It's Wednesday morning, and in Boston, the Sox and the Rockies are taking their final warmups in advance of game one of the World Series. Game two tomorrow, also from Boston, then the Rockies complete the sweep in games three and four, in Colorado, over the weekend. Aside from the Rockies, here's what Washington is paying attention to:

-- The Senate today takes procedural votes on the nomination of Leslie Southwick to federal court, and on a bill that would allow children of some illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. The House Budget Committee begins to take a look at the costs of the war in Iraq, in a morning hearing, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee quizzes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Middle East policy. The fight to watch: The House Rules Committee mmeets today to formulate a rule for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which bars employment discrimination against gays and lesbians. When the bill hits the floor, it will likely top papers around the country. Meanwhile, during a Democratic caucus meeting yesterday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told rank and file members that the House will likely be in session at least through the first two weeks of December, writes CQ.

-- President Bush learned his lesson from the delayed response to Hurricane Katrina, as the White House is pointing out. The president holds a teleconference today on the California wildfires, and FEMA chief David Paulsen, pointedly not wearing any fancy clothing and, presumably, not heading to big department stores, is already on the ground, doing the media rounds. Bush heads to California tomorrow, canceling an RNC fundraiser in St. Louis. AP's Jennifer Loven has the story. On the presidential trail, Jonathan Martin wonders if candidates aren't understanding how bad the fires really are, and Bill Richardson became the first to help out, donating $10,000 from his campaign fund and dispatching New Mexico fire fighters to the scene. Update: Michael Brown, ex-FEMA chief extraordinare, is available for interviews in his capacity as director of corporate strategy for Cotton Cos., writes WSJ's Susan Davis, who was "a little stunned" at the news.

-- Washington Republicans got some good news recently, as reports leaked that Rep. Tom Davis would forgo a potential run to replace Sen. John Warner, of Virginia. That meant the Virginia GOP would not face a competitive convention, and would also maintain a strong candidate to keep Davis' House seat, in Northern Virginia, an area rapidly trending Democratic. Now, writes Roll Call, the NRCC is getting bad news: Davis may be a day away from announcing he will not run to keep his seat. With Davis out of the race, the district becomes a prime target for House Democrats looking to expand their majority. Davis will speak with the media tomorrow to discuss his plans.

-- Let no one claim to be perfect: Last night, Senate Democrats and Republicans held separate fundraisers for their campaign arms featuring not the top brass, but chiefs of staff, Paul Kane writes. The smart lobbyists all know that Senators forget what they say moments after it's been said, while in many cases the chiefs of staff are where the real action takes place. Raising money is a big deal for the NRSC, says Kane, which has $8.3 million on hand, well behind Democrats' $22.9 million. Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell held the GOP's weekly policy lunch at the NRSC to chat politics.

-- Speaking of fundraisers, after an RNC decision to reduce New Hampshire's delegate slate by 50% because it violates Republicans' February 5th window, Granite State Sen. Judd Gregg has pulled out of a fundraiser featuring RNC chief Mike Duncan, charging "rampant elitism" by Beltway insiders, per John DiStaso. New Hampshire's junior senator, John Sununu, will still attend the event; it's being held at his parents' home in Hampton Falls. The fundraiser will rake in dough for the New Hampshire Republican Party, and you can bet that many will have some harsh words for the RNC chair.

-- On the presidential campaign trail, two new storylines are developing: The mainstream media is discovering that Republicans are largely bypassing Iowa, and Democrats are making their stands in the Hawkeye State. Tom Beaumont notes that John Edwards and Barack Obama have more staff in the state than all the GOP candidates combined. Rudy Giuliani showed up last week, his first visit in more than two months. The GOP seems to be surrendering the state to Mitt Romney, whose 67 staffers far outpace the 12 of Giuliani and Fred Thompson.

-- On the other hand, Democrats aren't surrendering an inch. With Hillary Clinton showing a slim lead in the polls, Edwards will become the first Democratic candidate to hit all 99 counties in Iowa Saturday, when he holds a meeting in Franklin County. Only former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican who dropped out in August, can make the same claim. In 2004, a whopping 328 caucus-goers turned out, giving Edwards 45% of the vote, the most of any candidate. Edwards has 130 staffers in Iowa; Obama has 145; and Clinton has 117.

-- Flip Flop Of The Day: Rudy Giuliani told the AP he'll be rooting for the Boston Red Sox during the World Series this week, auspiciously because he's an American League fan. Any coincidence, at all, that the dateline on the article is Boston? Andrew Malcolm almost has a heart attack at the news.

-- Today On The Trail: Mitt Romney makes a stop today in Myrtle Beach, then offers a press conference in Philadelphia. John McCain gives a speech in Des Moines, and Rudy Giuliani is in Davenport, Iowa. Fred Thompson breakfasts with supporters in Mount Pleasant, then makes two stops in Bluffton, South Carolina. Ron Paul is in Washington, where he will address college students at American University. On the Democratic side, Barack Obama meets residents in Dover, New Hampshire, John Edwards starts a four-day Iowa tour with meetings in Glenwood, Sidney, Shenandoah and Red Oak, Bill Richardson gives a speech on Latin American policy at UCLA, and Hillary Clinton gives a lecture on women and politics at Iowa State in Ames.