Sen. John Warner said he crafted his own bill because the other one was "disturbing too many people" in its partisan tone, NBC's Strickland reports.  The measure has 10 sponsors so far: four Republicans and six Democrats.  The key language states, "the Senate disagrees with the 'plan' to augment our forces by 21,500 and urges the President instead to consider all options and alternatives..."

A Republican leadership aide opposed to the resolutions called the Warner measure "bad for us."  Because Warner is a former Armed Services chair and carries substantial credibility within military circles, other Senate Republicans would be inclined to support him and vote against Bush, Strickland says, and because it still rejects the troops increase, it would garner Democratic support, as well.

The New York Times says that yesterday's Foreign Relations vote has set up perhaps the "most direct confrontation over the war since it began nearly four years ago."  More: "The Foreign Relations Committee tends to carry a more centrist outlook than the Senate as a whole, but Democrats say they believe that at least 8 of the 49 Republicans might join with nearly all Democrats in embracing a resolution - Mr. Biden's or Mr. Warner's - critical of the president's troop increase plan."  

The Washington Post reports that the Administration is paying attention to the increasing violence in Afghanistan, "preparing a series of new military, economic and political initiatives aimed partly at preempting an expected offensive this spring by Taliban insurgents...  Even as it trumpeted a change of course in Iraq this month, the White House has completed a review of U.S. policy in Afghanistan" and "will ask Congress for $7 billion to $8 billion in new funds for security, reconstruction and other projects in Afghanistan as part of the upcoming budget package." 

Prime Minister Tony Blair was busy yesterday resisting calls to withdraw British forces from Iraq by October and dodging rhetorical bullets in Parliament. 

"Although it had been billed as one of the most important speeches of his presidency, there were few signs on Wednesday that [Bush's] State of the Union address had succeeded in stemming the rapid haemorrhaging of his authority," says the Financial Times.  "In spite of an impassioned plea for Congress to give his Iraq strategy a chance, Mr Bush failed even to sway waverers within his own party...  On domestic policy, meanwhile, the Democratic leadership in both houses dismissed Mr Bush's proposals as either too timid or irrelevant.  Mr Bush was also criticised for failing to mention reconstruction in New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005." 

The Wall Street Journal reports that for social and economic conservatives, Bush's speech "aggravated their underlying fear: that the president might become so consumed by the worsening conflict in Iraq -- and chastened by Democrats' takeover of Congress -- that he will give up on the issues they care about."  They are "becoming more openly critical, adding to the president's woes and emboldening Democrats for battles ahead.  Increasingly, they are looking beyond Mr. Bush for a new standard-bearer, though no one in Republicans' emerging 2008 presidential field has yet captured conservatives." 

Bloomberg says "[f]ree-market disciples are crying foul" over Bush's domestic proposals "that give Washington a greater role in tackling problems such as energy dependence, pollution, and rising health costs" because they would increase the size of government.  "Bush still believes 'limited government is best,' said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.  'But the federal government has an obligation to address America's security needs -- that's a role only government can play -- and that includes energy security.'" 

The new co-chair of the Republican National Committee has e-mailed excerpts of the speech to supporters, asking them to write letters to the editor and call in to talk-radio shows to promote Bush's agenda.

The Washington Times reports on resistance among conservative Republicans to Bush's call for comprehensive immigration reform, while Bloomberg says "Democrats are demanding [Bush] deliver significant support -- likely more than a quarter of all House Republicans -- to ensure passage of a bipartisan overhaul of U.S. immigration law...  Democrats say they won't shoulder the responsibility alone for any comprehensive and politically sensitive plan that includes Bush's proposals to give 12 million illegal aliens a chance at citizenship and to create a guest-worker program."   

Writing up Bush's visit to DuPont yesterday, the Boston Globe notes that while Bush "portrayed himself as leading the country into a new era of conservation and technological progress, his host, DuPont, was pushing for far more ambitious steps to combat global warming....  Two days ago, DuPont joined nine other corporations as well as environmental groups in calling for mandatory reductions in US greenhouse gas emissions, recommending a 60 percent to 80 percent reduction in emissions from current levels by 2050." 

"Bush also plans a speech on the economy next week in advance of releasing his 2008 budget plan Feb. 5." 

Per a Congressional Budget Office report released yesterday, Bush probably can't have both extended tax cuts and a balanced budget, despite his calls for both, the Los Angeles Times says.  "The nonpartisan CBO... did not contradict Bush in so many words.  But its tables painted an unmistakable picture of a budget that needed an extra infusion of cash or a sharp reduction in outlays if revenue were ever to exceed spending." 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells The Politico in an interview that Bush "did not consult her before announcing his new strategy for the war in Iraq...  She also said during the interview in her spacious Capitol suite that no one else in the White House had asked her what she would do, or what the administration should do about Iraq...  Pelosi made it clear the issue was the essential backdrop in Washington for the foreseeable future, however much Bush wants to talk about domestic issues." 

The New York Times covers the Senate's failure yesterday to pass a "clean" minimum wage hike.  "The measure may now be headed for deadlock.  Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York and chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has suggested he will block any minimum-wage measure that includes tax provisions." 

"As the Democratic Caucus prepares to meet privately with President Bush at its annual retreat next week, the question of how sharply to engage the chief executive remains under discussion," Roll Call reports.  "...[T]he new House majority will be allowed five questions when Bush meets with lawmakers Feb. 3 at their annual retreat in Williamsburg, Va." 

Will he get it right when he meets with them next week?  The Washington Post's Style section looks at some Democrats' fury over Bush's dropping the "-ic" on Tuesday night: "I congratulate the Democrat majority."  The advance speech text had read "Democratic." 

The presidential field may soon expand even further.  Not only will Rep. Duncan Hunter (R) announce his candidacy today at the Marriott in Spartanburg, SC, but former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) told MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell yesterday that an announcement on his presidential plans is "imminent."  Huckabee will be in Iowa next week for a two-day swing.

Kerry aides and advisers said his decision not to run "came down to a political calculation that he would face long odds in capturing the presidential nomination for a second time, given his diminished public standing after his 2004 defeat by Bush," says the Boston Globe.  Also, "a growing number of Democratic operatives, including some key Massachusetts supporters in the past weeks, counseled Kerry publicly and privately to stay on the sidelines." 

But sources tell the Washington Post that Kerry's "decision was not motivated by national and state polling that showed him trailing Clinton, Obama and Edwards in hypothetical 2008 matchups.  They noted that Kerry has nearly $13 million in the bank, which could have been used to reintroduce himself to voters.  But there are real concerns that a second national candidacy could endanger Kerry's standing in his home state." 

The Boston Herald reports that Massachusetts Republicans "are circling like vultures around a politically weakened" Kerry, hoping to bring his Senate over the GOP column. 

The Boston Globe editorial page -- which was quite critical of Kerry in 2004 -- praises Kerry's decision to opt out today.  In his speech yesterday, "Kerry made many of the same points in the 2004 campaign but they were muddled by twists and turns over his vote favoring war in 2002.  Yesterday he said simply that he had erred.  Renunciation of ambition has enhanced clarity of expression." 

A new Time poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton not only easily leading the Democratic presidential pack, but also viewed as electable by a majority of Americans.  On electability, she's trailed closely by Rudy Giuliani (R), McCain, and Sen. Barack Obama (D).  McCain narrowly leads Giuliani among Republicans for their presidential nod.  Clinton and McCain are tied in a general election trial heat, but McCain beats both Obama and Sen. John Edwards (D) by 7 points.  A very large majority (94%) say that they know either "a great deal" or "some" about Clinton; only 51% say that about Obama.

The Politico's Simon examines the question of whether McCain, who at age 70 would be the oldest newly elected president in history, is too old or unhealthy to win.  "But I don't think that is going to be McCain's problem.  It isn't his health but rather his demeanor that worries some people.  The Iraq war, which he strongly supports, has disturbed and dismayed him...  And it is showing." 

Through a memo e-mailed to his supporters and the press, Obama "fired back yesterday against Insight magazine and Fox News for purveying a discredited report that he attended a radical Islamic religious school during his childhood years in Indonesia," The Hill reports. 

The Washington Post examines the thorny question for Obama of how to balance appeals to African-American and white voters.  "Complicating matters is that Obama appears certain to encounter fierce competition for the black vote from the other leading Democratic presidential contenders."  The Washington Times also tackles the story.

The New York Times front-pages the likely prospect that at least four large states -- California, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey -- could move up their primaries to early February 2008.  "The changes… mean that the presidential candidates face the prospect of going immediately from an ordered series of early contests in relatively small states in January to a single-day, coast-to-coast battlefield in February, encompassing some of the most expensive advertising markets in the nation."  Channeling First Read, the article says this could benefit well-financed and well-known candidates like Clinton and McCain, because it would give them a firewall if they stumble in the early contests.  

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that California would have to spend as much as $90 million to move its primary to early February.  http

A star-struck chief of staff to Vice President Cheney was so moved by the appearance of two Hollywood celebs at his office in June 2003 that he had to mention it to his CIA briefer the next morning, NBC's Joel Seidman reports.  The disclosure of Scooter Libby's brush with movie stars Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz caused a brief roar of laughter in Courtroom #16, where Libby is on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice.

The Hollywood stars visited Libby at his office in the Old Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex, according to prosecution witness Craig Schmall.  When Schmall, Libby's CIA briefer, arrived at his home that Saturday, Libby had to impart his exuberance about the meeting.  Schmall, told prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Libby was truly "excited about it." So excited, apparently, that Schmall noted it on the table of contents of his briefing book.  Schmall said Libby told him that Cruise and Cruz came by to lobby him about how Germany treats Scientologists.  The CIA briefer, who made regular 7:00 am visits to Libby and Cheney at the White House, would also come to Libby's house in Virginia on Saturdays.

Also noted by Schmall on that same briefing book, above his notation of Tom and Penelope: "Why was the ambassador told this was a VP office question."  And then he wrote, "Joe Wilson, Valerie Wilson."  Prosecutors wanted to instill on the jury that Libby knew of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife prior to what he told the FBI and the grand jury, which was that he first learned of Valerie Wilson from NBC Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert. Russert has testified to investigators that Valerie Wilson's name never came up in his conversations with Libby on July 10 or 11, Seidman says.

Testifying today will be Cathie Martin, the main public affairs person in Cheney's office.

From NBC's Mark Murray, Elizabeth Wilner, and Huma Zaidi
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee who narrowly lost to President George W. Bush in 2004, will not run in the upcoming presidential contest, say sources close to the senator. Kerry's decision comes after several high-profile Democrats -- including Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- have already filed paperwork establishing exploratory committees. It also comes after Kerry's widely reported "botched joke" right before the 2006 midterm elections, which hurt his political standing.

At a campaign event for then-California gubernatorial nominee Phil Angelides (D), Kerry set off a political firestorm with this comment at the top of his speech: "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you - you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." Kerry and associates said the remark was a botched joke about the President -- not about the troops. Still, the joke earned him criticism from both Republicans and even some Democrats.

Kerry, so far, is the third high-profile Democrat to announce that he's not running for president. In October of last year, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner decided against making a White House bid, as did Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh last month. Still looming out there as the potential 800-pound gorilla -- should he decide to run -- is former Vice President Al Gore.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
At today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) -- a possible presidential candidate -- gave a passionate plea to his colleagues to pass his non-binding resolution opposing Bush's plan for more troops in Iraq. At times pounding on the desk, he said we owe it to "the men and women we continue to send into that grinder."

Hagel said debating this resolution may be difficult for some, but that's too bad. "You want a safe job?" he asked. "Go sell shoes!" He challenged the Bush Administration to "show us the plan [for Iraq]. There is no plan. This is a ping-pong game with American lives." In addition, he made the case the while American lives are being lost in Iraq, the Iraqi government -- which the president "boasts" about -- can't even get enough people go convene their parliament to conduct business.

Hagel added that Congress is also to blame: "We didn't involve the Congress when we should have. I'm to blame. Everyone who has been here for [the last] four years is to blame." And referring to his possible White House bid -- or bid for re-election in 2008 -- he said "maybe I'm wrong" for standing up against the Administration's policy. "Maybe I'll have no political future."

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Taking his State of the Union show on the road, as he typically does when trying to sell policy initiatives, President Bush travels to DuPont in Wilmington, DE to talk about energy.  Tomorrow, he'll visit Missouri to talk about health care.  Expect the usual campaign-like trappings of a Bush sales pitch, including banners and e-mails titled, "What They're Saying About..."  What will be missing is the personal popularity Bush has relied upon to sell his policies in the past. 

While Bush is in Delaware talking about energy, one of several domestic issues on which he's hoping to find common ground with Democrats, Delaware's senior senator will be in Washington overseeing a bipartisan rejection of Bush's proposal to send more US troops to Iraq.  Senate Foreign Relations chair Joe Biden (D) is the co-sponsor of the original bipartisan resolution opposing Bush's plan, which the committee will debate and vote on today.  Biden touts the measure in a USA Today op-ed together with co-author and potential fellow presidential contender Chuck Hagel (R). 

NBC's Ken Strickland reports that Senate Democrats are forgoing any formal response to Bush's speech today, choosing instead to let the committee hearing speak for itself.  And still hanging in the air are the words offered by freshman Sen. Jim Webb (D) of Virginia, who delivered perhaps the most widely covered and analyzed State of the Union response for the Democratic party since Bush became president -- because Webb represented not only the majority party in Congress, but also majority public opinion about the war.  Also, while Democrats usually try to select responders who bear some symbolic significance, such symbols don't come much more powerful than Webb, whose son is serving in Iraq and whose victory literally handed Democrats control of the Senate.

Not only will Iraq overshadow many of Bush's new and renewed domestic initiatives, but it has sapped him of the personal standing he once relied upon in taking his sales pitches directly to the public, rather than to Congress.  His job approval rating of 35% in the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll is 15 points lower than it was when he embarked upon his campaign to sell Americans on private accounts for Social Security two years ago.  Even at 50%, Bush and his team overestimated his influence with the public and proved unable to generate a sufficient groundswell of support to help them persuade Congress to approve the accounts.  Still, after his 60-day campaign, Social Security did come to rank as a top public concern, with a majority of Americans seeing the program's solvency as being threatened.

In pushing health care, at least, Bush doesn't have to start by convincing the public that it should be a top concern -- they're already on board.  The NBC/Journal poll shows that the cost of health care is their top economic concern and the number of uninsured is the issue (out of several named) that disturbs them the most about what's going on with the country. 

But as with Social Security, Bush is now tackling domestic issues on which he and the GOP don't possess a natural edge in public opinion.  Per the NBC/Journal poll, Americans prefer Democrats above Republicans to handle Social Security by 24 points, energy by 24 points, education by 20 points, and immigration by 10 points.  Instead of bypassing Congress in favor of selling his initiatives directly to the public, his poll standing dictates that he's going to have to work Democratic lawmakers at the same time if he hopes to make any progress on these issues.

A Los Angeles Times analysis observes that Bush's proposals might have been "too modest to accomplish the broader challenge facing him: how to rescue the last quarter of his presidency from irrelevance and patch his tattered legacy…  'This represents the end of the Bush era," said Michael Tanner, a policy analyst for the Cato Institute...  'This speech shows that outside Iraq, he is increasingly irrelevant.'" 

The Boston Globe: "There was no talk of bold initiatives, such as remaking Social Security, or blustery rhetoric that mirrored his famous construct 'axis of evil' -- a bow to his new political realities." 

The Washington Post says Bush's approach "contrasted with the last two presidents to address an opposition Congress after their parties lost midterm elections.  Ronald Reagan conceded 'serious mistakes' in 1987, as did Bill Clinton in 1995." 

After opening his address with a gracious tribute to Pelosi, the San Francisco Chronicle says Bush "spent most of the next 49 minutes behaving as if the November election never happened."  He "pitched a health care policy he knows stands no chance in a Democratic Congress, an education plan Democrats have already rejected and an energy policy that did little to wow his opponents." 

Vice President Cheney gives an interview to CNN which will air later today.

After the words "America" and "Americans," the word Bush used most often in his speech was "Iraq." 

Bob Novak notes that Bush didn't mention the war on terrorism or Iraq until the 23rd minute of his 50-minute speech.  "When Bush got around to Iraq specifically, it was an anticlimax because of his speech on that crisis a week earlier." 

Bloomberg casts Bush's proposed advisory council on the war against terror as a "concession to lawmakers who've complained that Bush's failure to consult with them is part of the reason he's lost support on the war...  It would be made up of Democratic and Republican congressional leaders." 

The Washington Post says Bush in his speech "presented an arguably misleading and often flawed description of 'the enemy'" in Iran and the Middle East, "lumping together disparate groups with opposing ideologies to suggest that they have a single-minded focus." 

So far, there's been no sign of any Senate opposition to Bush's nomination of Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to take charge of US forces in Iraq, and confirmation votes are expected to come quickly. 

The Washington Post points out that Petraeus' criticism yesterday of the proposed Senate resolution opposing more troops for Iraq was "unusual for an active-duty officer."  Petraeus later said he did not intend for his comments "to be taken as opposing or supporting any resolutions." 

Critics of Bush's troop increase, the New York Times says, suggested yesterday that the competing Senate resolutions opposing Bush's plan should be merged.  "But Senator John W. Warner,… lead author of [one of the proposals], said he saw important distinctions between them.  He said he was not prepared to enter any negotiations until after he saw wording approved by the Foreign Relations Committee." 

Former Republican House Speaker and possible presidential candidate Newt Gingrich testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.  Per NBC's Wendy Jones, he cited 18 steps to help with the war, including creating a deputy chief of staff for Iraq, establishing a war cabinet, establishing a job corps for Iraq, and expanding the State Department.  Gingrich: "If we are driven out of Iraq, the world will see it as a defeat…  I don't think it's a question of staying or leaving…  Staying without the will to win is negative."  Gingrich also said he "was deeply opposed to an American occupation…  That system was doomed to failure…  Now that we are where we are, it may be impossible to win.."

"House Democratic leaders plan to dodge the political risk of trying to tamper with U.S. troop deployments by pushing instead to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and tear down the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq," The Politico reports.  "The decision reflects an effort by House Democrats to put their stamp on the war on terror without micromanaging the war in Iraq." 

Face-off: NBC's Courtney Kube notes that both Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton will be at Fort Sam Houston on Monday to dedicate a new burn center. 

USA Today notes that wartime presidents "have found domestic proposals difficult to deliver," as one historian said.  "Still, scoring progress on these domestic issues would bolster Bush's legacy, now defined by the war...  The White House is calculating that the president can tap Americans' desire for action on the domestic front even as the war continues to rage." 

The New York Daily News: "White House loyalists privately conceded that with the possible exception of his immigration and education proposals, Bush's legislative agenda stands little chance of being enacted by a Congress controlled by the Democrats." 

Per the White House, Bush's tour at DuPont today will focus on DuPont's research on cellulosic ethanol, which is derived from alternative feedstocks, woodchips, agricultural waste, and dedicated energy crops.  Cellulosic ethanol holds promise for long-term expansion of biofuels and is chemically identical to corn ethanol.  The tour will be led by DuPont's chairman and CEO.  Along for the ride will be Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and some members of Congress, as well as DuPont employees.

USA Today says Bush's energy plan "included some eye-popping numbers that would amount to a boon for the ethanol industry and could begin boosting the fuel economy of cars and trucks as soon as 2009." 

The Des Moines Register also says that Iowa Democrats and Republicans "agreed that the president's energy proposal highlighting the use of corn-produced ethanol is a winner for" their state. 

Another winner: CNBC's Patti Domm notes the interesting timing in Bush proposing to double the capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, giving a lift to the oil industry after a big decline. 

"The politically weakened Mr. Bush's latest energy initiative marks the start of his attempt to try to define himself as something other than a lame-duck president," says the Wall Street Journal, which also notes in another story that the plan "faces a hurdle: a volatile energy market" that has been buffeting ethanol producers. 

A Chicago Tribune news analysis says that Bush "appeared to be channeling Al Gore on energy policy" -- on the very day Gore's documentary on global warming was nominated for an Oscar.  

Bush "elevated" his immigration reform proposal to one of his four domestic priorities -- now that it has a chance to pass over hard-line GOP opposition. 

That push "will isolate many conservative Republicans who oppose his immigration and education plans, and shows the precarious balancing act Mr. Bush will have to do with his own party as he works with Democrats to try to achieve legacy accomplishments," notes the Washington Times.  In another story, the paper points out that Bush "Bush won far more applause from Democrats than from Republicans" when he spoke of the subject. 

"The aggressive note struck by Webb... Reflected the changed political reality on Capitol Hill." 

The Boston Globe says Webb's remarks on Iraq were in stark contrast to the "gingerly" remarks Gov. Tim Kaine (D) gave on the same issue during his response last year. 

The Washington Post's Milbank cheekily notes the seesawing between Vice President Cheney and Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they stood to applaud at alternating points during Bush's speech. 

The New York Times has this nugget: that Pelosi had been coached by her staff to keep a neutral face during Bush's speech.  "They warned that any raised eyebrow or pursed lip would be captured by the cameras trained on the president." 

NBC's Doug Adams notes that Democrat Christine Jennings, who lost her House race in Florida by 369 votes, was in the hall last night as a guest of Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D).  Jennings is seeking a new election, claiming that faulty voting machines in Sarasota, FL resulted in 18,000 voters not being able to cast a ballot for any House candidate.  Her lawsuit is now in pending in a Florida appellate court.  She has also asked the House Administration committee to investigate the election, and a "notice of contest" has been filed with the Clerk of the House.