From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Negotiating time: This is Susan Collins', Olympia Snowe's, and Arlen Specter's world, and we're all just lucky to live in it, right? With House and Senate negotiators working with the White House to reconcile the stimulus legislation -- Rahm Emanuel and Peter Orzsag were on the Hill late last night trying to hammer out a conference agreement -- the New York Times reminds us that the legislation's fate is in the hands of three people we thought were extinct: Northeast Republicans. And the trio is receiving plenty heat from members of their own party (the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the Pennsylvania GOP chairman criticized Specter's "yes" vote). As far as the negotiations go, one leadership source tells First Read that things are moving so fast that a basic agreement could be done by mid-day. One significant add to the conference agreement: $15 billion for school construction. NBC's Mike Viqueira yesterday broke down the other points of contention: the $15,000 homebuyer credit, the provision concerning deductible interest on car loans, the Senate's cut in aid to states, the Medicaid allocation formula, and the yearly AMT fix. (As of now, it looks like the AMT fix will survive.)

Video: GOP senators talk about the Senate's vote to pass the stimulus bill and how it will hold up in the House.

*** Other stimulus moving parts: Today marks the third-consecutive day that President Obama will actively campaign for the stimulus. After spending Monday and Tuesday stumping in Indiana and Florida, Obama today visits a construction site in Springfield, VA at 11:00 am ET with Virginia Gov. (and DNC chair) Tim Kaine. Also today, Vice President Biden gets into the act as well, stumping in Harrisburg, PA at 2:10 pm ET with Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell. The White House isn't letting a day go by right now without have someone on the road this week. Meanwhile, liberal supporters of the stimulus -- Americans United for Change and AFSCME -- are airing a new TV ad on DC cable calling out Republicans for "Just saying no" to the legislation. They also have radio ads targeting 21 House and Senate members who voted against the stimulus, arguing that they have a "second chance" to now vote for it. We wonder, however: Are Americans truly paying attention to these ad campaigns? When does it become white noise?

*** A Bronx cheer for Geithner: Right now, perhaps the only person who's more unpopular in New York than Tim Geithner is A-Roid. Indeed, Treasury Secretary Geithner took a stomach punch yesterday, proving that it's possible that no one can succeed in this job if he/she is solely judged by the mob rule nature of Wall Street. The spin out of the administration: If Wall Street is unhappy, then maybe they are on to something. We'll see. Congress didn't seem ecstatic about the lack of details either, so it will be the one to write the fine print at this point. But clearly, Treasury believes the biggest mistake Hank Paulson made last year for Phase One of the TARP was dictating to Congress how the plan works. And it may be politically smarter for the banks and for Wall Street to keep Congress happy since ultimately, they are now the bank of last resort.

Video: Geithner tells NBC it's important to be honest about how difficult it will be to recover from the economic crisis.

*** No Country for Old Men? By the way, these are the conferees working on the stimulus compromise… From the Senate: Democrats Harry Reid, Max Baucus and Daniel Inouye, and Republicans Chuck Grassley and Thad Cochran. From the House: Democrats David Obey, Charlie Rangel and Henry Waxman, and Republicans Jerry Lewis and Dave Camp. The average age of these 10 men: 71. Just askin', but is that the change you can believe in? Indeed, the average Congress-watcher is probably wondering, "Where's a Blue Dog Dem or a moderate Republican?"

*** A public flogging? This will certainly make for good TV-watching today: Beginning at 10:00 am ET, eight CEOs from some of America's largest financial institutions will testify before Rep. Barney Frank's House Financial Services Committee on the issue of TARP accountability. Among the witnesses: Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, and Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit. As the New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin noted yesterday, these CEOs -- trying to avoid a mistake the automakers made last year -- gave up their private jets to come to DC via Amtrak or the Delta Shuttle. But they'll probably receive the same reaction from Congress that the automakers received: a public spanking. "Judging by the nation's outrage at Wall Street … our representatives are likely to turn the hearing into a public flogging," Ross Sorkin wrote. Previews of their testimony suggest none of the bank CEOs is taking full responsibility for what's wrong with the nation's financial system. 

Video: Rep. Barney Frank discusses the bank executives' hearing before Congress today.

*** Mr. Franken goes to Washington: With the results of his Senate contest still in limbo -- although clinging onto a 225-vote lead, and now counting -- Al Franken (D) is in DC today. He arrived in the nation's capital last night and will stay through Thursday. Per the Washington Post's Cillizza, "Franken's meeting schedule … includes sitdowns with current Senate staffers, people involved with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and former Hill staffers including the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone's senior policy adviser." Norm Coleman (R) is also expected to be in DC today to raise money for the ongoing contest, which has gone 99 days (!!!) beyond Election Day. These Washington visits come after Franken apparently picked up 23 additional votes yesterday, but the Coleman camp believes the ruling will open up additional ballots that the Republican might later add to his tally. By the way, anyone else believing the Coleman strategy is this: delay things to point where the Senate throws up its hands and calls for a new election?

*** Other countries' elections: The fact that Likud and Netanyahu couldn't pull off a decisive win -- and may have in fact lost, sort of -- is proof that the Gaza war had political benefits for Kadima, no? Is that the lesson Israeli pols will take?

*** Adding to our "Dick Cheney Would Never Have Done This" file: On Thursday, Biden leads a presidential delegation to the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, ID. (This isn't to say Cheney was against the Special Olympics; it's that he wasn't much for doing these ceremonial duties that had been traditional VP responsibilities in previous administrations.)

Countdown to NJ GOP primary: 111 days
Countdown to VA Dem primary: 118 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 265 days
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The Wall Street Journal: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner promised forceful action to get credit flowing again in the economy, but the lack of detail in his much-anticipated speech helped drive stocks down nearly 5%, the worst selloff since President Barack Obama assumed office."

The Washington Post also says the lack of details in Geithner's plan "dismayed lawmakers and investors, triggering a steep sell-off on Wall Street… Minutes after the plan was made public, stock markets plummeted. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day down 4.6 percent. The Standard and Poor's 500-stock index, a broader measure, fell 4.9 percent."  

The New York Times adds that "the initial assessment of the plan from the markets, lawmakers and economists was brutally negative, in large part because they expected more details. Basic questions about how the various parts of the program would work, especially those involving the unsellable mortgages that banks are holding and preventing home foreclosures, were left for another day. Some Wall Street experts criticized the plan for relying too heavily on the same vague solutions proposed by the Bush administration." 

Here's some spin Treasury will love, however. The L.A Times: "But a financial bailout can't take place on CNBC time, with no more than an hour or two elapsing between the news leak and the reality. That's the way former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson operated, and he had to rejigger his program two or three times without ever getting it quite right. Geithner had to pass the afternoon fending off questions about whether, as the cable network asked on-screen within minutes of his speech, his head isn't already on the chopping block. Great caption writing, but not the best way to make policy."
 
But Maureen Dowd may have written the "SNL" parody for Geithner, using the phrase "voice kept cracking." She writes, "So much for the savior-based economy. Tim Geithner, the learned and laconic civil servant and financial engineer, did not sweep in and infuse our shaky psyches with confidence. For starters, the 47-year-old's voice kept cracking. Escorting us over the rickety, foggy bridge from TARP to Son of TARP by way of TALF -- don't ask -- Geithner did not, as the president said when he drew on the wisdom of Fred Astaire, inspire us to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again." 

There seems to be criticism from all sides on the stimulus package. But Obama took full responsibility for the measure. "I expect to be judged by results," Obama said. "You know, I'm not going to make any excuses. If stuff hasn't worked and people don't feel like I've led the country in the right direction, then you'll have a new president."

The Washington Post fact-checks some of Obama's "do nothing" criticism, which should make the GOP happy today.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist "said that his appearance with Obama in Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday was a matter of pragmatism." More: "Crist said in a telephone interview that while Republicans in Washington are howling about the spending and the size of the plan, 'obviously, this bill's passing, so I'm trying to be practical and pragmatic and make sure Florida gets its share.'"

What Obama means to the world… "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has an Obama problem. So does the leadership of Al Qaeda." So do others. "The new American president, who has tried to strike a more conciliatory tone toward some of America's most intractable adversaries, may be making inroads into reducing anti-American feeling in some distant corners of the globe: Entire bookshelves from Egypt to the Persian Gulf are dedicated to Obama; a popular Arab pop star is recording a "Song to Obama"; and public spaces that just months ago were dedicated to anti-American posters are festooned with the smiling American leader. In response, some of the most anti-American governments, along with the leaders of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and Hamas, are testing out their own strategy for dealing with Obama: asserting that he's no different from George W. Bush and insisting that US policies won't change."

The White House announced yesterday that Obama will formally address Congress on Feb. 24.

The New York Times on yesterday's negotiations on the stimulus. "The officials worked late into the night, with Mr. Reid shuttling between meetings with senators in his office and House leaders in Ms. Pelosi's suite. Centrist senators who were crucial to the stimulus deal, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, Republicans of Maine, Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, and Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, returned around 9 p.m. for the talks and left about an hour later. The group broke for the night shortly before 11:30 p.m. 'We're not there,' Mr. Reid said. 'But we have made a significant amount of progress in the last 10 hours.'"

The Washington Post notes that the states are pushing for the compromise legislation to reflect more the House version (which included $79 billion in direct aid to the states) than the Senate version (which provided $39 billion). "'If the Senate version holds, there will be very deep cuts,' said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who added that the cost to the state and its 5.3 million residents would be $600 million. 'We're going to see teachers and firefighters and police officers lose their jobs.'"

Scapegoating Pelosi? "By resurrecting a favorite villain of the pre-Obama era, Republicans have found their footing as an opposition party with complex loyalties, allying with the president who calls for bipartisan consensus while standing up to the House leadership pushing his priorities through," the Boston Globe writes. 
 
Blue Dog Democrats met with Obama yesterday and had positive things to say.

Last night, in a 242-157 vote, "House Democrats voted down an attempt on Tuesday to remove Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee during a continuing ethics investigation," the AP writes. "The House ethics committee also voted Tuesday to reauthorize a subcommittee of three Democrats and three Republicans to investigate Mr. Rangel" over his "failure to pay taxes on about $75,000 in rental income from a beach house he owns in the Dominican Republic and his use of four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem."

Congress' Iron Man: "One wouldn't have known by watching the ceremony in Statuary Hall Tuesday night that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell have been sparring for years," The Hill reports. "Pelosi (D-Calif.) hosted the event to honor Dingell (D-Mich.) for tying the record for longevity of service in Congress. Tuesday was Dingell's 19,419th day serving in the House. When he starts work Wednesday, he will officially break the record set by Rep. Jamie Whitten (D-Miss.)." 
 
Roll Call provides a timeline of the significant moments in Dingell's career, including replacing his father in 1955.

MINNESOTA: The Star Tribune reports that Al Franken "apparently picked up at least 23 votes Tuesday," adding to his 225-vote lead over Norm Coleman. "They involved affidavits collected from those voters saying that they had cast absentee ballots for the DFL candidate that weren't accepted… But Coleman attorney Ben Ginsberg said the ruling also aided their efforts to have many more ballots counted and shows that the three-judge panel 'will allow in many more ballots as long as there is adequate proof of the voter's intent. ... We feel very good about what happened today.'"

Also, to streamline the legal contest over the recount, the three-judge panel asked Coleman and Franken "whether entire categories of rejected absentee ballots should be reconsidered or set aside once and for all. Should a ballot be barred if it went to the wrong precinct? Should a ballot be excluded if cast by a non-registered voter? And what about an unsigned ballot where the instructions for signing were obstructed by a pre-printed address sticker? Those are among 19 questions that [the judges] want lawyers for Coleman and Franken to answer this week in a major development in a dispute over thousands of ballots that one side or the other wants counted." 

ILLINOIS: "Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has barely been in office a month, but he already has a potential primary challenger in wealthy, young and ambitious state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias," The Hill's Wilson reports. Giannoulias is 32, hasn't hid his ambition, has met with Dick Durbin about running for the seat and will accompany the senior senator on an economic development trip to Greece. But oppo researchers are already digging in on his family's connections to Tony Rezko, as well as questionable loans his family's bank gave out. 
 
OHIO: Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher is exploring a run for the Senate. That could set up a Democratic primary with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Reps. Tim Ryan and Zack Space before a general-election match up with former Rep. Rob Portman. State Auditor Mary Taylor may challenge Portman.

VIRGINIA: The Washington Post front-pages how Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian Moran's older brother -- Congressman Jim Moran (D) -- is both a benefit and a liability to his political fortunes. "[T]he younger Moran enters one of the most-watched political contests in the nation this year with the tricky task of embracing his famous brother at some moments and distancing himself at others… 'The only way the relationship hurts is if people make conclusions about me based on my brother's positions,' Brian Moran, 49, said, noting that he and his brother have differed on a variety of issues. 'I mean, I gotta win this on my own.'"

"That has meant taking such awkward steps as not including his brother in the Arlington endorsement event. It has meant repeatedly reaching out to Jewish leaders who were outraged by Jim's remarks blaming the pro-Israel lobby for the country's war with Iraq. It has meant emphasizing his own more conservative record, including votes in favor of gun rights and the abolition of parole." 

Per the Washington Post, "Israeli voters delivered a split decision in national elections Tuesday, sparking competing claims by backers of opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni over who will be the next prime minister. Voters appeared to give Livni's Kadima party, which favors negotiations with the Palestinians, a slight and unexpected edge over Netanyahu's Likud party, which has been critical of peace talks… But the overall shift in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, was sharply to the right. That could make it difficult for Livni to build the coalition she would need to govern, particularly if she intends to pursue U.S.-backed talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state."

The New York Times adds, "With the latest vote tally on Wednesday morning, Kadima appeared to have 28 out of 120 parliamentary seats, and Likud appeared to have 27. The right-wing party Yisrael Beitenu of Avigdor Lieberman, which had been surging in recent weeks in the wake of Israel's three-week war in Gaza, stood at 15 seats, with the Labor Party of Defense Minister Ehud Barak at 13 seats. Normally the leader of the party with the most votes is given the chance to form the next government, but the right-wing bloc, of which Likud is the largest party, seemed to have won significantly more votes than the left."

Also, military ballots could decide the ultimate winner? Good news for Netanyahu? 

From NBC's Athena Jones

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- While senators in Washington were passing a massive stimulus package aimed at avoiding economic disaster, President Obama was pitching the plan to a cheering convention center audience in a town facing rising unemployment and sky-high foreclosure rates.

He also gave a glimpse into how he would help struggling homeowners and his goals for getting a health-care reform bill through Congress.

It was the second day Obama was on the road to sell the package, which must still be reconciled with the House version before it can be signed in to law.

On Monday, he was in Elkhart, Ind., a town that saw its unemployment rate triple in the past year. Later that night, during his first press conference as president, he defended the recovery package from Republican criticism, telling television viewers around the country that both business and labor groups supported his plan to address the deep crisis he had inherited.

Florida's Republican Gov. Charlie Crist made a plea for bipartisan support as he introduced the president today. Crist said the stimulus package was important to helping fund education, infrastructure projects and health care.

"This issue of helping our country is about helping our country, he said.  "This is not about partisan politics. This is about rising above that, helping America and reigniting our economy."

Obama reprised many of the arguments he's made in recent days for a federal plan big enough to stem the crisis and create jobs, and he returned to old campaign themes of hope and of bottom up growth.

"I believe in hope, but I also believe in action," Obama told the crowd, saying the country could not afford to wait to address issues from health care to school construction to energy independence and to strengthen the economy and the financial system.

"If we want to truly turn this around, we've gotta remember that the stronger our communities are, then the stronger the financial system would be and change can't just happen from the top down, it's gonna have to start from the bottom up," he said.

Several members of Congress from Florida traveled with Obama to the event, including Reps Robert Wexler, Kendrick Meek, Suzanne Kosmas, Ron Klein, Alan Grayson, Kathy Castor, Corrine Brown, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Allen Boyd. Aides David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs, Valerie Jarrett and Jim Messina were also on the trip.

About 60 percent of the tickets for the town hall here were available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and the rest were distributed through the White House office of public liaison and political affairs, according to an Obama staffer. Two of the audience members NBC spoke with got their tickets through Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-FL) office.

The already enthusiastic audience broke into cheers and applause when Obama interrupted one of his own answers late in the event, to announce that the bill had passed the Senate, bringing it one step closer to becoming law.

The questions from the sometimes emotional crowd ranged from what the president would do to help the unemployed to his plans for health care reform. In response to a question about how to help struggling homeowners, Obama said he would announce an "overall housing strategy" in the next couple of weeks. He said banks would have to recognize it was in their interest to help avoid foreclosure.

"The bank's only gonna get 40 cents on the dollar if there's a foreclosure," he said.  "On the other hand the borrower is gonna have to probably, if they get some assistance, agree to give up some equity once housing prices recover so that both sides are giving a little bit, but you avert the foreclosure. That's good not only for the homeowner, but it's good for the entire community and it's good for property values throughout the state."

He went on to suggest that new laws might be needed to make it easier for that manage bundled home mortgages  to negotiate new terms.

When asked to address health care, Obama noted the SCHIP legislation he signed into law extending health insurance coverage to more children and said he hoped to be able to work with Congress over the course of the year to "move forward a bill that gets us on track to every single person in America being able to get affordable, decent health care coverage."

Two questioners were particularly noteworthy. One homeless woman, named Henrietta, cried as she spoke of living out of her car and needing help. Obama comforted her and said his staff would speak with her after the event.

A young student named Julio, who said he has worked at McDonalds for four years because he could not find a better job, shouted with joy when Obama called on him to ask a question.

"Oh, this is such a blessing to see you, Mr. President," he said. "Thank you for taking time out of your day! Oh precious God, thank you so much!"

From NBC's Mike Viqueira

House and Senate leaders are hoping to have the stimulus conference report settled within 24 hours, according to several House Democratic aides.

The points of negotiation, in their view, are as follows:
-- The $15,000 homebuyer credit attached in the Senate. It had a Republican sponsor, Sen. Johnny Isakson, who doesn't support the final product. So why keep it in? With this and other measures that logically could go to make room for some of the things below, it obviously depends on how each of the three Republicans -- Collins, Snowe, and Specter -- feel about it.
-- A provision concerning deductible interest on car loans that was put forward by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) in the Senate. As with the Isakson measure, Dems reason that this is a poorly targeted provision that can be jettisoned in favor of other priorities.
-- The cut in aid to the states in Collins/Nelson from $79 billion to $39 billion. House Dems want some of that money restored.
-- The House version had $14 billion in school construction funds. The Nelson/Collins version has zero. House Dems are plenty sore about it.
-- The Medicaid allocation formula. The Senate version divides the money evenly, so that high population states like California get the same amount as sparsely populated states like Wyoming. This is a classic House-Senate disagreement.
-- The yearly AMT "fix." This wasn't in the House bill, but it is in the Senate version -- at a price of $70 billion. Its biggest champion in the Senate is Chuck Grassley, who voted "no" on the final bill. Dems will end up doing the fix this year, as they do every year. But they don't want to do it in this bill.

From NBC's Pete Williams

Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney in Chicago who brought criminal fraud charges against Rod Blagojevich, will be staying in his job in the Obama administration, even though he was appointed to the position by President George W. Bush.

U.S. attorneys are political appointees. The normal practice, when there's a change of political parties in the White House, is for the incoming administration to replace all 93 U.S. attorneys with appointees from the new president's party.  For now, the Obama administration has asked the current Republican-appointed U.S. attorneys to remain in their posts while it considers how many to retain.

But Fitzgerald will not be asked to move on. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has recommended that Eric Holder, the new attorney general, keep Fitzgerald. That suggestion was "positively received," according to officials at the Justice Department and Sen. Durbin's office. 

Fitzgerald has been the U.S. attorney in Chicago since 2001. His spokesman had no comment on Fitzgerald's future.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Now that the stimulus bills have passed in the House and the Senate, the work to reconcile the two different bills and create a new bill starts immediately. A meeting is scheduled for this afternoon with negotiators from both chambers.

Video: President Obama tells a Fort Myers, Fl., town hall meeting that his economic recovery plan will stabilize the banking system, get credit flowing, spark spending and create jobs.

This morning, President Obama already weighed in on what should -- and should not -- be in the final bill, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid said he and Speaker Nancy Pelosi met this morning with Obama at the White House. Reid refused to discuss the president's guidance.

At his weekly news conference, Reid also called the differences between the two bills "very minor" and hoped to have most issues ironed out within the next 24 hours. Reid is one of the five Senate negotiators, also called "conferees." The others are Democrats Max Baucus and Daniel Inouye, with Republicans Chuck Grassley and Thad Cochran.

The key to any deal may rest in the hands of the three Republicans -- Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter -- who brokered the compromise in the Senate.  Those senators and other moderates will meet this afternoon behind closed doors. They're expected to draw their own lines in the sand for what is acceptable to them in the final bill.

*** UPDATE *** NBC's Mike Viqueira adds that House Democrats are expected to name David Obey, Charlie Rangel, and Henry Waxman to the stimulus conference. House Repubs, meanwhile, are expected to name Jerry Lewis and Dave Camp.

From NBC's Libby Leist

Secretary Clinton added today to President Obama's Iran comments last night, when he said the U.S. would be "looking for openings" in the coming months for the U.S. and Iran to sit down for face-to-face discussions.

At a photo-op with the Czech Republic Foreign Minister, Clinton reiterated that Iran needs to first demonstrate a willingness to seriously engage. She added, "We hope that there will be opportunities in the future for us to develop a better understanding of one another and to work out a way of talking that would produce positive results for the people of Iran."

She also said the U.S. will consider a missile defense system to counter Iranian missile threats if its proven to "operate effectively." She stressed that this was a "realistic" approach and the only way the U.S. would reconsider would be if Iran decided to change its behavior.  She noted, however, the U.S. is a "long, long way" from seeing any evidence of that.

Clinton warns N. Korea to keep 'attitude' in check
In advance of her trip to Asia next week, Secretary Clinton warned North Korea today not to "up the ante" with threatening behavior against its neighbors.

Clinton was asked about recent North-South Korean tension and reports of a potential North Korean missile test.

"We are hopeful that some of the behavior that we have seen coming from North Korea in the last few weeks is ... not a precursor of any action that would up the ante or threaten the stability and peace and security of the neighbors in the region," she said.

Clinton stressed that North Korea has an opportunity to engage its neighbors in the region and the United States through bilateral and multilateral talks.

"We're hopeful that we'll see that," she said.

Clinton departs this weekend for Asia. She said she'd consult with leaders from Japan, South Korea and Beijing about how best to approach North Korea and its "attitude."

From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mark Murray
Breaking news: The U.S. Senate just passed its $838 billion stimulus bill. This legislation must now be reconciled with the House version that already passed several days ago.

The vote was 61-37, with three Republicans -- Collins, Snowe, and Specter -- joining all the Democrats in favor of the legislation.

*** UPDATE *** Per NBC's Athena Jones, President Obama acknowledged the passage at his town hall in Florida. "I just wanted to announce the Senate just passed our Recovery and Reinvestment Plan," he said to big cheers and applause from the audience. "That's good news and I want to thank all the members in the Senate who worked to move the process forward. We've still gotta, we still gotta get the House bill and the Senate bill to match up before it gets sent to my desk, so we've got a little more work to do over the next couple of days, but it's a good start."

From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mark Murray
In his closing arguments urging his colleagues to vote against the Senate stimulus bill, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell blamed Democratic leaders -- not President Obama -- for crafting a bill he believes is both wasteful and non-stimulative. "The president was right to call for a stimulus, but this bill misses the mark," McConnell said on the Senate floor this morning. 

"To his credit, our new president has committed himself to working with Congress to fix the economy, a top priority for both parties," McConnell said. "What many of us did not expect, however, was that President Obama wouldn't be the author of that plan ... the bold economic plan that President Obama called for ended up being written by some of the longest-serving Democrats in the House of Representatives -- and it showed." He added that Senate Democrats didn't do any better.

(But as we pointed out earlier this morning, how many Americans will believe that the legislation is Pelosi's and Reid's, after Obama has forcefully advocated for it over the past 24 hours?)

McConnell repeated Republican's core objections: wasteful spending, permanent government expansion, minimal job creation, and a staggering price tag. "We have no assurance it will create jobs or revive the economy," he said. "The only thing we know for sure is that it increases our debt and locks in bigger and bigger interest payments every year. In short, we're taking an enormous risk with other people's money."

The GOP leader said his members believe the best way to fix the economy is to address the housing crisis and reduce personal taxes. "Throughout this process, Republicans have been guided by the belief that the desire to 'just do something' shouldn't be an excuse to waste tax dollars."

From NBC's Ken Strickland
At noon today we expect two stimulus-related votes. The first will be a procedural vote. The second should be final passage of the stimulus bill (then it gets reconciled with the House bill). Both require 60 votes to pass.

We expect the same "yea" vote total as yesterday: 61 in favor (the three GOP senators -- Collins, Snowe and Specter -- plus all 58 members of the Democratic caucus).

There is a slight possibility this could play out differently, though, depending on how Republicans want to play it. But generally speaking, we expect this will all be wrapped up by about 12:30 p.m. ET. 

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Obama's 24-hour blitz: After President Obama yesterday conducted a town hall in Indiana and then held his first primetime news conference as president, his media blitz to sell the economic stimulus continues today. At 12:05 pm ET, Obama -- introduced by Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist -- will hold another town hall, this one in Fort Myers, FL. Around that same time, the Senate will begin its final vote on the stimulus, which will surely pass after the legislation cleared yesterday's procedural hurdle by a 61-36 vote. Obama's 24-hour media blitz to get control of the salesmanship of his economic plan has been an impressive P.R. campaign. But it does raise this question: Would Republicans (beyond the triumvirate of Collins, Snowe, and Specter) have been more receptive to the plan had Obama started this intense pitch a week ago? It seems as if he's making a pitch for something that's, well, already sold. That said, he got the 60 votes he needed in the Senate, and he continues to enjoy high ratings in those new Gallup and CNN polls. At the end of the day, you want what you need, right? By the way, in Fort Myers today, Obama may be trying to negotiate for a key stimulus component that the Senate compromise slashed: aid to state and local governments. With Crist on hand, the president may have a key bipartisan ally to get some of that state money back.

Video: At his first prime-time news conference, Obama urges action on the economic stimulus package and warns of tough times ahead. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.

*** A pretty impressive performance: As for last night's press conference, perhaps the one thing missing from Obama's impressive -- if a bit wonky -- performance was that he seemed to spend more time defending himself against GOP critics, rather than explaining how his plan will help the nervous families. He seemed mired in the Washington debate that he was trying to stay above. Then again, how many times did we hear him say the plan would create four million jobs? A lot. And how many times he did cite the economic troubles plaguing Elkhart, IN? A ton. Of course, he learned yesterday in Indiana that it's a lot easier to sell a slice of his plan to a slice of Americans than sell this entire thing to the entire public. As for the GOP response to last night, there was a consistent theme: The stimulus plan isn't Obama's (who is popular); instead, it's Pelosi's and Reid's (who are unpopular). "The legislation moving its way through Congress bares little resemblance to what President Obama described at [the] press conference," said RNC chair Michael Steele in a statement. "The spending bill written by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid is filled with unnecessary and wasteful programs." But after watching yesterday's town hall and news conference, how many Americans don't think that Obama OWNS this stimulus? It's his stimulus, and that presents him potential rewards and also risks.

Video: TODAY's Meredith Vieira talks with NBC's Tom Brokaw about Obama's news conference. 

*** A somber Obama: One other thing that didn't go unnoticed last night was Obama's (and the media's) sober tone. Usually, this somber tone is reserved for wartime or tragedy; that's how serious everyone seems to be taking this crisis. Politico's Roger Simon has a great lead: "Barack Obama has a tough act to pull off. He must simultaneously petrify people and also restore their confidence. He must scare us to death and calm our fears."

*** Lessons learned: On Monday, one of us listed four lessons that last week's nicks and bruises over the stimulus might have taught Obama and team: 1) realize that the campaign really doesn't ever end, and that you've got to do the little things right to sell something to the public; 2) use the bully pulpit more; 3) make sure the ball is in your hands, not Congress'; and 4) understand the limits of working with congressional Republicans. Yesterday, it seemed that Team Obama learned those lessons. Early in the morning, the White House emailed reporters that new Gallup poll showing two-thirds of the public approving his handling of the stimulus. The president conducted a town hall in Indiana and later held a primetime news conference. He then sold the legislation to the public. "Now I'm not going to tell you that this bill is perfect. It isn't," he said at the town hall. "But it is the right size, the right scope, and has the right priorities." And he pointed to the scoreboard last November: "We can no longer posture and bicker and resort to the same failed ideas that got us into this mess in the first place - and that the American people rejected at the polls this past November."

*** TARP 2: Electric Boogaloo: In addition to the battle over the stimulus, the other big news today is that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will unveil the administration's financial stabilization plan at 11:00 am ET. There is a media briefing at 11:45 am, then a Geithner interview by NBC's Brian Williams, and then Geithner testifies at 2:30 pm before the Senate Banking Committee. Much of preview coverage of this bank bailout plan is framed via the idea that the first $350 billion spending was a failure. (Indeed, Geithner will say today, according to excerpts of his remarks: "The actions we took were absolutely essential, but they were inadequate.") But was it? Where would we be right now without it? Could it be the rollout of the plan was more of a P.R. disaster than a policy disaster? Here's the thing: It's a straw man at this point and potentially a helpful one to Obama and Geithner as they roll out this new financial bailout. Of course, today's rollout won't be judged just by public opinion but by the markets. Congress may be happy that Geithner is immediately asking for more money, but is that what the financial folks want to hear? Is the so-called bad bank big enough? Is $50 billion for housing too little? By the way, with Obama playing point on stimulus, it's clear that this new financial bailout plan is Geithner's, not Obama. The subtle message in today's New York Times: Geithner got what he wanted; it's his plan.

Video: CNBC's Steve Leisman reports on some of the ideas being floated for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's bank bailout strategy.

*** And don't forget, it's Election Day -- in Israel: "Israelis cast their ballots Tuesday to choose a new government, with polls indicating a tight race between the parties of right-wing opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu and centrist Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni," the Washington Post notes. "Although Netanyahu held a sizable lead for most of the campaign, Livni had nearly closed the gap in recent days, polls showed. Still, with 33 parties on the ballot, neither Netanyahu's Likud Party nor Livni's Kadima Party was expected to receive more than about a quarter of the vote, meaning each would have to rely heavily on coalition partners to construct a new government. Most analysts believe the task would be easier for Netanyahu than for Livni because of an overall rightward shift in the electorate."

Countdown to NJ GOP primary: 112 days
Countdown to VA Dem primary: 119 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 266 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 630 days

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USA Today writes, "President Obama took his case for more than $800 billion in economic stimulus directly to the American people Monday, accusing Republicans of playing politics with a plan that's 'exactly what this country needs.'… 'I can't afford to see Congress play the usual political games,' Obama said. 'What we have to do right now is deliver for the American people.'"

The New York Times' analysis: "Three weeks into his tenure, Mr. Obama acknowledged that his effort to change the political climate in Washington had yielded little. He made clear that he had all but given up hope of securing a bipartisan consensus behind his $800 billion economic recovery package, arguing that the urgency of the economic crisis had at least for now outweighed the need for unity."

The Washington Post: "The president fielded 13 questions from reporters in his first wide-ranging session since he took office, touching briefly on foreign policy, his long-range agenda and sports. But the economy dominated the event. Asked about the next allotment of money to aid troubled banks, he said he is dissatisfied with the way the first $350 billion was spent. 'We didn't get as big a bang for the buck as we should have' from the Troubled Assets Relief Program, Obama said. 'My immediate task is making sure that the second half of that money -- $350 billion -- is spent properly.' That allocation process will begin today, when Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is slated to detail the administration's strategy for releasing the remaining bailout money."

Politico's Martin points out, "Urgency was the obvious message Obama was trying to convey to millions of Americans in the hour-long session. But to a smaller Washington audience—to both Republicans and skeptics in his own party—there seemed to be an equally unmistakable subtext: He is not a patsy or a pushover."

Time called it "a dour and downbeat press conference, which he used to offer up a blunt warning to the nation of the perils ahead." More: "If there was anything uplifting to be found in the address, it was in the contrast. Where President Bush steadily eroded his credibility over eight years in office, resorting to rosy statements about the war in Iraq, the response to flooding in New Orleans and the economic boom that all proved unfounded, Obama seems determined not to sugar-coat the facts. He told it harshly, without much adornment. With each grim pronouncement, he attempted to claim a level of confidence and competence — and even pragmatism — that the nation has not seen for a while."

The review from the New York Times' Stanley: "Mr. Obama … did all he could Monday to suggest that despite the daunting economic responsibilities at hand, he stood in the East Room unchanged, still intent on bringing change to Washington — the ultimate outsider. At times, he sounded like the visiting ambassador from Elkhart, Ind. (unemployment 15.3 percent). 'Local TV stations have started running public service announcements that tell people where to find food banks,' he said at the news conference, describing the dire straits of the place where he had held a clamorous town-hall-style meeting earlier in the day. He mentioned Elkhart so often that on CNN's post-mortem, the Democratic strategist Paul Begala said he almost expected the president to distribute 'I [heart] Elkhart' bumper stickers."

Now some transition news: Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen certainly believes he's on the HHS short list, defending himself from some critics.  
 
And we bet David Plouffe had no idea how closely his every move would be scrutinized.

Meanwhile, Biden today has a private breakfast meeting with Secretary of State Clinton. And then later this evening, he hosts a cocktail reception at his residence for the next members of the Senate:  John Barrasso, Mark Begich, Michael Bennet, Roland Burris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kay Hagan, Mike Johanns, Ted Kaufman, Jeff Merkley, James Risch, Jeanne Shaheen, Mark Udall, Tom Udall, Mark Warner, and Roger Wicker.

Per sources with knowledge of the financial stability plan that Treasury Secretary Geithner will unveil today, it will try to do four things: 1) stabilize the system by instituting "uniform standards to help clean up and strengthen banks," and also conducting "'stress tests' to ensure the nation's largest banks can withstand a worsening economy"; 2) create "a new consumer business lending initiative to leverage up to $1 trillion dollars to kick start the secondary lending markets"; 3) establish "a new public-private investment fund which provide government capital and financing to leverage private capital to buy up the 'toxic assets' that are dragging down lending"; and 4) work "to keep people in their homes and curb the housing crisis" by committing "$50 billion to reduce monthly payments and establish loan modification guidelines."

"Instead of catalyzing recovery, the financial system is working against recovery, and that's the dangerous dynamic we need to change," Geithner will say today, according to excerpts First Read obtained. "It is essential for every American to understand that the battle for economic recovery must be fought on two fronts. We have to both jumpstart job creation and private investment, and we must get credit flowing again to businesses and families."

More Geithner: "Last fall, as the global crisis intensified, Congress acted quickly and courageously to provide emergency authority to help contain the damage… The actions we took were absolutely essential, but they were inadequate. The force of government support was not comprehensive or quick enough to withstand the deepening pressure brought on by the financial crisis. The spectacle of huge amounts of taxpayer money being provided to the same institutions that help caused the crisis, with limited transparency and oversight added to public distrust. Our challenge is much greater today because the American people have lost faith in the leaders of our financial institutions, and are skeptical that their government has -- to this point -- used taxpayers' money in ways that will benefit them."

And he will conclude, "I want to be candid: This comprehensive strategy will cost money, involve risk, and take time… This is a challenge more complex than any our financial system has ever faced, requiring new systems and persistent attention to solve. But the president, the Treasury and the entire administration are committed to see it through because we know how directly the future of our economy depends on it."

The Wall Street Journal says the "stress tests" for banks are intended "to see if they are healthy enough to lend before receiving additional financial aid, according to people familiar with the matter." 

The New York Times has an interesting tick-tock of how Geithner prevailed over the politicos inside the White House over how to structure the new bank bailout. "In the end, Mr. Geithner largely prevailed in opposing tougher conditions on financial institutions that were sought by presidential aides, including David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president, according to administration and Congressional officials. Mr. Geithner … successfully fought against more severe limits on executive pay for companies receiving government aid."

The stimulus "cleared a major hurdle" in the Senate yesterday, The Hill writes.
 
The next steps: The stimulus got passed in large measure because Democrats stripped about $100 billion out of the House bill. But: "Democrats have apparently decided to test their luck by trying to restore much of the education money they gave up in order to secure those Republican votes," Roll Call reports. "For example, Congressional Democrats and the White House are trying to figure out how to get $16 billion in school construction funding back in the measure without tinkering with the overall cost." 
 
"Many Capitol Hill observers speculated that Congressional Republicans might show deference to Obama in the wake of his November victory and their sweeping defeats at the hands of the Democrats," Roll Call adds. "But the Senate GOP Conference doesn't appear to have changed tactics much from the previous Congress, when it numbered 49 and GOP leaders holstered considerable parliamentary power."

Two dueling stimulus-related events in DC today: First, the conservative Heritage Foundation and Club for Growth host a conference this morning in opposition to the stimulus. Then the liberal-leaning ACORN and the AFL-CIO hold a rally at 2:30 pm ET on Capitol Hill to support the legislation.

Closing in on Murtha? Roll Call: "The PMA Group, a lobbying firm with close ties to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), was raided by the FBI in November, a PMA spokesman confirmed. The revelation, coming after a raid by federal agents last month on the homes and offices of Pennsylvania contractors with ties to Murtha, could signal a wider probe of the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense chairman. The raid was first reported Monday night by ABC News."

And apparently there were some closed-door fireworks between Republican Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican. "Several GOP sources say Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) and Minority Leader John Boehner's (Ohio) relationship was put to the test after Boehner suggested at a Jan. 28 press conference that Cantor wasn't whipping votes during the House debate on the economic stimulus measure. Sources say Boehner's remarks, echoed at the press event by Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.), angered Cantor and prompted a "heated" confrontation between the new Whip and Minority Leader at the GOP retreat at the Homestead Resort in Virginia late last month." Apparently they've all since apologized, but Cantor was none too happy.

CONNECTICUT: Sen. Chris Dodd's poll numbers continue to drop, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll. By the way, keep an eye out on ex-GOP Rep. Rob Simmons, who apparently has more fire in the belly to challenge Dodd than the more recently ousted moderate GOP Congressman, Chris Shays. 
 
NEW YORK: Roll Call jumps into the special congressional election to replace Kirsten Gillibrand. 
 
And here's a switch… Gillibrand has apparently (shocking!) shifted her position on guns. "I'm going to write the legislation and offer it in the Senate," Gillibrand promised after meeting "after meeting the family and friends of a Brooklyn teen killed by a stray bullet." "I will be a fighter to make sure to keep those illegal guns off the street." The New York Daily News' Daly: "A cynical newspaper guy might say Gillibrand was never so much pro-gun as pro-Kirsten, and the change only reflects a broader constituency than the rural hunters she represented as an upstate congresswoman."

OHIO: Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D), who has failed once in a gubernatorial bid, may try for Ohio's open Senate seat.

PENNSYLVANIA: The first challenger to Arlen Specter's reelection bid filed -- Democrat Joe Torsella. Torsella is the chairman of the State Board of Education and former president of the National Constitution Center. "Torsella lost a 2004 Democratic primary to now-Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D), who is also considering a Senate bid."

VIRGINIA: Per his campaign, Brian Moran (D) will unveil the first piece of health-care plan today in Alexandria, VA. And Terry McAuliffe holds an economic roundtable in Martinsville, VA.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
As we expected, GOP Sens. Collins, Snowe, and Specter have all voted "yes" on this procedural vote on the stimulus. That means if all the Democrats vote "yes," they'll have the required 60 votes needed to advance the bill to the final vote tomorrow.

The vote continues, but the Dems already have their three GOP votes.

*** UPDATE *** The vote was 61-36; it now advances to final vote tomorrow.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Less than three months ago, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham joined John McCain in a post-election reconciliation meeting with then-President-elect Barack Obama. The session resulted a joint statement, with all promising to "change the bad habits of Washington." But after news time on Friday night, Graham showed that old habits die very hard.

"Please don't overestimate your ability to persuade people just because you're a gifted orator," Graham said on the floor a few hours after a compromised stimulus agreed had been reached. Graham said he'd come to the floor of offer a "couple of observations" about what he felt was a flawed partisan process.

"What we've done is we've lost a young president's promise to change things," he said. Referring to a red-meat speech the president had given the night before to House Democrats in Williamsburg, VA, Graham addressed Obama directly, "I'm sure you're not, but if you are listening, think twice about doing that again."

Graham said the stimulus legislation was not handled in "a true bipartisan fashion" and hinted that his support in future negotiations was at stake. "There's a lot to be done in this country," he said. "Closing Gitmo and move the prisoners? I'd like to help you. What will we do about Social Security and Medicare? I would like to help you."

Graham admitted Republicans were living in glass houses. He asked "who are we to criticize," saying he wasn't sure Republicans "did a whole lot better" with bipartisanship. "But we got a chance to start over. We're in the first month of the administration, and I have never been more concerned about lost opportunity than I am tonight."

From NBC's Athena Jones

ELKHART, Ind. -- President Obama was back on the road Monday, campaigning for swift passage of a massive recovery plan he argued would create jobs in hard hit places in the American heartland.

The setting for Obama's first town hall event as president is a city that has seen its unemployment rate triple to 15.3% in the last year. The president made two trips here, a place known as the RV capital of the world, during the campaign.

"Make yourselves comfortable. We're gonna be here a while," he told the cheering crowd gathered in a high school gymnasium. He went on to joke that the folks in the room might have noticed a little debate going on in Washington.

Since winning the election in November, Obama has kept the focus on fixing the economy and he faces his first test with the stimulus bill. This week's road show -- he's set to travel to Ft. Myers, Fla., tomorrow -- comes after his administration was criticized for allowing the opposition to shape the debate on the package and for not doing enough to sell it to the American people.

As he aimed to do that today, Obama made a point of telling the crowd the current crisis was one his administration had inherited. He prompted resounding applause when he said he had promised people here and across the country that he would do everything he could to help their communities recover and that he intended to keep his promise.

Obama has said his recovery plan will save or create more than three million jobs over two years, with some 79,300 of those jobs coming to Indiana, according to his team's estimates.

The jam-packed room erupted with thunderous applause when the president arrived. It was reminiscent of the kind of events Obama held during the long campaign. The only difference was there were no "Obama for president" signs.

The questions, which Obama made a point of saying were not pre-screened, focused on tax cuts, green jobs and renewable energy but there was some criticism of him for nominating officials with tax issues.

The president told the audience the stimulus bill -- which is likely to pass the Senate tomorrow and then must be reconciled with the House's version -- was not perfect and not everything in it would work exactly as he hoped, but that it was the right size and had the right focus -- creating jobs. 

"We've had a good debate," he said. "Now it's time to act."

Aides David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs, both of whom were fixtures of the campaign plane, accompanied the president to this swing state, which he won narrowly in November. The pair spoke with the press aboard Air Force One on the flight from Washington, arguing that the latest Gallup poll showed there was strong support for the stimulus package.

"One thing we learned over two years, there is a whole different conversation" being had outside of Washington, Axelrod said aboard Air Force One. He said the American public wasn't "sweating the details" of the bill and just wanted Congress to take action.

Also on the plane with Obama were Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Sen. Evan Bayh, Reps. Joe Donnelly, Baron Hill, Brad Ellsworth, Andre Carson, Fred Upton (the lone current Republican lawmaker on board) and former Reps. Tim Roemer and Lee Hamilton.

After the event, Upton said the Senate bill was a "vast improvement" over the House bill, because the Senate had taken the time to go through it carefully. But the congressman, who hails from the hard-hit state of Michigan, said he could not commit to supporting the legislation until he saw the final version worked out with the House.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell

Sources tell NBC News that Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) will be at the Capitol today to cast his vote when the Senate considers ending the debate on the stimulus bill. Kennedy's vote gives Democrats a one-vote cushion getting them to 61 (assuming all Democrats and the three Republicans who publicly support the measure vote yes).

Kennedy returned Friday from Florida, where he has been recuperating during on going treatment for brain cancer. 

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
We mentioned earlier that Val Kilmer is seriously pondering a run for governor of New Mexico.

For a little fun, if Kilmer runs and wins, he'd be the second Batman movie star to be governor of a state.

Action-hero-turned-politico Arnold Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze in the 1997 Batman.

He famously proclaims "The iceman cometh" just before he freezes up the place.

So the governator would join another iceman in the ranks of governor. Kilmer, remember, was launched to fame with his role as Iceman in Top Gun.

What say you, Michael Keaton?

(Hat tip to commenter jawillie)

From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
Here are some more poll numbers on President Obama and the stimulus, courtesy of a new CNN survey (conducted Feb. 7-8, MOE +/- 3.5%):
-- 76% approve of the president's job
-- Obama's worst numbers seem to come from last week's Daschle news: 80% say Obama is doing a good job providing leadership for the country; 76% say he's doing a good job handling foreign policy; 72% say he's doing a good job handling the economy; 68% say he's doing a good job handling terrorism; and 61% say he's doing a good job choosing his cabinet
-- 60% approve the job congressional Democrats are performing, versus 44% who say the same of congressional Republicans
-- 74% say Obama is doing enough to cooperate with Republicans, while just 39% say the Republicans are doing enough to cooperate with Obama
-- 54% support the economic stimulus, versus 45% who oppose it

And how are Republicans framing this poll and the new Gallup one? Brad Dayspring, spokesman for House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, sends along the following: "The Gallup poll out this morning is a reminder that Americans want effective action on the economy. In fact, the poll reinforces EXACTLY what Republicans have been saying: (1) America wants an economic recovery package -- Republicans agree, which is why we have been promoting a smart, simple plan that is free of taxpayer funded waste, and allows middle-class families to spend more of their own money and small business owners to reinvest and create jobs...; (2) Americans don't like THIS stimulus package and believe it is the wrong approach -- Republicans overwhelmingly agree...; (3) Americans want to eliminate wasteful spending from an economic recovery package -- Republicans agree, and have tried to prevent congressional Democrats from wasting tax dollars on non-emergency spending...; (4) President Obama's message of change is very popular -- Republicans agree, which is which is why we have tried to work with him despite the roadblocks set up by Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Obey, and Sen. Reid."

Responding directly to the CNN poll, Dayspring adds, "President Obama is popular, we recognize that. Yet his approval is 20 points higher than approval of the stimulus bill."