Lynn Sweet

WASHINGTON--A day after the Senate ethics committee handed him a stinging rebuke, Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) on Saturday voted to advance the Democratic health care bill to the Senate floor and then departed for an official visit to Iraq.

Burris--on his first official overseas trip as senator--is traveling with Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon,Michael Bennett of Colorado and Tom Udall of New Mexico.

Burris "is seeking a firsthand look at security and political developments in the region," according to a release his office sent Sunday. The senators plan to meet with soldiers, "foreign leaders" and security officials. The trip is short; Burris is expected to return by Thanksgiving Day.

Burris, who has not sought much press in recent months--what with ethics investigations hanging over him--will host a conference call Monday from the U.S. Embassy in Baghad. His office is going to try to keep ethics questions off the table. The Burris release said--and the capital letters are from them--"All interested reporters wishing to discuss THIS TOPIC are welcome to call in to hear Senator Burris discuss his findings and to ask related questions."

excerpt from the pool report...

Pool Report Three
11-21-09
Dinner at Valerie Jarrett's place

After apparently making a quick change out of his golf garb, POTUS departed White House at 6 p.m. to attend dinner at senior adviser Valerie Jarrett's condo in Georgetown. Motorcade arrived at location at 6:12 p.m.

We are told that this is "Valerie's birthday dinner." Entire First Family will be here for festivities (but appears to be traveling separately).

Ken Bazinet
New York Daily News

WASHINGTON--Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) just announced from the Senate floor--in a rare Saturday session--that she will vote to allow the Democratic championed health care legislation to proceed. Democratic Senate leaders needed a supermajority, 60 votes, to avoid a filibuster and proceed to the underlying legislation. The vote on the motion to proceed will take place at about 8 p.m. tonight. Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tom Harkin will be flying back to Washington after a daytrip to tour a prison in northwest Illinois the Obama White House wants to buy to house Guantanamo detainees.

To find the bill language, start at www.senate.gov

WASHINGTON--As Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Saturday leads a tour of the nearly vacant Thomson Correctional Center--a top Obama White House contender to house Guantanamo detainees--the White House released its first detailed economic impact statement on the jobs and money that will be channeled to northwestern Illinois if the federal government buys the prison.

Click below for the detailed analysis.

WASHINGTON--As the Senate debates health care on Saturday, Democrats Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa are making a quick daytrip to the Illinois prison the Obama White House is targeting for Guantanamo detainees. The senators, flying on an Air Force jet, expect to be back for the crucial showdown vote at 8 p.m. eastern Saturday. Today, by the way, is Durbin's birthday.

Durbin and Harkin will be touring the Thomson Correctional Center with
Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL), Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) Phil Carter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, Harley Lampin, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Michael P. Randle, Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Durbin will also lunch with local elected officials and visit with community members who are also having lunch at the restaurant.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Roland Burris was reprimanded Friday by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics for his "inconsistent, incomplete and misleading" testimony before Springfield lawmakers about his appointment by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the seat once held by President Obama.

The Senate panel issued a "public letter of qualified admonition," a stinging rebuke of Burris' shifting explanations about his appointment.

WASHINGTON-- Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) was admonished today by the U.S. Senate ethics committee over his testimony in Springfield concerning how he got appointed to Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

But his actions following his appointment by then Gov.-Rod Blagojevich did not rise to level of pursuing ethics charges against Burris, the committee ruled.

The Dan Hynes for Illinois campaign likes this clip....posted on YouTube....of rival Gov. Quinn dozing during a health care forum with WTTW's Elizabeth Brackett.

WASHINGTON--No sleeping in after returning yesterday from an eight day trip to China, South Korea and Japan, President Obama on Friday morning with First Lady Michelle went to an event at daughter Sasha's school. Here's the pool report from Newsday's Tom Brune, a former Chicago Sun-Times reporter.

Pool report...
President, First Lady visit daughter's school

Though still on far Eastern time, the president, and the first lady, made the
trek out through morning rush hour traffic to Sidwell Friends Lower School in
Bethesda, where Sasha goes, for a non-official visit.

A WH press aide said first couple were attending a school function, but would
not elaborate. Pool was kept outside, and walked to nearby shops for coffee.
Visit lasted about 45 minutes.

For the record: Left White House at 8:30 a.m. Arrived at school in Bethesda at
9:04 a.m. Left school at 9:49 a.m. Arrived White House at 10:18 a.m.

Tom Brune at Newsday

WASHINGTON--After a stall, the Senate voted 59-39 Thursday to confirm U.S. District Court Judge David Hamilton--who now presides in an Indiana courtroom--to the Chicago based 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Oprah Winfrey, fresh from a ratings hit with Sara Palin, will end her television show in September, 2011, ABC News is reporting.

Winfrey, one of the most influential and richest women in the world has her Harpo Production Company based in Chicago.

WASHINGTON--President Obama is back in the U.S. after a swing through Japan, China and South Korea. Air Force One touched down at Andrews Air Force Base at 3:48 p.m. eastern on Thursday afternoon; by 4:01 p.m. est Obama was bounding down the stairs to the tarmac. He motorcaded from Andrews AFB to the White House, arriving at the White House at 4:22 p.m. est.

WASHINGTON--Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, fresh from winning governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, hits Chicago on Friday for meetings in the Loop with Illinois GOP leadership to map strategy on Illinois contests for governor and Senate and House seats.

Steele will huddle with state Rep. Beth Coulson (R-Glenview), running for the 10th congressional district seat being vacated by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), a Senate hopeful.

From Coulson: She "will join Illinois' House Minority Leader Tom Cross and Senate Minority Leader Chris Radogno, as well as Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady in the meeting with the chairman to talk about the upcoming midterm elections in Illinois and how to keep the 10th Congressional District in Republican hands."

Illinois voters have a Feb. 2 primary.

WASHINGTON--Illinois State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) briefed me Thursday on what is involved on the state end in selling Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois to the federal government.

The Obama administration is considering asking Illinois Gov. Quinn to sell the nearly vacant Thomson to the federal Bureau of Prisons, which in turn would lease a portion to the Defense Department to run a military prison for Guantanamo detainees. Sen. Dick Durbin is leading the drive for Thomson; Illinois House Republicans and Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) are against the plan.

Schoenberg is the Senate co-chair of the 12-member state Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, which plays an advisory role in the decision.

WASHINGTON--Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) met with members of the Illinois congressional delegation on Thurday on a trip here that included a fund-raiser Wednesday night for the state senate political committee.

On a trip to Denver on Monday for a mentoring event with high school girls, First Lady Michelle Obama talked about how as a kid she was anxious and nervous when she had to take tests. Read my story on this here.

WASHINGTON--Here's the lighter side of President Obama, about five pounds worth.

Two male network correspondents asked Obama about his weight, after a serious discussion about other issues during one and one interviews in Bejing, China.

Obama told NBC's Chuck Todd, "My weight fluctuates about five pounds. It has for the last 30 years. It's unchanging. I still wear the same -- some of the same stuff I did when I got married 17 years ago. My hair's gotten a lot grayer; there's no doubt about that. But I'm not sure whether that's just because I was about the age where my hair was going to start getting gray."

Chip Reid from CBS also asked Obama about his health. "Well, look, my weight doesn't fluctuate too much. It goes in a five-pound band width," Obama said.

WASHINGTON--The price tag on the Senate Democrats health reform bill was put at $849 billion late Wednesday afternoon by the Congressional Budget Office, less than the amount in the bill the House passed but within President Obama's target.

Here's a top line comparison, according to Senate sources

Cost
Senate $849 billion
House 1.052 billion

Cutting the deficit
Senate $127 billion over 10 years
House 111 billlion over 10 years

Coverage expansion. Getting more people insured.
Senate 29 million or 94 per cent of uninsured coverage
House 36 million or 96 per cent of uninsured coverage
A merged version would yield 31 million or 91 percent on uninsured rolls

WASHINGTON--Senate Democrats defeated Tuesday a bid by Republicans to bar money being spent for prisons--that would include a proposed Gitmo North in Illinois--to take detainees from Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. This is only the first skirmish. Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee today--Wednesday-- on his decision to try the 9-11 suspects not at Gitmo in a New York courtroom. The subject of sending detainees to prisons on U.S. soil is expected to come up. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who supports the federal government buying the Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois for the detainees, is on the committee.