Good Thursday morning. Does anyone think Alabama and Texas Tech can hold on through the next few weeks? Here's one fan who's hoping so. Here's what Washington is watching today:

-- Remember when Democrats were excitedly hinting that a filibuster-proof 60 Senate seats might be attainable this year? Those hopes were seemingly dashed on Election Day when the party picked up only -- only -- six seats, putting them at 57 votes. But with three races in recounts and runoffs, with at least one all but guaranteed to go to court, Senate Democrats are suddenly thinking about that magic number once again. And if they don't get to 60 this year, 2010 is definitely a possibility.

-- More than a week after Election Day, with 60,000 early and absentee votes finally counted, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich leads Alaska Senator Ted Stevens by a narrow 814-vote margin, erasing Stevens' 3,200-vote lead, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Begich was leading among early voters, but the fact that he gained so many votes means he's leading among absentee voters as well, a good sign for the Democrat. There are still about 35,000 ballots to count, meaning neither Stevens nor Begich should start packing their bags for Washington. Counting will continue over the next week.

-- In Minnesota, where a recount of Republican Norm Coleman's 206-vote lead over Democrat Al Franken will commence next week, the parties are getting lawyered up, per the Star Tribune's Kevin Duchschere. A Coleman attorney estimates the GOP will send out 120 lawyers to the 100 recount sites around the state, while Democrats promised a similar number. Republicans are already on edge, alerting the media to what it says is fraudulent vote counting, but media outlets have noted similar trends in Senator Amy Klobuchar's blowout win in 2006 and in several earlier contests.

-- Finally, the impending runoff in Georgia's Senate race is dredging up old skeletons for Republican Saxby Chambliss. Six years ago, Chambliss won after running an ad that put opponent Max Cleland's photo next to those of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Now, Cleland is fundraising for Democrat Jim Martin while recalling that ad, and Democrats are keeping the pressure on by reminding voters that even John McCain called the ad "reprehensible." And what timing, given that McCain will be in Cobb County stumping alongside the freshman Republican. The Gwinnett Daily Post's Camie Young reports that's not the only big-name Republican headed down there; on Sunday, Chambliss will campaign with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Martin is still trying to woo Barack Obama to the Peach State.

-- Democrats have better than a 50-50 chance in Alaska, while the parties are running even in Minnesota. Republicans are the favorites in Georgia, where a lower turnout general election will benefit Chambliss. Democrats need all three seats to reach the magic 60 number, and it will take the party catching serious breaks to accomplish that. But more than a week after Election Day, the story remains that Democrats still have a chance to block Republican filibusters.

-- No matter what happens to Senate Democrats, Joe Lieberman faces the fight of his political life next week. The Connecticut Independent Democrat who campaigned with McCain and backed two Republican senators this year faces a secret vote among the Democratic caucus next week as to whether to strip him of his chairmanship of an influential committee. Barack Obama wants Lieberman to remain in the Democratic caucus, writes the AP's Andy Miga, and Lieberman has a group of senators including Ken Salazar, Tom Carper, Bill Nelson and Chris Dodd, whipping votes on his behalf, Politico's Grim and Kady report. But will those efforts be overcome by Democratic anger at Lieberman's efforts and by the netroots, furious at Lieberman? The pressure may be too much for some Democrats to bear.

-- Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to rebuild and everyone has something to say. Perhaps the most important gathering is taking place in Miami, where the Post's Robert Barnes wraps up the Republican Governors Association meeting. There will be just 21 GOP chief executives left come January, but the hardy few who survive are going to be the next generation of national candidates -- names like Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Mark Sanford, maybe even Rick Perry; and Sarah Palin will definitely play across the front pages in Iowa and New Hampshire four years from now. Republican governors helped their party come back in the early '90s, while Democratic governors did the same for their party earlier this decade. How quickly the GOP can get back on the horse remains in the hands of this crop of state leaders.

-- Palin, for now the most famous woman in American politics (Sorry, Senator Clinton) has someone skilled in the dark arts of communication giving her some pretty good advice. Instead of returning to Alaska to govern and remaining in the media cocoon built by McCain's campaign, Palin has come out for virtually every interview that's been requested, the Post's Howard Kurtz writes. She took care of her local media, then hit CNN twice and NBC once before holding a press conference at the RGA meeting in Miami. Don't let anyone tell you Palin's not considering a 2012 bid. Whether she runs and wins or not, she'll be around for a while.

-- Job Of The Day: Looking for a new gig? Ever consider being one of the thousands of political appointees who works in Barack Obama's White House? If so, prepare to get personal, the New York Times' Jackie Calmes writes. The incoming administration wants to know if you've ever sent a text message that could be embarrassing, while they'd like to page through your diary as well. The huge questionnaire is only for top-level appointees, but in order to achieve Obama's promise to run the most open government in history, apparently everything about everyone in it has to be open as well.