"Gov. Rod Blagojevich was thrown out of office Thursday without a single lawmaker coming to his defense, brought down by a government-for-sale scandal that stretched from Chicago to Capitol Hill and turned the foul-mouthed politician into a national punchline."

The Chicago Tribune profiles the state's new governor, Pat Quinn. "Patrick Quinn slipped into the Capitol on Thursday morning barely noticed, a perpetual No. 2 whose very office and three-decade career have at times been political punch lines. Hours later, the dismissive snickering had been replaced by deferential smiles after Quinn took the oath of office to become Illinois' governor. The throng of well-wishers on the House floor was thick as lawmakers competed to kiss the proverbial ring of a low-profile colleague who'd made an unlikely ascension."

FLORIDA: Apparently former New Hampshire Republican Sen. Bob Smith is thinking about running for Mel Martinez's vacated seat in Florida, the New Hampshire Union-Leader reports. "'I have NOT made a decision to run for this seat,' Smith emailed 'Friends,' some of whom are in the Granite State, this week. 'The purpose of this letter is to simply ask for your opinion as to whether I should be a candidate. If I were to become the next Senator from Florida, the 18 years of seniority from my service in New Hampshire would make me one of the most senior Republicans in the U.S. Senate. This could be very helpful to Florida….'"

NEW YORK: New York Gov. David Paterson has taken a hit for his handling of the Hillary Clinton Senate seat replacement. A Siena poll finds Paterson with his highest disapproval rating since he's taken office. His numbers: 54% approve, 30% disapprove. That 30% is seven points higher than it was a week ago.

"In office only since Tuesday, Gillibrand has already booked a Hillary Clinton-sized 'listening tour' this weekend, taking her from Buffalo to Brooklyn -- with a fund-raiser, two round tables and meetings with at least four ethnic groups sprinkled in along the way."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The top-ranking Senate Republican gave a speech to the Republican National Committee -- a day before the body elects a chairman -- that was one part tough medicine, one part pep talk.

The party's outlook is grim, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell implored, as he rolled off figure after figure of demographic groups Republicans lost badly in 2008, particularly blacks and Hispanics.

He lamented that the party is increasingly becoming a "regional party."

"That's called a minority party," the Senate Minority Leader said, "and I didn't sign up to be in the minority party."

But McConnell didn't necessarily go the way of the Tim Pawlentys of the world in calling for the party to own issues like health care and education. There was no call to action for the 168 listening committee members at the Capitol Hilton hotel downtown -- just a couple of blocks from the White House now occupied by Democrat Barack Obama -- except for saying it was going to take hard work.

Instead, he told them the party needs to stay true to its values. Republicans shouldn't sell short their ideals, he said, they just need to do a better job of selling them. In other words, the party needs to adapt, but it doesn't have to change.

McConnell highlighted as a Republican success, the story of Anh "Joseph" Cao, a Vietnamese-born lawyer who won in a traditionally Democratic district in Louisiana.

He called Cao "a classic example of Republican activist outreach." (What McConnell failed to mention was that Cao ran against a guy who was found to have $90,000 stuffed in his freezer.)

Mike Duncan, the current RNC chairman up for reelection, was downright giddy about the party's prospects.

"We are off the mat," he boasted to the crowd, using the podium as a bit of a bully pulpit for his own reelection bid, as he countered the notion that the GOP needs to dust itself off.

Duncan contended the party did so starting the day after Election Day, and put up as examples elections won in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and even a state legislative seat in Delaware.

Going forward, though, how does the Republican Party win back a majority and win back the White House?

"The Democratic Party will choke on the bone of responsibility," he said, adding that the RNC has to make sure the Republican Party is worth coming back to when that happens.

In the dark
Duncan addressed a committee member about the party's budget for social networking, as the member cited the party getting out-maneuvered in the election from a grassroots technology standpoint.

Duncan, though, defended the RNC, saying it has "50,000" on their "social network" (presumably, he means Facebook) -- more than the Democrats, he contended. He went so far as to boast of a 12-million-strong e-mail list.

Obama's grassroots online organization has been widely reported on; his 13-million member e-mail list, used to mobilize activists and raise money during the campaign, has been the envy of Republicans. Republican pollster Frank Luntz, in fact, lambasted the party over the issue in an impassioned talk at the Republican Governors Association conference in Miami in November.

Almost immediately after Duncan finished trying to convince the members of the party's hip, social networking prowess, the lights in the room, went out.

The Republicans, literally, were in the dark.

"Maybe we forgot to pay the electric bill," Duncan quipped.

Clothing Palin
Another interesting moment during the question-and-answer session came when North Carolina Party Chair Linda Daves rose to ask if there was a budget for clothing candidates, an obvious -- and sharp-edged --reference to Sarah Palin's paid-for campaign wardrobe.

Ron Kaufman, an RNC member who spoke about budget issues, pointed the finger at the McCain campaign. The McCain campaign put the onus on the national committee during the campaign.

Kaufman said there was a certain amount of coordination between the campaign and the RNC on the issue, but ultimately, it was the campaign's decision.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The Illinois Senate unanimously voted to expel embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) from office.

That means Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) becomes the state's new governor.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
So White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says President Obama invited some congressional folks over to watch the Super Bowl, huh?

Here's the we've been able to track down on the Senate side (in between asking questions about the stimulus, of course). 

Steelers are represented by Arlen Specter (R) and Bob Casey (D).
-- Casey: invited and accepted. His office says he's bring "terrible towels" and something called Eat'n Park Cookies' (a Pittsburgh thing we're told)
-- haven't heard back from Specter's office

*** UPDATE *** Specter's office confirms he has been invited, but staff is trying to sort his day's schedule

Cardinals are represented by Republicans John McCain and Jon Kyl.
-- McCain has been invited but will not attend
-- Kyl's office can't confirm he's been invited, but Kyl was planning on watching the game with his family

From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Mark Murray
House Republicans are accusing "the White House" of being the first to break the bipartisan spell.

A statement from House GOP Whip Eric Cantor alleges post-vote recriminations, and also cites TV ads targeting vulnerable Senate Republicans on the eve of Senate debate on the stimulus.

"In his Inaugural Address, President Obama promised to put an end to the petty politics that have come to dominate Washington.

Yet, today that message is threatened as the White House and their allies are making political threats rather than crafting a bipartisan economic stimulus plan," Cantor said. "Yesterday's vote was only the beginning of the process and House Republicans are committed to working with President Obama to find real economic solutions. We should not allow politics to destroy this process. Threats from unnamed White House sources undermine our national spirit of bipartisanship."

"In addition, President Obama should immediately disavow plans by some political groups who announced they will run attack ads against Republicans. Let us be clear: attack ads will not create jobs or help struggling families but will only serve to undermine our nation's desire for bipartisanship. Instead of thinking about winning at any cost, we should all be thinking about creating the jobs Americans need."

The "threat" Cantor is referring to is this reporting from Politico: "Pushing back against the unanimous House Republican vote against President Obama's stimulus plan, the White House plans to release state-by-state job figures 'so we can put a number on what folks voted for an against,' an administration aide said."

And as far as the new TV ads being "attack ads," you be the judge...

[Youtube:c4mX2UgacXM]

From NBC's Athena Jones

With the stroke of a pen, President Obama signed his first bill into law and fulfilled a campaign promise to help make it easier to sue for equal pay.

The bill is named for an Alabama woman who found out her employer, Goodyear, had been paying her less than her male counterparts for years, but she was prevented from suing because of a statute of limitations in effect at the time. The new law effectively extends the statute of limitations.

Obama spoke often of the equal pay issue during the campaign, as did then-rival Hillary Clinton. And the president made special note of the fact that this was the first piece of legislation he was signing into law.

"It is fitting that the very first bill that I sign -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act -- that it is upholding one of this nation's founding principles: that we are all created equal, and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness," he said.

Ledbetter joined Obama on stage with Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and a group of lawmakers that included Democrats like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Harry Reid, and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (who said as the group assembled on stage before the event "This is what change looks like.") Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe also attended.

"And it is fitting that we are joined this morning by the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi," Obama continued, to applause. "It's appropriate that this is the first bill we do together. We could not have done it without her. Madam Speaker, thank you for your extraordinary work."

Calling equal pay not just a women's issue but a family issue, Obama said the bill he signed today was for the women across the country who are still earning just 78 cents for every dollar men earn. "It's about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition and child care; couples who wind up with less to retire on; households where one bread-winner is paid less than she deserves; that's the difference between affording the mortgage -- or not; between keeping the heat on, or paying the doctor bills -- or not," he said.

The president went on to tie this bill to the country's economic woes, which is Issue No.1 as he seeks to get a recovery package through Congress.

"In this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month's paycheck to simple and plain discrimination," he said. "So signing this bill today is to send a clear message: that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody; that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces; and that it's not just unfair and illegal, it's bad for business to pay somebody less because of their gender or their age or their race or their ethnicity, religion or disability; and that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook."

From NBC's Mike Viqueira

Some have asked what it might take to get Republicans -- in both the House and Senate -- to support the stimulus package. But this isn't about what is needed to get them on board. They could get the sun and the moon and the stars, and most of them wouldn't be on board.

They believe that voting against this thing is a net benefit; that Obama's numbers won't be this high in two years; that there is anxiety across the country with how much money Washington is throwing around; that they need to start from the beginning with their base and that this is a gift in that regard; and, finally, that they are out of power and they do not have the burden of governing, which is liberating to them.
 
The Dems don't need Sens. Jon Kyl (of Arizona) and Pat Roberts (of Kansas). Rather, they need the senators from Maine (Collins and Snowe), Specter, Voinovich, and maybe McCain.
 
The idea of bipartisanship is a trap that Republicans think they're smart enough to exploit. They don't attack Obama frontally, but they can go crazy on his surrogates here in Pelosi and Reid.

After all, Congress -- especially the House -- is not designed to be bipartisan. Pelosi can't be both effective and let Republicans into thee room, because the opposition's only interest is to blow the place up. It has been this way since the 19th Century. They can't change the standard now.
 
The GOP asserts that bipartisanship means that Dems should not only allow votes on their ideas, but that they should support their ideas -- regardless of the fact that they are antithetical to Dem priorities. That simply won't work.
 
The Dem idea of bipartisanship is that the Republicans should be allowed to fail; that they can have their votes on their amendments; and that they will lose those votes fair and square. "I didn't come here to be partisan. I didn't come here to be bipartisan. I came here, as did my colleagues, to be nonpartisan, to work for the American people, to do what is in their interest," Pelosi said today.

At the end of the day, a bill that is -- in the Republican view -- "about spending money that we don't have for things that we don't need," as Sen. Tom Coburn put it today, is going to be opposed by a significant majority of Republicans. In doing so, they believe that they will strengthen their "brand" as fiscal hawks, while at the same time do some damage to the Obama's "brand," that of post-partisanship. As a matter of both of politics and policy, we will know who comes out on top around the time of the 2010 elections.

From NBC's Chris Donovan
If Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is convicted today, he will be only the eighth governor in the history of our country to be convicted in an impeachment trial.
 
The last governor to be convicted was 21 years ago in 1988 -- Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham.

From NBC's Pete Williams
"The ball is in Congress's court," said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg two years ago, taking the unusual step of announcing a passionate dissent from the bench as the Supreme Court ruled against Lilly Ledbetter, May 29, 2007.

Today, Lilly Ledbetter watched President Obama sign a law that reverses that ruling.  But who is she?

Video: Lilly Ledbetter talks to NBC's Savannah Guthrie.

For nearly 20 years, from 1979 until she retired in 1998, she worked as a supervisor at Goodyear's tire plant in Gadsden, Ala. She was an area manager, one of the few women in such a position. At first, her pay was in line with what the men in the same job made. Then it slipped. By the end of 1997, she made $3,727 a month. The lowest paid man doing that same work made $4,286 a month, and the highest paid men were getting $5,236. So she sued.

"I just could not believe that they would separate the female pay so far down the line from my male peers," she told NBC News at the time. "I was shocked when my attorneys accumulated all the information, and I saw how low it was." 
 
Her legal argument was this: Every time the company wrote her a check, it was committing sex discrimination. But she lost. The Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, said she waited too long to sue. The majority said federal law requires workers to file their complaints within 180 days of an act of discrimination. In other words, the court said, that clock starts ticking when an employer decides how much to pay, not each time a paycheck is written, years later.

In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg said employers often keep salaries secret, meaning it can take years for workers to realize that discrimination was keeping their pay lower. She accused her male colleagues on the court of failing to understand how pay discrimination works. It's not like being denied a promotion, she wrote, when you know right away what happened. And, at first, women may not want to make waves if they think their pay is low, she said. 

From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski

U.S. military officials confirm that a military judge at Guantanamo Bay has refused the Obama administration's request to suspend the military commission proceedings for one of the detainees for 120 days.

The judge is presiding over the case of Abd Al Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi accused in the October 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole that killed 17 American sailors. The officials could not immediately comment on why the judge refused to suspend the proceedings.

The officials point out that the administration's request was to suspend legal proceedings in 14 separate cases now in progress before the military commissions, and this judge's ruling pertains only to Nashiri's case.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** The big, fat O: Despite Obama traveling to Capitol Hill to meet with them in private, despite including one of their former members (Ray LaHood) in his cabinet, and despite inviting their leaders over for cocktails last night at the White House, not a single House Republican voted for the stimulus package, which cleared the House yesterday by a 244-188 vote. Predicting that GOP outcome before the vote, the Washington Post notes, House Republican Leader John Boehner put his finger and thumb together to signal the big, fat "O" -- zero. House GOP leaders seemed to go out of their way to make sure reporters knew the message they were sending was directed at Speaker Pelosi, not the president. (As one snarkily noted to First Read, the president met with House Republicans on the stimulus bill more times than Pelosi did.) But how closely does the American public follow congressional politics? Won't this look like they are snubbing a president who just days ago reached out to them? Republicans are taking a risk by looking so defiant, especially if this package ends up working. The last thing Republicans need is another "O" -- obstructionist" -- being tagged to them.

*** Another Obama olive branch: That said, in his statement last night, Obama said that he wants "to strengthen" the stimulus plan before it gets to his desk. It was an interesting word choice and yet another olive branch to House Republicans. (And get this -- Obama didn't include the words "Democrat" or "Democratic" in his statement.) There are a number of Democrats scratching their heads at the House GOP goose egg; we even learned that LaHood was calling his fellow House Republicans asking for them to support the legislation. After all, the president has a 70% job approval rating and the package itself has the support of a majority of Americans, who in general appear to believe they want government to do something -- rather than nothing -- when it comes to the economy. Interestingly, the president may have his own issues to deal with in his own party. The more defiant Democrats are thinking, "I told you so," when it comes his GOP outreach efforts. In addition, we've been hearing chatter from congressional Democrats that they'd like the president to act as concerned about winning their support as he acts when it comes to the Republicans. Meanwhile, a coalition of liberal groups is launching a new ad campaign that urges moderate Republican senators to support the economic stimulus.

*** The state of the GOP: Given last night's House Republican vote, as well as tomorrow's RNC chair contest and even the recent GOP fealty to Rush Limbaugh, it's worth pointing out that the Republican Party is about as unpopular now as the president who just left office. In addition to December's NBC/WSJ poll, which showed that only 27% of the country viewed the GOP favorably (versus 49% who said that about the Dem Party), a new Gallup analysis of the 350,000 interviews it conducted in 2008 finds the Democratic Party leading in every state in the nation except in Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. (That's right, even in some states McCain carried like Texas and Georgia, voters identify more with the Dem Party than the GOP.) Gallup summed up it up this way: "The political landscape of the United States has clearly shifted in the Democratic direction… As recently as 2002, a majority of states were Republican in orientation. By 2005, movement in the Democratic direction was becoming apparent, and this continued in 2006. That dramatic turnaround is clearly an outgrowth of Americans' dissatisfaction with the way the Republicans (in particular, President George W. Bush) governed the country."

*** (Don't) run away, run away from the pain: Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will talk about this very topic -- the Republican Party's political standing -- when he gives the keynote address at 2:30 pm ET today at the RNC winter meeting. "The first task, in my view, is to find the voters who've left the party," McConnell is expected to say, according to excerpts his office emailed First Read. "As we do this, the temptation for some will be to run from our principles or to dilute our message. I think that's a temptation we need to resist. These people were Republican for a reason. You don't get them back by pretending to be something else. And you certainly don't gain voters by running away from the ones that are most loyal."

*** RNC chair count: Our latest numbers on the RNC chair race that takes place tomorrow: Duncan 44, Steele 30, Dawson 18, Blackwell and Anuzis 16 each, Saltsman 1, Undecided/Not Reached 43. The Web site, YourRNC.com, which also has been tracking this race, updated its numbers as well: Duncan 36, Dawson 20, Steele 18, Anuzis 17, Blackwell 13, Saltsman 0. (Per a list provided by the Steele campaign, it claims 18 publicly pledged, but 12 others private for our total of 30.) In a conference call yesterday, the Duncan team boldly proclaimed, per NBC's Claire Luke, "We expect it to be a very interesting day on Friday, but no matter how many ballots it goes to, we expect Duncan to be the winner." Interestingly, the debate over the president's stimulus package is coming in the same week as the party's chairman race. And the GOP has been going through an identity crisis of sorts. Is it a low-tax, low-spending, less-government, personal responsibility party? Well, it's what many in the House GOP caucus want to be but that isn't what the party has been these last six years and while the base of the GOP may be responding to this new redefining of what the party wants to be, is it believable to the vast middle of the electorate who shifted toward the Democrats in droves over the last two years and

*** Blago's last day as governor? After saying that he wouldn't testify at his impeachment trial, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will now make an appearance after all, when he delivers a closing argument of sorts at the trial at noon ET. And those could very well be his final words as governor. After his remarks, the state Senate will vote to remove him from office. To do that will require a vote from 41 out of the state's 59 senators, and it if happens Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) will become the state's 41st governor.

*** Obama's day: Obama today will sign his first bill into law -- the Lilly Ledbetter bill, which eliminates the statute of limitations when women and others can sue for workplace discrimination. After that, Obama will stop by a reception (which is closed to the press) where Ledbetter and Michelle Obama will speak. Later today, Obama and Biden will meet in the Oval Office with Treasury Secretary Geithner, and then Obama will hold another Oval Office meeting with Secretary of State Clinton. Also today, the House GOP caucus begins its annual retreat in Hot Springs, VA.

Countdown to NJ GOP primary: 124 days
Countdown to VA Dem primary: 131 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 278 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 642 days

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The New York Times writes, "Without a single Republican vote, President Obama won House approval on Wednesday for an $819 billion economic recovery plan as Congressional Democrats sought to temper their own differences over the enormous package of tax cuts and spending… All but 11 Democrats voted for the plan, and 177 Republicans voted against it. The 244-to-188 vote came a day after Mr. Obama traveled to Capitol Hill to seek Republican backing, if not for the package then on other issues to come."

The Wall Street Journal adds, "The 244-188 vote was not what Mr. Obama had hoped for. A week of presidential wooing -- including a visit to the Capitol, a return visit to the White House by moderate House Republicans and a bipartisan cocktail party Wednesday night -- did not yield a single Republican vote."

The Washington Post: "Some moderate Republicans who opposed the bill left open the chance of supporting the final version if the White House and Senate address their concerns about spending. And Democrats remain hopeful of securing a more bipartisan result in the Senate, where committee action has driven up the cost as the amount of tax relief has increased, something Republicans have demanded before they will consider offering their support."

The Boston Globe: "Members of both parties said that despite Obama's overtures to Republicans -- including a trip this week to Capitol Hill to woo members in person -- the congressional leadership of both parties approached the stimulus legislation with the same unrelenting partisan tactics Obama attacked during his campaign and inaugural address."

Roll Call writes that congressional Republicans "have placed a very large bet" by voting against the stimulus -- something it says is "fraught with political risk." Minority Leader John "Boehner has sought to avoid the label of the 'party of no' and push alternatives, but his Conference appears unwilling to back anything but another round of tax cuts. That had Democrats saying Republicans are stuck in the past by opposing the package while the nation is in crisis."

Meanwhile, a coalition of liberal groups, including Americans United for Change, MoveOn.org Political Action, AFSCME and SEIU, are launching up a $4-5 million ad campaign targeting Republican senators to support the stimulus as it moves to the Senate. The ad will run in DC as well in the home states of: Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

The Senate is expected to vote today on SCHIP, the "legislation that would spend $31.5 billion more on a children's health insurance program over the next 4 1/2 years," the AP says. "The additional money would help about 4 million uninsured children get coverage and draw 2.4 million more kids into the program who otherwise could get private coverage."

Yet another ethics problem for Allan Mollohan (D-WV)? It centers on campaign funds and local boosters, Roll Call writes.

Obama will sign into law today the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which eliminates the statute of limitations for when women and other can sue for workplace discriminations.

Per NBC's Savannah Guthrie, the White House will name Gary Samore as "weapons of mass destruction coordinator" at the National Security Council.

From the economy to war… Obama's "first visit to the Pentagon as commander in chief ended yesterday with no decision on his campaign pledge to bring combat forces home from Iraq in 16 months… Obama did not demand quick action on the Iraq withdrawal he promised, people in the meeting said, and the session seemed designed in part to reassure military leaders and the rank and file that a new commander in chief understands the tolls that two lengthy wars have taken on the military."

The Obama team is ramping up the diplomatic efforts. "George Mitchell was seen entering Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah and was due to meet later in the day with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. He is not meeting with Hamas, the Islamic group that is Abbas' rival and the ruler of the Gaza Strip. The U.S., Israel and European Union have blacklisted Hamas as a terrorist group." Mitchell called for "an end to smuggling and reopening of the crossings." 
 
But negotiate this! Mahmoud Ahmedinejad had his own definition of change for Obama: "Change means giving up support for the rootless, uncivilized, fabricated, murdering … Zionists, and letting the Palestinian nation decide its own destiny," Ahmadinejad said. "Change means putting an end to US military presence in [different parts of] the world."

Also, the New York Daily News looks at Hillary's new non-political political organization. "Some, like Democratic consultant and former Bill Clinton aide Chris Lehane, dismiss talk that the group could be a springboard for Clinton to try again for the White House in, say, 2016. 'Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,' Lehane said. 'I think this is just [a] group of folks who developed relationships in an intense [electoral] environment and want to stay together.' But the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato countered: 'Whenever a group like this says it's not a political organization, you just know it is.'"

And get this -- "An Arkansas House committee has rejected a resolution congratulating President Barack Obama on his electoral victory after some lawmakers questioned wording that referred to the United States being founded by slave owners."

"After boycotting the trial since its Monday opening, explaining to national TV audiences that he would not dignify an unfair process, Blagojevich asked Wednesday for permission to address senators with a 90-minute closing argument," the Chicago Tribune writes. "His appearance, expected to receive Senate approval, would be followed by roll-call votes that could not only remove him as governor but bar him from holding future office."

More: "A vote by 40 of the legislature's 59 state senators to convict Blagojevich on charges of abuse of power would instantly make Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn the state's 41st governor. Quinn intends to be at the Statehouse, awaiting the results of the Senate's deliberation and roll call that could come as soon as late Thursday."

The Washington Post's Style Section writes about what it sees as the GOP's identity crisis as it votes tomorrow for a new RNC chair. "Who am I? Why am I? Where am I going? So very, very much for the Republican to ponder in this Winter of the Democrats' Contentment. So many questions. Even the reliable color scheme has gone blurry. Isn't that big-shot GOP strategist Alex Castellanos swirling Republican red with Democrat blue, and coming up with a Washington consulting shop called -- heavens! – 'Purple?' Why, yes."

More: "This is not an occasion for high-fives. The committee is getting together to choose a new chairman, settling an unusually intense competition that includes former Maryland lieutenant governor and current omnipresent talking head Michael Steele. It will also consider whether to issue a call to put the kibosh on President Obama's stimulus plan and any future industry bailouts. A few young women in blue T-shirts hand out stickers promoting a candidate for chairman, Saul Anuzis, of Michigan. None of the other candidates seem to bother."

MINNESOTA: The Minneapolis Star Tribune on yesterday's activity in the Minnesota recount trial: "After he lost the unofficial lead in Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount, Republican Norm Coleman called for an exhaustive review of rejected absentee ballots to see whether they should be counted. But a state elections official testified Wednesday that Coleman pursued a different strategy when he was leading. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann said that in December the Coleman camp wouldn't accept 1,346 absentee ballots that county elections officials said were wrongly rejected. Gelbmann testified that even when he said there was 'little doubt' that 93 of the ballots were valid, Coleman's lawyers said 'they needed time to look over the list.'"

"The testimony came on the third day of trial in Coleman's election lawsuit as lawyers for Democrat Al Franken sought to blunt Coleman's recent position that he is championing the counting of all valid votes while Franken is fighting to prevent it."

CALIFORNIA: A new California poll shows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's job rating dipping to 40%. Ouch.

From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Domenico Montanaro
The House passed the stimulus bill by a 244 to 188 vote.

Eleven Democrats voted against the measure, and not a single Republican voted for it. The Democrats were: Boyd, Bright, Cooper, Ellsworth, Griffith, Kanjorski, Kratovil, Minnick, Peterson, Shuler, Taylor.

These, for the most part, are Blue Dogs, the fiscal conservatives in the party.

Despite President Obama's efforts to cull support for the bill, Republicans placed the blame squarely at the feet of House Democratic leadership, namely House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for not involving them in the drafting of it.

Obama praised the passage of the bill, but included this line: "The plan now moves to the Senate, and I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk." Perhaps a sign that this Democratic-written plan may change quite a bit, which is usually the case with the large number of edits, adds and deletes done by the Senate.

Here's Obama's full statement: "Last year, America lost 2.6 million jobs. On Monday alone, we learned that some of our biggest employers plan to cut another 55,000. This is a wakeup call to Washington that the American people need us to act and act immediately," the president said in a statement. "That is why I am grateful to the House of Representatives for moving the American Recovery and Reinvestment plan forward today. There are many numbers in this plan. It will double our capacity to generate renewable energy. It will lower the cost of health care by billions and improve its quality. It will modernize thousands of classrooms and send more kids to college. And it will put billions of dollars in immediate tax relief into the pockets of working families. But out of all these numbers, there is one that matters most to me: this recovery plan will save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years.

"I can also promise that my administration will administer this recovery plan with a level of transparency and accountability never before seen in Washington. Once it is passed, every American will be able to go the website recovery.gov and see how and where their money is being spent. The plan now moves to the Senate, and I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk. But what we can't do is drag our feet or allow the same partisan differences to get in our way. We must move swiftly and boldly to put Americans back to work, and that is exactly what this plan begins to do."

From NBC's Claire Luke
In a bold show of confidence, the Mike Duncan reelection team all but declared victory in the race for Republican National Committee chairman.

"We expect it to be a very interesting day on Friday, but no matter how many ballots it goes to, we expect Duncan to be the winner," Republican National Committee Co-Chair Jo Ann Davidson told reporters on a conference call this afternoon.

That attitude is not optimistic but realistic, Davidson said. Referencing the RNC chair elections of 1993 and 1997, in which a relatively high number of candidates running resulted in more ballot rounds, Davidson said she believes a similar situation will occur on Friday. (There are five candidates running for chairman this year in addition to Duncan.)

A First Read survey of the RNC's 168 voting members does show Duncan ahead of the other five candidates, with 44 members backing him; yet, this number still falls short of the 85 votes needed to secure a victory.

"The fact that Duncan is among the leaders right now is testimony to how well he's done," said supporter Ron Kaufman, a Massachusetts National Committeeman.

Although various members have expressed a desire for change in the RNC to help attract a wider reach of voters and advance the party forward, Kaufman said that confidence is even more important than change. Being able to run the party wisely, to fundraise and spend wisely, and to prepare the party for 2010 and 2012 are the most important elements, according to Kaufman, of the ideal chairman.

In other words, being able to run the party wisely is more important than change for the sake of change.

Davidson and Kaufman discussed the issue of race in addressing a question regarding the importance of "nuts-and-bolts" issues vs. those including the candidates' race or home state.

While Davidson said the emphasis on the issues vs. race and origin varies between the 168 members, but, speaking from Duncan's team, the perspective is to find someone "who can hit the ground running, who has a record of accomplishment, who knows what's expected of the RNC, and who can operate effectively and get the message out."

"There's been a shift in thinking about what's important," Kaufman said. "I don't care if he's white, green, blue or purple, as long as he'll be a good candidate in 2012."

Another question opened a discussion on policy, from which Kaufman revealed a bit of the chairman's view on President Obama's stimulus plan.

"History says tax cuts work long-term in creating jobs," he said. "We must do the right thing. The risk considered with the stimulus is that we need to stick to ideals -- low spending, low income taxes."

When asked about the rumored power-sharing deals Duncan has conducted, Davidson recognized the rumors but said, "The campaign is not going to get involved in the rumors."

On Monday, Davidson said, per Ben Smith: "Mike Duncan is running for Chairman and will be elected by the members and not through a deal. Whether that takes two ballots, three ballots, four ballots, or more, he will win on the last ballot."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
After First Read came out with its RNC Chair race survey this morning showing Mike Duncan leading and Michael Steele in second with 20 votes, the Steele campaign contacted First Read about our number.

Steele's team contends it is confident it has 30 members supporting them -- 18 who have publicly declared and another 12 who have pledged their support privately. (First Read was provided with the list of names.)

Jim Dyke, spokesman for Steele, insisted this is a "two-man race" -- between Steele and Duncan.

"We've got a team of whips who are aggressively working," Dyke said. "We have a strong second, third ballot component [as well]."

He added that Steele is "constantly talking to people. ... That's why you're starting to see a real momentum swing in his direction."

Steele is not trying to work up an alliance with any candidates, Dyke said. Instead, he's taking his case directly to the members. (That said, Dyke added that Steele has maintained a positive message, implying that other candidates should feel comfortable with supporting him on second or third ballot because of it.)
 
Horse-trading has become an element of this race, with The Hill reporting that Duncan and Ken Blackwell, in particular, were offering staff and resources to state party members in exchange for votes.

But Steele is not making any offers, Dyke said.

"The problem with horse trading," Dyke said, "is that if you make one person happy, then you make someone else upset."

Dyke added that it shouldn't be overlooked that Steele is a former member, and therefore understands the party. While Steele is a former member, he is not currently -- unlike Duncan, South Carolina party chair Katon Dawson or Michigan party chair Saul Anuzis -- which could hurt him, some observers say.

"His ability to focus on improving that relationship [between members and the national party] has been an important selling point," Dyke said.

With a released endorsement for Duncan and Anuzis earlier today, plus the Steele list, the latest First Read vote tally stands at: Duncan 44, Steele 30, Dawson 18, Blackwell 16, Anuzis 16, Chip Saltsman 1; 43 remain undecided. 

From NBC's Samira Puskar
The Illinois Senate president, John Cullerton, has just stated that Gov. Rod Blagojevich has requested to make an appearance before the prosecutor's closing arguments Thursday.

Blagojevich wants to file a closing argument -- but offer no testimony and no questions.

*** UPDATE *** NBC affiliate WMAQ is reporting that Blagojevich is planning to appear at noon ET Thursday and will offer up to a 1.5-hour-long argument.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier today, we reported on a new TV ad that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is airing against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada. (As the Washington Post's Cillizza notes, the ad's buy is limited to cable stations in Reno.)

Reid spokesman Jon Summers fires back at one of the ad's arguments -- that the Senate leader voted for the controversial $700 billion financial bailout, despite the Democrats running TV ads against it -- noting that several Senate Republicans voted for the bailout, including GOP presidential nominee John McCain, GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, new NRSC chairman John Cornyn, and outgoing NRSC chairman John Ensign.

"The country is in the worst economic condition since the Great Depression and Sen. Reid is working with Republicans to rebuild Nevada and the nation," Summers said. "However, it appears some would rather shout insults and throw stones."

Summers continues, "Voters sent a very clear message in November: they are tired of bickering and they want change that will make a difference to their lives. Unfortunately, Republicans are choosing to ignore that message. Nevadans know that Sen. Reid works hard for them and delivers results." 

From Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
Suicides among soldiers in the U.S. Army rose to an alarming number in 2008, NBC News learned today. 

While the Army continues to investigate at least 17 deaths as possible suicide, they have already confirmed that at least 125 soldiers took their lives last year.

That is up from 115 in 2007; 102 in 2006; and 87 in 2005.

Video: The Army says it's working hard to change the military stigma attached to suicide so soldiers can get more help.

A senior defense official tells NBC that the Army will release the final numbers at a roundtable tomorrow, and that they will include all possible suicides in their figure. That means they will report upwards of 145 total suicides last year.

This is the highest number since the Army started keeping records -- and also the highest jump from one year to the next. It is also the fourth consecutive year when suicides rose in the ranks.

Suicides were up in all the services in 2008, but the Army's figures were the most dramatic.

And this news comes just weeks after the U.S. Army announced a $50 million program to investigate why soldier suicides continue to rise.

A senior defense official tells NBC News that the U.S. Marine Corps is also very concerned about the increase in suicides in the Corps in 2008.

While the actual jump in hard numbers is not dramatic -- 41 possible suicides in 2008, up from 33 in 2007 -- for the first time ever, the Marine Corps suicide numbers are almost as high as the general civilian population of American males aged 18-25.

In 2008, 19 of every 100,000 Marines committed suicide. That is up from 16.5 per 100,000 in 2007. The Marine Corps compares their numbers to the most recent CDC figures for American men, aged 18-25, which finds that an average of 19.8 of every 100,000 men commit suicide in a given year. Most Marines who commit suicide are enlisted white males, age 18-25.

Of the 41 marines who took their own lives, seven committed suicide while deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. Twenty-eight had been deployed the war zone at least once, and 13 had never been deployed.

Suicide is now the third leading cause of deaths in the Marine Corps, with hostile actions as the main killer, and accidents as the second most prevalent cause of death.

From NBC's Tom Sherwood and Domenico Montanaro

This morning, President Obama pointed out that his daughters' D.C. school was closed today due to the early morning ice storm that blanketed the region. He joked that, in Chicago, schools never close, and, perhaps, Washingtonians needed a little toughening up.

Well, the president's children go to a private school, Sidwell Friends, which was closed today.

But D.C. public schools were open.

Apparently Sidwell's campuses based their decision on suburban closings. D.C. schools opened two hours late.

Mayor Adrian Fenty put out a statement about the city's determination to open schools.

"(Our) first priority is to open schools to fulfill our obligation to educate our students whenever possible," Fenty said. "The decision to delay (2 hours) was made … after careful consideration of weather conditions and forecasts of warming temperatures. We remain sensitive to the needs of families who are not able to arrange child care when schools must unexpectedly close and to the children who depend on a healthy meal (at school.)"

Tom Sherwood is a reporter for WRC, the local Washington, D.C., NBC affiliate.