During the presidential campaign last fall, Univision asked President Obama about his biggest failure in his four years in office.

His answer: passing comprehensive immigration reform.

But Obama, at the forum sponsored by the Spanish-language network in September, continued:

"I think that I’ve learned some lessons over the last four years, and the most important lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside. That’s how I got elected, and that’s how the big accomplishments like health care got done."

Mitt Romney and the Republican Party pounced on those comments. "The president today threw in the white flag of surrender again,” Romney argued. “He said he can’t change Washington from inside; he can only change it from outside. Well, we’re going to give him that chance in November. He’s going outside!”

Yet campaign rhetoric aside, Obama was admitting a simple truth about American politics at that Univision forum: The power to change policy comes from public opinion. And it also comes from the ballot box.

In other words, elections have consequences -- especially after more than 70 percent of Latinos backed Obama in the 2012 presidential election, up from 67 percent in 2008.

That explains why Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) -- who once championed comprehensive immigration reform but has opposed it ever since the '08 election -- is back on board.

"Elections, elections. The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens," McCain said at a news conference yesterday announcing his support of bipartisan principles to reform the nation's immigration system.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) put it another way. "The politics on this issue have been turned upside down," he said. "There is more political risk in opposing immigration reform rather than supporting it."

None of this is to say that immigration reform's passage through Congress is a sure thing. Already, opponents are asking that the Senate slow down consideration of any legislation. "No secret accord with profound consequences for this nation’s future can be rushed through. That means a full committee process and debate and amendments on the floor of the Senate," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said in a statement yesterday.

But it does point to how outside forces -- and elections -- can change politics, at least for a while, on issues like immigration and taxes.

Ray LaHood becomes the latest member of President Obama's cabinet to say they are leaving as the president begins his second term.

LaHood announced today he will leave his post as secretary of the Department of Transportation once a successor is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"As I look back on the past four years, I am proud of what we have accomplished together in so many important areas," LaHood said in a statement.

The former Illinois congressman was one of two Republicans President Obama appointed to cabinet secretary positions at the beginning of his first term. (Bob Gates at Defense was the other). Obama has nominated Chuck Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, to take over at Defense. He's expected to be confirmed.

LaHood's replacement was not immediately clear.

As he exits, LaHood touted accomplishments, including the stimulus, fuel-efficiency standards, high-speed rail, as well as initiatives on distracted driving, combatinng pilot fatigue, and highway safety.

Here's his full statement:

“I have let President Obama know that I will not serve a second term as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.  It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the Department, and I am grateful to President Obama for giving me such an extraordinary opportunity.  I plan to stay on until my successor is confirmed to ensure a smooth transition for the Department and all the important work we still have to do. 

As I look back on the past four years, I am proud of what we have accomplished together in so many important areas.  But what I am most proud of is the DOT team. You exemplify the best of public service, and I truly appreciate all that you have done to make America better, to make your communities better, and to make DOT better.

Our achievements are significant.  We have put safety front and center with the Distracted Driving Initiative and a rule to combat pilot fatigue that was decades in the making.  We have made great progress in improving the safety of our transit systems, pipelines, and highways, and in reducing roadway fatalities to historic lows.  We have strengthened consumer protections with new regulations on buses, trucks, and airlines. 

We helped jumpstart the economy and put our fellow Americans back to work with $48 billion in transportation funding from the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, and awarded over $2.7 billion in TIGER grants to 130 transportation projects across the Nation.  We have made unprecedented investments in our nation’s ports.  And we have put aviation on a sounder footing with the FAA reauthorization, and secured funding in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act to help States build and repair their roads, bridges and transit systems. 

And to further secure our future, we have taken transportation into the 21st century with CAFE Standards, NextGen, and our investments in passenger and High-Speed Rail.  What’s more, we have provided the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with the funding and leadership it needs to prepare a new generation of midshipmen to meet our country’s rapidly-evolving defense and maritime transportation needs. 

Closer to home, we also have made great strides.  In December, the DOT was recognized as the most improved agency in the entire Federal government in the 2012 “Best Places to Work” rankings published by the Partnership of Public Service.  Even more impressive, DOT was ranked 9th out of the 19 largest agencies in the government. 
Each of these remarkable accomplishments is a tribute your hard work, creativity, commitment to excellence, and most of all, your dedication to our country.  DOT is fortunate to have such an extraordinary group of public servants.  I look forward to continuing to work with all of you as the selection and confirmation process of the next transportation secretary moves forward.  Now is not the time to let up - we still have a number of critical safety goals to accomplish and still more work to do on the implementation of MAP-21.   

I’ve told President Obama, and I’ve told many of you, that this is the best job I’ve ever had.  I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with all of you and I’m confident that DOT will continue to achieve great things in the future. 

Thank you, and God bless you."

Obama expected to embrace Senate deal… The reason Obama is headed to Las Vegas: No state has better epitomized the power of the Latino vote… The Kabuki dance… On Rubio selling reform to the conservative base… On Schumer becoming the Democrats’ dealmaker… And Senate is set to confirm John Kerry as secretary of state.

*** Obama to embrace Senate deal: When President Obama delivers his immigration speech at 2:55 pm ET today in Las Vegas, he will hug the principles that the bipartisan group of senators outlined yesterday. “POTUS will applaud the bipartisan Senate agreement that is very consistent with his long-held view and lay out his vision for immigration reform,” top White House aide Dan Pfeiffer just tweeted. Obama also will call on the Senate to act on the legislation soon. While one publication is reporting that the White House has developed its own immigration-reform plan that’s more liberal than the bipartisan Senate outline, that information is outdated. Had the bipartisan senators NOT acted yesterday, you likely would have seen Obama offer his own plan. But the senators did act, and their plan is the plan. The last thing the White House wants to do is blow up this fragile coalition. As we reported yesterday, the White House floated the idea of doing a more liberal or progressive bill during a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week, as a counter to what was being offered in the Senate, and the CHC shot the idea down. The CHC’s advice to the White House was let the Senate work its will – at least for now. That said, the White House insisted last night to reporters that if the Senate coalition falters and if bill shows signs of dying, the president will step in with his own legislation.

Related: Obama’s vs. Senators’ immigration reform plan: 6 points on what overlaps, what differs

Larry Downing / Reuters

President Barack Obama speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 24, 2013.

*** Vegas, baby: So why is the president giving his speech in Las Vegas? There is no state that better epitomizes the power of the Latino vote in American politics than Nevada. In 2010, Harry Reid won 69% of Latinos in his race against Sharron Angle, according to the exit polls, saving his Senate seat from a GOP that was convinced was theirs for the taking. And two years later, Obama won 71% of that vote -- matching what he received nationwide. The three states that have moved the most dramatically in presidential contests since 2004 have been Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, and it’s due primarily to the Latino vote in all three states. (New Mexico is not even remotely a purple state anymore.) In Nevada, in particular, Latinos make up 27% of the state’s population and 19% of the voters in the 2012 election. Translation: The Latino influence in the state has even more room to grow.

*** Kabuki dance: While Obama will embrace the bipartisan Senate framework today, one Republican senator who’s part of the deal -- Sen. Lindsey Graham -- was criticizing Obama on FOX last night. “In 2008, he promised comprehensive immigration reform in the first year of his presidency, and it took all the oxygen out of the room,” Graham said. More: “In 2007, when we were trying to do immigration reform, he folded like a cheap suit because labor, the AFL-CIO, got mad at the bill to allow temporary workers... So I don't need a lecture from Barack Obama about bipartisanship; he was never very good at it in the Senate.” Moreover, top Marco Rubio staffers last night tweeted that Obama was “to oppose security and enforcement triggers,” even though the article that was cited never explicitly said that; it simply said Obama “does not favor linking legal status to border security.” So what’s going on here? This is all Kabuki theater to show that these Republicans aren’t in bed with the White House. The best way some Republicans privately believe they have to get more folks on board (or at least to convince some groups not to be overly aggressive AGAINST this plan) is to not look like they are “giving” the president a “win.” Politico also makes this point: “Whether he likes it or not, the president’s top legislative priority rests in the hands of McCain, his former 2008 rival, and Rubio, one of the GOP’s leading candidates to take back the White House in 2016.”

*** On Rubio selling reform to the conservative base: That said, this is an important test for Marco Rubio. He has spent the last several days selling comprehensive immigration to conservatives. And today, he speaks with Rush Limbaugh, who has criticized the bipartisan Senate framework. (“This immigration bill that everybody’s touting on TV is essentially the Bush immigration bill that was beat back in 2007,” Limbaugh said yesterday.) One of Ronald Reagan’s great talents was selling compromise to his party -- and declaring victory. Can Rubio pull this off, especially on an issue that base conservatives have opposed in the past two presidential elections? Rubio’s job with Limbaugh isn’t to convince him to sign on; we’re not sure that’s possible. What Rubio’s goal is today is to convince Limbaugh not to aggressively be AGAINST what he’s doing. If he can pull this off, it will be quite the feather in his hat as we get closer and closer to 2016 -- and perhaps show Rubio has some Reagan-like political skills.

*** On Schumer becoming the Democrats’ dealmaker: For those who closely follow American politics, Chuck Schumer is an easy target to mock. The running joke, for years, has been that the most dangerous place in DC is to be between Schumer and a TV camera. Perhaps lost in this caricature, however, is that Schumer has become the Democrats’ mover and shaker on key legislation -- dare we say the most effective dealmaker on the Democratic side of the aisle right now. On immigration, he’s reaching across the aisle to work with John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Marco Rubio. And on guns, the legislation that has the best chance of passage is Schumer’s (on universal background checks) where he just might MIGHT convince Republican Tom Coburn to come on aboard his bill. What made Ted Kennedy a lion of the Senate was that he had influence with his Democratic colleagues (if he was backing something, they had cover to get on board) but also the ability to reach across the aisle. And so it’s worth asking: Is Chuck Schumer the closest thing to that right now? And we haven’t even touched on how relentless (and effective) Schumer has been the Senate Democrats’ de facto political director. Is there anyone better at candidate recruiting and clearly primary fields right now than Schumer?

*** Senate set to confirm Kerry: In non-immigration news, U.S. Senate today is expected to vote on John Kerry’s nomination to be secretary of state, and he’s a sure bet to win an easy confirmation. As one of us reported yesterday, if Kerry is confirmed and if his letter of resignation is received tomorrow, Massachusetts will set the special general election for June 25 -- with the primaries to take place on April 30. Also, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is expected to announce his pick of an interim senator to fill the seat until the special election.

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*** Tuesday’s Daily Rundown’s line-up: Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) on immigration and the GOP’s future… The Atlantic’s Steve Clemons with a Deep Dive into the effort to block Hagel’s nomination… Plus former Clinton White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, GOP strategist Phil Musser and Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Report and Roll Call in the Gaggle.

*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Raul Reyes and David Nakamura. David Walker on No Budget, No Pay. Margie Omero and Jonathan Collegio talk about Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden 2016; plus, the Washington Post's Ezra Klein on whether the sequester is worse for the GOP.

*** Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) on the president’s immigration speech, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on the battle ahead for Hagel, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards on yesterday’s gun control meeting with the president, and Jennifer Tyrell, the Lesbian Scout Mom fired for being gay.  Today’s Power Panel includes:  The Washington Post’s Nia Malika Henderson, Voto Latino’s Maria Teresa Kumar, and Republican strategist Hogan Gidley.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Republican strategist Kevin Madden, The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and USA Today’s Susan Page.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston, NBC Latino’s Raul Reyes, Voto Latino’s Maria Teresa Kumar, The Atlantic’s Molly Ball, and Democratic strategist Jimmy Williams.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), one of the eight senators pursuing a bipartisan immigration-reform plan, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today that he believes the GOP will get behind this, in part, because of sheer numbers. You can see the "descent toward irrelevancy" if the party doesn’t get behind it, McCain said.

Those numbers, apparent to most political observers, including your First Read team, before the election, became obvious even for Republicans after it. President Obama won a whopping 71%-27% of Latinos over Mitt Romney, according to exit polls. That represented an even wider gap than in 2008 when Obama defeated McCain with the group 67%-31%.

Latinos, among the fastest-growing minority groups in the country, made up 10% of the electorate in 2012. That was up from 9% in 2008 -- despite indications in polling that enthusiasm among Hispanics had dipped from 2008. Even that 10%, however, underperformed the number of Latinos in the U.S. According to the Census, Hispanics make up 17% of the country.

In Nevada, Obama also won 71% of Latinos. And they made up nearly one-in-five voters (19%). But that also underperformed the statewide Hispanic population, which is more than one-in-four, or 27%, according to the Census. Translation: Latino influence will only grow in coming elections, and if Republicans can’t get more than 27% of them, it will make for an uphill climb to win nationally and become harder to win in states with significant and growing Hispanic populations like Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, even Texas, Florida, and potentially Georgia and Virginia, not to mention California.

The Las Vegas Review Journal: “Obama to back Senate immigration effort in Las Vegas on Tuesday.”

But the Washington Post writes: “The Obama administration has developed its own proposals for immigration reform that are more liberal than a separate bipartisan effort in the Senate, including a quicker path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, people with knowledge of the proposals said.”

The AP: “Administration officials said Obama would largely endorse the senators’ efforts, though immigration advocates said they expected the president’s own proposals to be more progressive than the Senate group’s plan, including a faster pathway to citizenship.”

Jay Carney yesterday on the Senate plan: “This is an important first step that we’ve seen from Congress,” Carney said. “The goal here is not for everyone just to get together and say we share common principles but to achieve legislation that gets the job done.”

From the Review-Journal: “Obama administration officials said the president will endorse the Senate effort during his Las Vegas speech at 11:55 a.m. [2:55 pm ET] today at Del Sol High School, a troubled school with a heavy Hispanic student body. Obama will outline his own immigration reform blueprint, a version of which he first released in 2011. More than 20 labor leaders from across the country will join Obama at the Las Vegas event, from the AFL-CIO to the Service Employees International Union, including Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina.”

The Las Vegas Sun: President Barack Obama will kick off his public push for immigration reform with a visit to Las Vegas today. But as he hits the road to deliver his argument to voters outside the Beltway, the center of the immigration debate appears to be settling squarely in Washington… The announcement of a bipartisan framework puts new momentum and urgency behind the drive toward comprehensive immigration reform, which the president planned to spearhead with his own plan in Las Vegas. But it also is a stark reminder of where this has gone wrong before — and why, in 2013, things need to be different if Obama wants to cement immigration reform as part of his legacy.”

Speaking of where it’s gone wrong before, one obstacle to overcome is the lack of trust between Obama and Republicans. Politico: “John McCain and Marco Rubio weren’t going to follow President Barack Obama’s lead. When the White House announced that Obama would open a campaign for immigration reform with an event in Las Vegas Tuesday, the Republican senators and their bipartisan working group decided to rush out their plan ahead of him on Monday, according to sources familiar with the effort.”

After all, there’s a lot of bad blood on the issue. Here was Obama in El Paso in May 2011, including him joking about Republicans wanting to build a moat and then put “alligators in the moat.” "We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. But even though we've answered these concerns, I suspect there will be those who will try to move the goal posts one more time. They'll say we need to triple the border patrol. Or quadruple the border patrol. They'll say we need a higher fence to support reform. Maybe they'll say we need a moat. Or alligators in the moat. They'll never be satisfied. And I understand that. That's politics."

In response, Herman Cain in Iowa called for “electrified barbed wire at the top” of a fence. “And on this side of it, it would have a moat … and yes, Mr. President it would have alligators in it.”

President Obama continued in El Paso, slamming Congress: “Everyone recognizes the system is broken. The question is, will we summon the political will to do something about it? … “The question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work we’ve started. We have to put the politics aside. And if we do, I’m confident we can find common ground. Washington is behind the country on this. … [T]there is a consensus around fixing what’s broken. Now we need Congress to catch up to a train that’s leaving the station.”

Roll Call: “President Barack Obama will flesh out his 2011 immigration reform blueprint Tuesday in Nevada, but he will not release a bill of his own. Though the White House has been drafting legislative language for four years, administration officials said Monday that the president would not put forward a plan with that much specificity at this point.”

Here was Obama’s “blueprint” laid out in El Paso as well as at American University in July 2010:

- The U.S. can’t grant blanket amnesty. But it also can’t just round up 11 million people and deport them.
- More accountability from government, businesses, and individuals.
- Improved border security – although he touted the border’s the most secure it’s ever been. And that the border is too vast to solve the problem simply with fences and border patrols alone.
- Better employee-verification system.
- Individuals must admit they broke the law, register and pay taxes, pay a fine, learn English and get in line. At the same time, the government needed to streamline the immigration process, which has seen a tremendous backlog.
- Farms need a legal way to hire workers; create pathway for those workers to become legal.
- Any immigration reform needed to include the DREAM Act.

The Senate Monday night voted to approve the $50 billion Sandy recovery bill, a week after it was expected. Sen. Mike Lee led an effort on the right to “offset” the funding. His amendment was defeated.

The Senate Tuesday is expected to confirm Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) to become the next secretary of state, replacing outgoing Secretary Hillary Clinton.

Once Kerry submits his letter of resignation, which is expected today, Massachusetts will set the date of the special election to be June 25, with a primary on April 30. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to name a temporary placeholder Wednesday.

Chuck Hagel’s nomination path looks clear.

Hillary Clinton’s got a Super PAC backing her already for 2016.

GEORGIA: The names piling up for a GOP primary to replace Saxby Chambliss: Rep. Tom Price (Tea Party Express’ Amy Kremer says she’d endorse him), Rep. Paul Broun, Karen Handel, Rep. Tom Graves, Rep. Phil Gingrey, and Rep. Jack Kingston.

IOWA: Roll Call makes Iowa Lean Democrat.

MASSACHUSETTS: The Boston Globe on Gov. Deval Patrick’s potential picks to temporarily fill Kerry’s seat: “Patrick has suggested he will choose a woman or a person of color to reflect the changing face of politics in Massachusetts. Top contenders are said by political insiders to include his former chief of staff, William “Mo” Cowan, and Victoria ­Kennedy, Edward M. Kennedy’s widow. Politically connected Democrats do not believe that Barney Frank, former US representative, who has openly urged Patrick to appoint him, will get the interim Senate job. Patrick and his political advisers have bristled at Frank’s public pursuit of the job.

VIRGINIA: The Democratic-leaning group American Bridge has a new video hitting Ken Cuccinelli – for not resigning his position as state attorney general while running for governor. 

A bipartisan group of senators formally unveiled an immigration reform framework that they hope the Senate could pass "in overwhelming and bipartisan fashion" by late spring or early summer.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday on Capitol Hill, five of the eight members of a bipartisan working group announced the contours of their agreement, which would shore up America's borders and provide an eventual path to citizenship for undocumented workers.

"We still have a long way to go, but this bipartisan grouping is a major breakthrough," New York Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democratic member of the group of eight, said Monday afternoon.

Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, set an ambitious goal of translating the statement of principles released Sunday evening by the senators into legislation by March. He said the Senate would try to approve the legislation for consideration in the House by the end of spring, or early summer.

The major development involves the pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers that would be established under the Senate plan. Conservatives have resisted similar proposals -- even when they were proposed by President George W. Bush -- and labeled them as "amnesty" for individuals who entered the United States illegally.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that Americans "have been too content for too long" to allow many undocumented workers to provide basic services "while not affording them any of the benefits that make our country so great."

"It is not beneficial to this country to have these people here, hidden in the shadows," added McCain, whose own experience on the issue of immigration provides an instructive example of why immigration reform has been so elusive for Congress.

McCain had long been one of the most vocal advocates of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers, but tempered his opinions in recent years amid conservative scrutiny. As he was fighting off a conservative primary challenger in 2010, McCain appeared in a television ad saying it was time to "build the danged fence" -- a reference to the proposed fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, which is favored by a number of Republicans.

The senators' announcement on Monday comes a day before President Barack Obama was set to make a major policy address on Tuesday in Nevada on the topic of immigration. While Obama had not been expected to outline any formal legislation during his remarks, lawmakers from both parties will carefully parse the president's words for their impact on the immigration debate. Schumer said that he had spoken to the president about the Senate framework, and that the president was "delighted" by it.

Obama himself had vowed to achieve comprehensive immigration reform during his first term, but his efforts were stymied. That failure invited a degree of consternation from the Latino community during last year's presidential campaign, even though Obama had taken executive action to halt the deportation of individuals who were illegally brought to the United States as children.

(That order, made by Obama last summer, sought to effectively enact much of the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation that failed in the Senate as recently as 2010, when some Republicans who'd previously supported the law flipped, and voted against it.)

Indeed, the success of this push in the Senate may well hinge on Republicans' willingness to go along with a plan that gives undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, an influential House Republican, already labeled the Senate framework as "amnesty" in a statement on Monday.

House GOP leaders were otherwise mum on Monday toward the Senate proposal, though top Republicans have previously expressed a preference for tackling immigration in a piecemeal manner.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the eight-member group and a favorite of conservatives, has worked to gather conservative support for the proposal. He said at Monday's press conference that while no one is happy about the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally, "We have an obligation and need to address the reality that we face."

The other factor weighing upon Republicans involves their poor performance among Hispanic voters -- a bloc that is growing in importance in a variety of key battleground states -- during last fall's election.

"The Republican Party is losing support of our Hispanic citizens," McCain said Monday in a nod toward a variable that could convince more GOP lawmakers to support this bipartisan proposal. But, McCain noted, "We're not going to get everybody onboard."

In the meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pledged to "do everything in [his] power as the majority leader to get a bill across the finish line."

"Nothing short of bipartisan success is acceptable to me," he said in remarks on the Senate floor preceding the group of eight's press conference.

Updated, Monday 1/28 at 3:10 pm ET: Massachusetts officials expect Sen. John Kerry's resignation letter Tuesday after he is confirmed to be secretary of state, as expected.

If he is confirmed and the letter of resignation is received tomorrow, state elections officials will set the date of the special election to replace Kerry as June 25th with a primary on April 30th, said Brian McNiff, spokesman for the Massachusetts Secretary of State Elections Division.

Kerry's resignation is expected to be effective Friday. But state law indicates that the date needs to be set not from the effective date of the resignation, but from the date it is received, McNiff said.

Gov. Deval Patrick (D) said Monday he would appoint a temporary replacement Wednesday.

"If the senate votes tomorrow, and the Senator is confirmed and he submits his resignation tomorrow, then I expect to make the announcement on Wednesday," Patrick said earlier Monday, according to Patrick's office.

Patrick added that he has "pretty much" made a final decision, but didn't indicate who it would be.

"I told you we’re going to have someone that I am convinced will be a wise steward of the interest of the people of the Commonwealth while we wait for the people to elect a senator in a special election," Patrick said. "And I continue to believe that the main event is the special election."

Ex-Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has publicly expressed interest in becoming the temporary senator, but it's not clear that he is the pick.

Meeting with law enforcement officials hailing from communities affected by high-profile shootings, President Barack Obama on Monday stressed the importance of reaching consensus with Congress to advance his gun violence proposals.

"As we've indicated before, the only way that we're going to be able to do everything that needs to be done is with the cooperation of Congress," Obama said, ticking off some of the heftiest provisions in his gun-violence plan.

Jason Reed / Reuters

President Barack Obama meets with police chiefs from three communities scarred by mass shootings last year to talk about the administration's push to reduce gun violence, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Jan. 28, 2013.

Among the law enforcement officials at the meeting, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, were the police chiefs from Aurora, Colo.; Oak Creek, Wis. and Newtown, Conn., the sites of the most recent high-profile mass shootings.

Obama said that mobilizing police officers and sheriffs behind his agenda will help spur Congress to consider and pass the legislation he is pushing for.

“No group is more important for us to listen to than our law enforcement officials. They're where rubber hits the road,” he said. “And hopefully if law enforcement officials who are dealing with this stuff every single day can come to some basic consensus in terms of steps that we need to take, Congress is going to be paying attention to them and we'll be able to make progress.”

And although few key lawmakers have voiced support for the measure in Obama's package to ban assault weapons, the president re-iterated his support for that provision.

“That means passing serious laws that restrict the access and availability of assault weapons and magazine clips that aren't necessary for hunters and sportsmen and those who -- responsible gun owners who are out there," he said. "It means that we are serious about universal background checks. It means that we take seriously issues of mental health and school safety.”

Update, Tues. Jan. 29: Police Chief J. Thomas Manger of Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the 13 officials who met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden Monday, said that both leaders “did a lot more listening than they did talking” and that the conversation gravitated to issues of mental health, including a national database of individuals whose history of mental health issues would prevent them from being able to purchase a firearm.

“Everybody agrees that we want to keep firearms out of the hands of folks that have mental health issues, but how do you identify who those folks are?” said Menger.

Hennepin County, Minnesota Sheriff Richard Stanek said that while he would enforce any laws Congress passed as a result of the president’s gun safety push, an all-out ban on assault weapons would simply motivate gun manufacturers to come up with new models to which the ban did not apply. 

“If you’re going to do this, that’s fine, we’ll enforce the laws, but understand where some of the loopholes are that people are slipping through,” Stanek said.

Stanek said the officials also met Monday with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the author of an assault-weapons ban bill, and told her of their concerns. 

“Every day they modify weapons so where do you start? Where do you end?” Stanek asked.

Immigration takes center stage… But passage won’t be easy… Obama thanks Hillary Clinton… Rreading the 2016 tea leaves from the interview… Hagel and the outside groups trying to defeat his nomination… Breaking down the Chambliss and Harkin retirements… And McDonnell and Cuccinelli oppose Virginia’s electoral-vote change.

*** Immigration takes center stage: Exactly seven days since President Obama’s inauguration, a series of events this week suggests that immigration has the best shot at being the first big legislative action -- and potential battle -- of 2013 (outside of the budget, of course). Today, a bipartisan group of eight senators (Democrats Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez, and Republicans John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and Jeff Flake) are laying out four agreed-on principles to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. Also today, at 11:00 am ET, several organizations pushing immigration reform are holding a press conference at the National Press Club to issue a “call to action” on the subject. And tomorrow, Obama heads to Las Vegas to deliver his own remarks on immigration. The bipartisan group of senators, in particular, is a big deal. Indeed, this appears to be the first time that McCain has signed on to a top Obama legislative priority since the presidential first took office. And here are their four principles: 1) create a “tough but fair path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants that’s contingent on border security; 2) reform the system in a way that helps build the economy; 3) establish an effective employment verification program; and 4) reform the system of admitting future workers. Five of the eight senators (Rubio, McCain, Schumer, Durbin, and Menendez) will appear together today in DC at 2:30 pm to officially unveil their agreement; the other three have scheduling conflicts in their home states.

Gary Cameron / Reuters

Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., questions Senator John Kerry (Not Pictured) during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Kerry's nomination to be secretary of state, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 24, 2013.

*** But its passage won’t be easy: On paper, passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill should be more than doable. After all, it’s now in both parties’ interest to do so -- for Democrats, it’s delivering on a campaign promise; for Republicans, it’s to avoid again losing the Latino vote by a 71%-27% margin. But remember this: Nothing is ever easy in Washington. For one thing, the devil is in the details, even with these bipartisan principles. How do you create this “tough but fair path” to citizenship? What’s the punishment for undocumented immigrants? How long do these immigrants have to wait to become citizens (and potential voters)? The other obstacle to passage is the House of Representatives. Does Speaker John Boehner -- once again -- allow legislation that might not have the backing of a majority of his GOP caucus to reach the floor? That said, it was notable that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on “Meet the Press” yesterday embraced Rubio’s work on immigration reform. “I support and agree with the principles that he laid out about earned legalization. Making sure that you're not rewarding people for having cut in line, but making sure that we can fix this problem.” Ryan added, “Look, immigration's a good thing.”

*** And selling it Republicans won’t be easy, either: The big challenge, in the short term, is going to be for McCain, Rubio, and Graham to sell this compromise as “not amnesty.” (And that’s exactly what Rubio has been doing in conservative-media circles in the past few weeks.) When you read the bipartisan agreement, there is a lot of detail and promise on this issue, including: making sure these folks pay back taxes and fines, making sure they are in the back of the line behind those folks playing by the rules now, and an agreement that these 11 million undocumented immigrants DON’T get a shot at citizenship until certain border security “metrics” are met. Of course, define “metrics” -- that’s among the detail devils.

*** Obama thanks Hillary: For those of you, like us, who followed every twist and turn during the 2008 presidential race, last night's joint Obama-Hillary Clinton interview on “60 Minutes” was extraordinary. And we understand that the interview was all Obama’s idea -- and it was more about thanking Clinton for being his secretary of state these past four years (and keeping the party united) than about 2016. Here’s a thought exercise: Imagine what Obama’s presidency would have been like had Clinton stayed in the U.S. Senate. During the tough times (health care, the debt-ceiling debate), everyone would have looked for any kind of daylight between the two politicians, and Hillary potentially launching a primary challenge would have been a constant story, even if she had no plans on such a move. But what’s been extraordinary is how loyal Obama and Clinton have been to each other. And this line from Clinton explaining why she accepted Obama’s offer to be secretary of state struck us: “I thought, ‘You know, if the roles had been reversed. And I had ended up winning. I would have desperately wanted him to be in my cabinet. So if I'm saying I would have wanted him to say yes to me, how am I going to justify saying no to my president?’ And it was a great decision, despite my hesitancy about it.”

*** Reading the 2016 tea leaves: Still, the interview did provide some tea leaves to read about 2016. After all, here was the president conducting his first joint media interview with someone other than his wife. It was an affirmation of Clinton’s work, especially after her contentious testimony last week on Capitol Hill. “Well, the main thing is I just wanted to have a chance to publicly say thank you, because I think Hillary will go down as one of the finest secretary of states we've had,” Obama said. It was a reminder that Vice President Joe Biden isn’t the heir apparent, if Clinton decides she wants to run for president four years from now. And lastly, it was evidence that the Democratic Party -- at least right now -- is more united than ever. We were disappointed that so little time was devoted to some of the key foreign policy decisions this tandem made together, including the decision to oust Hosni Mubarak, among other issues.

*** Hagel and the outside groups trying to defeat his nomination: On Thursday at the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chuck Hagel has his confirmation hearing to be Obama’s next defense secretary. And yesterday, the New York Times noted that Hagel’s confirmation battle is the first to be fought in the Super PAC/post-Citizens United era. “The media campaign to scuttle Mr. Hagel’s appointment, unmatched in the annals of modern presidential cabinet appointments, reflects the continuing effects of the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which loosened campaign finance restrictions and was a major reason for the record spending by outside groups in the 2012 election... While the campaign against Mr. Hagel, a Republican, is not expected to cost more than a few million dollars, it suggests that the operatives running the independent groups and the donors that finance them — many of whom are millionaires and billionaires with ideological drive and business agendas that did not go away after the election — are ready to fight again.”

*** Breaking down the Chambliss and Harkin retirements: In the past 72 hours, two U.S. senators -- Republican Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Democrat Tom Harkin of Iowa -- announced they wouldn’t be seeking re-election in 2014. That means we now have four retirements (John Kerry, Jay Rockefeller, Chambliss, and Harkin), and other ones potentially in the works (Frank Lautenberg, Tim Johnson, maybe Thad Cochran or Mike Enzi). Politically, perhaps the most significant story we’ll be following after these retirements is to see how the GOP primaries in Georgia and Iowa play out (West Virginia, too, for that matter). Do Republicans coalesce around the more electable candidate, or does the most conservative candidate win? One other thing to watch: Chambliss has the ability to be a wild card on legislation -- his retirement statement criticized both Obama and Congress -- and Harkin might be a little more free to vote on contentious legislation (like gun control) than he would have if running for re-election next year.

*** Obama’s day: Besides all of today’s immigration news, President Obama and Vice President Biden are holding a meeting this morning with police chiefs from around the country -- including from Aurora, CO, Oak Creek, WI, and Newtown, CT -- to discuss reducing gun violence. Also today, at 1:40 pm ET, Obama will welcome the Miami Heat to the White House to celebrate their NBA championship from last season.

*** McDonnell, Cuccinelli oppose electoral-vote change: Lastly, both Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli have come out in opposition of the Republican effort in the state to change how Virginia’s electoral votes are awarded. Folks, the effort in Virginia is dead. The question is whether Republicans in other states -- like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- are still thinking about pursuing the change. As Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told Newsmax, per NBC's Sarah Blackwill: “It's an interesting idea. I haven't committed one way or the other to it. For me, and I think any other state considering this, you should really look at not just the short-term but the long-term implications. Is it better or worse for the electorate?”

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*** Monday’s Daily Rundown’s line-up: Freshman Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) on coming to DC, being half of twin rising stars in the party and the chances for an immigration deal... NBC's Michael Isikoff on new developments with OFA's outreach ability... The New Republic's Liaquat Ahamed on his interview with now former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner... Plus Voto Latino's Maria Teresa Kumar, the Grio's Perry Bacon Jr., and former Bush 43 White House aide and current Indiana GOP spokesman Pete Seat join the Gaggle.

*** Monday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews NBCLatino Contributor Victoria De Francesco Soto, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Brady Campaign President Dan Gross.  Today’s Power Panel includes:  Roll Call’s David Drucker, Democratic Strategist Karen Finney and Republican Strategist Alice Stewart.

*** Monday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews New Republic publisher Chris Hughes, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, Brooking Institution’s Bruce Riedel, The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Karen Tumulty, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and National Journal’s Chris Frates.

*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews the Washington Post’s Nia Malika Henderson, NBC Latino contributor Raul Reyes, Michael Smerconish, Democratic Strategist Jimmy Williams, and Politico’s Alexander Burns.

President Obama and Hillary Clinton sat down for a joint interview on 60 Minutes from the White House, as Clinton exits as secretary of state. “The president's high praise will no doubt stoke speculation about Clinton's own chances to succeed Obama in 2016,” NBC’s Michael O’Brien writes. “Many Democrats hope that Clinton, a former rival of Obama's during the 2008 primary, will seek the nomination; the outgoing secretary of state leaves office at the height of her popularity.”

Clinton, though, clearly left the door open to a 2016 run: “I think that, you know, look, obviously the president and I care deeply about what's going to happen for our country in the future. And I don't think, you know, either he or I can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next year,” Clinton said, responding to a question about her political future.

The AP: “President Barack Obama lauded Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as one of his closest advisers and said their shared vision for America’s role in the world persuaded his one-time rival — and potential successor — to be his top diplomat while he dealt with the shattered economy at home.” More: “Both Obama and Clinton batted away questions about future campaigns, but the joint interview — the president’s first with anyone other than first lady Michelle Obama — was only likely to increase the fascination with Clinton’s future.”

Today, “President Barack Obama will meet with police chiefs from three communities that have experienced mass shootings, part of his administration’s push to address gun violence,” the AP adds. “Obama is drawing attention to the worst shootings of 2012, inviting the police chiefs from: Aurora, Colo., where 12 were killed in July; Oak Creek, Wis., where six died in a Sikh temple assault: and Newtown, Conn., scene of the most recent mass tragedy that left 20 first-graders dead.”

The New Republic does a Q and A with Obama. Asked if he’d ever fired a gun, Obama said: “Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time.”

He also said this about whether he’d let a son play football due to the recent news about concussions: “I'm a big football fan, but I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football. And I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence.”

About whether the Republican “fever” has broken. “Not yet, obviously,” Obama said. “I never expected that it would happen overnight. I think it will be a process. And the Republican Party is undergoing a still-early effort at reexamining what their agenda is and what they care about. I think there is still shock on the part of some in the party that I won reelection. There's been a little bit of self-examination among some in the party, but that hasn't gone to the party as a whole yet.”

Obama also floated making reforms to Medicare: “If we can get through this first period and arrive at a sensible package that reduces our deficits, stabilizes our debts, and involves smart reforms to Medicare and judicious spending cuts with some increased revenues and maybe tax reform, and you can get a package together that doesn't satisfy either Democrats or Republicans entirely, but puts us on a growth trajectory because it leaves enough spending on education, research and development, and infrastructure to boost growth now, but also deals with our long-term challenges on health care costs, then you can imagine the Republicans saying to themselves, ‘OK, we need to get on the side of the American majority on issues like immigration. We need to make progress on rebuilding our roads and bridges.’”

He also said this: “I think at least leaders like myself—and I include Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi in this—are willing to buck the more absolutist-wing elements in our party to try to get stuff done.”

“A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws,” AP writes. “The deal, which was to be announced at a news conference Monday afternoon, covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country. Although thorny details remain to be negotiated and success is far from certain, the development heralds the start of what could be the most significant effort in years toward overhauling the nation's inefficient patchwork of immigration laws.”

Here’s the group of eight senators who endorsed the proposals: Democrats Charles Schumer (NY), Dick Durbin (IL), Robert Menendez (NJ) and Michael Bennet (CO), plus Republicans John McCain (AZ), Lindsey Graham (SC), Marco Rubio (FL) and Jeff Flake (AZ).

Here’s the document.

The Washington Post: “A key group of senators from both parties will unveil on Monday the framework of a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, including a pathway to citizenship for more than 11 million illegal immigrants.”

The Post calls the bipartisan push something that would have been “unimaginable just months ago on one of the country’s most emotionally divisive issues.” More: “On Tuesday, President Obama will travel to Las Vegas to urge quick action; he told Hispanic members of Congress at a White House meeting Friday that the issue is his top legislative priority.”

The Miami Herald: “A group of eight Democratic and Republicans senators, including Florida’s Marco Rubio, will officially release a bipartisan immigration plan, just a day before the president addresses the highly charged topic in a Las Vegas speech.” More: Most controversially, the proposal would give a pathway to residency – and even citizenship – to many of the estimated 11 million immigrants unlawfully in the United States. While some conservatives call it amnesty, Rubio says it’s not because the immigrants would have to pay fines, back taxes and undergo a criminal background check – a similar proposal made by President Obama in May 2011.”

Politico: “A powerful group of senators from both parties has reached a deal on the outlines of a comprehensive immigration overhaul, a development that will drive an emotional debate on a hot-button issue unseen in Washington for more than half a decade.” More: The broad agreement by the influential Gang of Eight senators amounts to the most serious bipartisan effort to act on the highly charged issue since George W. Bush’s comprehensive measure was defeated in the Senate in 2007. It remains to be seen if Obama will embrace the Senate effort, or how closely his own proposal hews to the Senate one. But the Senate proposal is expected to take precedence on Capitol Hill, given that bipartisan backing will be crucial to getting anything through the Democratic-controlled Senate — let alone the Republican-controlled House.”

National Journal: “Behind-the-scenes discussions have been taking place with different iterations of the group since the November elections. They had planned to release their principles by Feb. 1 but the accelerated deadline means they will go public ahead of a speech by President Obama in Las Vegas on Tuesday that will address immigration reform. They hope to have a bill by the end of March.”

Ron Fournier: “The GOP wants to survive. That is one interpretation of the move toward amnesty and broad immigration reform spearheaded by a bipartisan group of senators today. The other is that elections have consequences.”

Hot Air’s Allah Pundit: “Before you start grumbling, look: The big cave on amnesty is coming. It’s a fait accompli. Make peace with it. Latino voters didn’t cost the GOP the election this time but the demographics are such that that won’t always be true if Republicans continue to lose the group by 70/30 or 75/25 margins. Now is the time to show some goodwill by legalizing millions of illegal immigrants and adding them, eventually, to the voter rolls. Maybe then we’ll only lose 60/40.”

But Red State’s Daniel Horowitz is skeptical. Two of his reasons, include make sure “we are not saddled with 12 million new consumers of the welfare state;” and “we don’t have 12 million new Democrat voters.”

“The fractious GOP hierarchy seems to have finally settled on a message when it comes to President Barack Obama: take a deep breath and don’t take the bait,” Politico’s Martin writes. Overtly in speeches and more subtly with their actions, GOP leaders and potential 2016 presidential candidates are sending a message to their party that it ought not let itself be radicalized by Obama’s ambitious and decidedly left-leaning second-term agenda.” More: “Following condemnation of the president’s liberalism, the would-be GOP standard-bearers are imploring conservatives to not just oppose Obama but devise an agenda of their own that they can present to voters. These Republicans, it seems, are dreading a replay of the past four years in which a triumphant Obama win leads to a conservative backlash at the polls in 2014 but the party is then tranquilized into believing it can win gold in the next presidential cycle by doing nothing but loudly opposing the administration.”

Not everyone’s gotten the message on toning down the rhetoric. Here was Mia Love at the National Review Institute Summit in DC Sunday, per National Journal: "We need to remind everyone that the GOP was originally formed to end slavery… We're trying to end slavery from the federal government.”

The Boston Globe went to the scene of Mitt Romney’s appearance in DC Friday: “The luncheon, meant to honor Romney and his wife, Ann, took place just blocks away from the White House, where President Obama was continuing to assemble his staff for the next term. Bleachers constructed for the inauguration parade were still set up outside, and the official inauguration store – selling Obama hats, shirts, and mugs – was next door. But Romney, who has remained out of the public eye, did not permit media of coverage of his trip. His staff said he was not available for an interview. The hotel, where many events and conferences are held, cordoned off the entrance with red velvet ropes and stationed guards at the door to block anyone from entering the lobby.”

More: “While the group of Romney supporters dined on either salmon or filet mignon, Romney told them that he had kept a low-profile since the campaign but planned to be politically active in helping get Republican candidates elected in 2013, 2014, and 2016, according to a source who attended the lunch and requested anonymity because the function was supposed to be private. Romney wasn’t specific about which candidates he would help and in what way, the source said, and it remains to be seen how active other Republicans want Romney to be following a losing campaign that many have criticized. Still, those who attended the luncheon included some of the top Republican power-brokers. Among them were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, Senator John McCain of Arizona, and former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. There were also several former senators -- Jon Kyl of Arizona, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, and Gordon Smith of Oregon – as well as former diplomat C. Boyden Gray.”

Per Politico, Romney said he won’t attempt to win office again. “We lost, but I’m not going away,” he said. “I will continue to help.”

More: “‘[Romney] explained that he had been out of the news and that was purposeful,’ said the source in the room. ‘He didn’t want to say something on the fiscal cliff and have the president use that as a wedge between the speaker and the minority leader… He said it wasn’t going to last for long and that he was going to come back and start talking about the things that matter to him.’”

ILLINOIS: Politico of ex-Rep. Debbie Halvorson: “A white ex-congresswoman with an ‘A’ rating from the National Rifle Association is the front-runner to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in a majority-black Chicagoland district with inner-city neighborhoods wracked by gun violence… Sixteen other candidates are vying for the Democratic nod, and all of her formidable competitors are African-American. That creates a possibility that the black vote will splinter, opening a path for Halvorson.” More: “Now, black leaders — concerned about Halvorson’s position atop polls — say they’re prepared to make gun control the central issue in the contest. The goal is to paint her as an NRA ally who’s too conservative for the seat and insensitive to Chicago’s rising tide of gun violence.”

IOWA: Sen. Tom Harkin (D) won’t run for reelection in 2014. Rep. Bruce Braley (D) is thinking about running. But the Des Moines Register also floats the names of Tom and Christie Vilsack, as well as ex-Gov. Chet Culver. Culver’s father was a U.S. senator.

“On the GOP side, at the top of the list is U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, who has represented 56 of Iowa’s 99 counties as he embarks on his 19th year in Congress. … U.S. Rep. Steve King, who fires up the Iowa GOP base like no one else, is also a possibility, several Republican political operatives said. Another hot prospect: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who holds one of the highest-profile elected offices in Iowa and has been an integral part of Gov. Terry Branstad’s initiatives. A host of other Republican names are circulating in GOP circles, including former Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey, but GOP operatives said a bid by Latham could clear the field.”

Politico calls Harkin’s retirement “the latest early break for Republicans in their long-shot bid to seize control of the Senate in 2014. The move puts Iowa in play and comes on the heels of Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s retirement in West Virginia, which gave Republicans a likely pickup. Another potential Democratic retirement in a red state looms in South Dakota, where Sen. Tim Johnson is expected to decide soon whether to pursue a third term. And in Massachusetts, a new poll shows Republican Scott Brown — who’s mulling whether to run for Senate this year or governor in 2014 — up by double digits in a potential race for the seat of Democrat John Kerry, who will likely be confirmed as secretary of state.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sidestepped questions about her presidential ambitions in 2016, though she was the beneficiary of effusive praise from her boss, President Barack Obama, in a new interview on Sunday.

Neither Obama nor Clinton would address the elephant in the room — whether the outgoing secretary of state, Obama's 2008 primary opponent, should seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 — in an interview aired Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes."

"You guys in the press are incorrigible," a laughing Obama said in the interview, which was taped on Friday. "I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you're talking about elections four years from now."

But the topic of a prospective second bid for the presidency by Clinton is already on the tongues of most political professionals of both parties. Clinton allowed a knowing chuckle at a congressional hearing last week when a Republican congressman, referring to her possible ambitions, said: "I wish you the best in your future endeavors — mostly."

Clinton leaves office as secretary of state arguably at the apex of her popularity; 56 percent of Americans expressed a positive opinion of the former first lady in January's NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, and she leaves office with a 69 percent approval rating.

But, in the rare joint interview with the president, Clinton refused to engage the speculation.

"I am still secretary of state. So I'm out of politics. And I'm forbidden from even hearing these questions," she said. 

Clinton nonetheless offered a coy morsel of what she may or may not decide to do in 2016. 

"I don't think, you know, either he [Obama] or I can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next year," she said. 

Should she decide to run, though, Clinton's campaign might return to Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview for clips of Obama's overflowing praise to use in campaign ads. 

Obama, for instance, said that Clinton would go down in history "as one of the finest secretary of states we've had."

"I think everybody understands that Hillary's been you know, one of the most important advisors that I've had on a whole range of issues," Obama said at another point in the interview.

And the president even made a pronouncement that would have seemed unthinkable during the bitter 2008 primary campaign between the two former senators: "I consider Hillary a strong friend." (Clinton, for her part, described her relationship with the president as "very warm" and "close.")

"Look, that is just ancient history now," Clinton said of the animosity from the 2008 campaign. "And it's ancient history because of the kind of people we all are, but also we're professionals."

Still, as Clinton mulls her future options during the time she's expected to take to relax upon leaving office, other potential Democratic candidates might move forward with their own campaigns-in-waiting. 

That includes another administration heavyweight, Vice President Joe Biden, who's seen as likely to preserve his own option to seek the Democratic nomination in 2016. 

But lest Obama's praise for Clinton be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of his secretary of state over his vice president, the president heaped praise on Biden just a week ago, too. 

"One decision I know was absolutely correct -- absolutely spot on -- was my choice of vice president," Obama said Sunday at an inaugural reception. "I could not have a better partner than Joe Biden."

Republicans are dug in as ever against raising new taxes, and their budgetary standard-bearer, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, said Sunday that the Republican House of Representatives has already moved past the question of new revenues. 

Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman and former GOP vice presidential nominee, laid out the contours of what will almost certainly be a bruising springtime debate on taxes and spending — an outgrowth of the unresolved consequences of the "fiscal cliff."

And as the GOP-held House and the Democratic-controlled Senate prepare dueling budget proposals, Ryan argued that the president was unserious about tackling the mounting national debt. 

"The president got his additional revenues. So that's behind us," Ryan said on NBC's "Meet the Press" in his first live interview since the presidential election, when Ryan and presidential candidate Mitt Romney lost decisively to President Barack Obama. 

During the campaign, Romney and Ryan talked forcefully about reforming taxes and raising revenues by closing loopholes and deductions that favor the wealthy. While Democrats won higher taxes on household income over $450,000 as part of the New Year's deal to stave off the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts in the fiscal cliff, Democrats now say they'll produce a budget asking for even more revenue, possibly through similar tax reforms.

"Are we for raising revenues? No we're not," Ryan said. "If you keep raising revenues, you're not going to get decent tax reform."

The Wisconsin congressman's comments portend a debate over taxes and spending in Washington featuring parties as far apart as ever. Republicans this week passed legislation to suspend the debt limit — and, with it, the specter of default — until May. But Congress must still reckon with the need to continue funding the government, and address the automatic and drastic spending cuts (known as the "sequester") that were delayed only for two months as part of the fiscal cliff.

"I think the sequester's going to happen," Ryan said, blaming Democrats for offering no palatable substitute for those cuts. 

And Ryan said that Republicans were "not interested" in a government shutdown, the consequence for which some GOP lawmakers have openly called should Obama and lawmakers fail to reach an agreement to fund the government.

But those looming questions — which are tied directly into the budgets that the House and Senate will debate this spring — reflect how Washington remained as vexed as ever by fiscal issues. 

And the rhetoric is hot as ever, too.

"I don't think that the president actually thinks we have a fiscal crisis," Ryan said. 

With tax and spending matters set to dominate much of lawmakers' energy for the first half of this year, it could make other elements of Obama's agenda — like immigration reform and curbing gun violence — more politically difficult. 

Ryan, who has praised a bipartisan set of immigration reforms offered by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, R, said he was cautiously optimistic about the prospects for immigration reform this year. But Ryan said that Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike would closely watch Obama's speech on Tuesday in Nevada on that topic.

And of the president's gun control measures, Ryan suggested openness to embracing some measures — like requiring universal background checks on gun sales — while expressing skittishness toward other elements of the plan, like the ban on assault weapons.

As Ryan himself navigates these very thorny issues for the next four years, his every action will be refracted through the prism of 2016 presidential politics. After having emerged as something of a GOP rock star as Romney's running mate last fall, many Republicans hope that the Wisconsin congressman might seek the presidency himself in four years, joining a tentative field of Republican contenders for the nomination that is full of proverbial heavyweights.

Ryan offered a familiar answer about his own potential ambitions, saying he doesn't think about running, and that he was currently focused on his job serving his constituents. 

"I think it's just premature. I've got an important job to do," he said. "I'll decide later about that."

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said Saturday he will not seek a sixth term in 2014, a decision that frees a new generation of Iowa Democrats to seek higher office and eases some of the burden Republicans face in retaking the Senate.

Harkin, chairman of an influential Senate committee, announced his decision during an interview with The Associated Press, and said the move could surprise some.

But the 73-year-old cited his age — he would be 81 at the end of a sixth term — as a factor in the decision, saying it was time to pass the torch he has held for nearly 30 years.

"I just think it's time for me to step aside," Harkin told the AP.

Harkin, first elected in 1984, ranks 7th in seniority, and 4th among majority Democrats. He is chairman of the health, education, labor and pensions committee, and chairman of the largest appropriations subcommittee.

He has long aligned with the Senate's more liberal members, and his signature legislative accomplishment is the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. He also served as a key salesman of President Barack Obama's 2010 health care bill to the wary left.

"I'm not saying that giving this up and walking away is easy. It's very tough," Harkin said at his rural Iowa home south of Des Moines. "But I'm not quitting today. I'm not passing the torch sitting down."

Harkin's news defied outward signals. He has $2.7 million in his campaign war chest, second most among members nearing the end of their terms, and was planning a gala fundraiser in Washington, D.C., next month featuring pop star Lady Gaga.

The news creates a rare open Senate seat Iowa. Harkin, Iowa's junior senator, is outranked by Sen. Charles Grassley, who has held the state's other seat since 1980.

Attention will turn immediately to U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, a fourth-term Democrat from Waterloo. Braley, who was traveling in Iowa Saturday, did not immediately respond to e-mail and telephone requests to his staff by the AP.

Harkin held open the possibility of endorsing a Democrat before the party's primary if the candidate fit the profile of "someone who is progressive, who is a pragmatic progressive."

Although no Republicans have stepped forward, Harkin's news gives the GOP's private huddles new life.

"There are lots of conversations, but it's very early still," said Nick Ryan, an Iowa Republican campaign fundraiser.

U.S. Rep. Tom Latham of Clive is a seasoned Republican congressman, a veteran appropriations committee member and a robust fundraiser who has survived challenges to win 10 consecutive terms. Aides to Latham declined to comment beyond issuing a statement saying the congressman "respects Sen. Harkin's decision (and) looks forward to continuing to work with him."

But with opening a door in Iowa, Harkin has created a potential headache for his party nationally.

Democrats likely would have had the edge in 2014 with the seat, considering Harkin's fundraising prowess and healthy approval. A poll by the Des Moines Register taken last fall showed a majority of Iowans approved of his job performance.

Democrats hold a 55-45 advantage in the Senate, requiring Republicans to gain six seats to win back the chamber. But Democrats have more seats to defend in 2014_20 compared to only 13 for Republicans.

And the president's party historically loses seats in the midterm elections after his re-election. Obama, a Democrat, was re-elected last year.

Democrats will be scrambling to hold onto the seat in GOP-leaning West Virginia, where five-term Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller recently announced he would not seek re-election. Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is running for the Senate seat.

Democratic incumbents also face tough re-election races in Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina and Alaska — all states carried by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in November's presidential election.

Since the election, Harkin has stepped up his role as one of the Senate's leading liberal populists.

He was a vocal opponent late last year of President Barack Obama's concession to lift the income threshold for higher taxes to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. Harkin instead supported raising taxes on all earners making more than $250,000 a year.

He also endorsed Obama's call for banning assault rifles and larger ammunition magazines in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting last month

Despite Harkin's strong political position, he has faced questions about his and his wife Ruth's role in developing a namesake policy institute at Iowa State University, Harkin's alma mater.

The Harkins and their supporters have been pushing for the institute to house papers highlighting his signature achievements, including the ADA and shaping farm policy as the former chairman of the agriculture committee.

In one long-running dispute, they've pressed ISU's president to rescind rules restricting the institute's ability to research agriculture, which Harkin derided as a violation of academic freedom. And Harkin has evaded questions about his role in fundraising for the institute after disclosure reports showed some of its largest donors are firms that have benefited from his policies.

Harkin dismissed that those questions had any bearing on his decision.

A spokesman for Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says the governor opposes the GOP legislation that would award the state's electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district -- instead of the current winner-take-all system.

Related: GOP looks to change the rules, not their party

"The governor does not support this legislation. He believes Virginia's existing system works just fine as it is. He does not  believe there is any need for a change," said spokesman Tucker Martin.

This opposition by McDonnell essentially kills the chances that the Electoral College change would become law in the state. In addition, another Republican state senator in Virginia today said he also was against the change.

The president is taking his second-term agenda on the road next week. 

However, the topic of Tuesday’s trip is immigration and not gun control. While event details are still being sorted out, the White House has confirmed that “the president will be traveling to Nevada on Tuesday to redouble the Administration's efforts to work with Congress to fix the broken immigration system this year.”

This comes after an unannounced meeting at the White House with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Friday morning. Members of the caucus and the White House expressed a “sense of urgency” when it came to tackling the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. 

Since his re-election, President Obama has said that he would attempt to tackle the issue in his second term and the topic was given prominence by being included in his inaugural address. 

“Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity,” he said Monday.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), who has been an outspoken supporter of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform said after the meeting, “We all need to work together -- the president and Congress, Republicans and Democrats -- to get something done right away."

In an interview late last year, House Speaker John Boehner said, “I think a comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I’m confident that the president, myself, others, can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all.”

But while there has been acknowledgement and even some optimism on both sides of the aisle that there needs to be some type of reform to the country’s immigration system, it is still unclear how any kind of large-scale reform would move through Congress, what the details would be, and who would spearhead it.

President Obama's push for comprehensive immigration reform comes after his sweeping advantage with Latinos in his re-election. Obama won 71 percent of Latinos, up from 67% in 2008. They made up 10 percent of the electorate, up from 9 percent in 2008, which underperforms their population nationally -- 16 percent, according to the U.S. Census.

In Nevada, those shares are even higher. Obama won 74 percent of Hispanics in Nevada, and made up 19 percent of the electorate (but are 27 percent of the overall population). They were crucial in helping Obama to a 52-46% win in the Silver State, as well as victories in Colorado, New Mexico, and Florida.