President Obama offered a quick thumbs up, but had no other comment about the House stimulus vote as he walked toward Marine One with his family before leaving for a weekend in Chicago.

White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, meanwhile, shrugged at his afternoon briefing when a reporter told him of the final vote total: 246-183 in favor, but again without any Republican "yea" votes.

"That's 3.5 million jobs that we look forward to saving or creating," he said.

President Obama is due to return to Washington Monday afternoon, meaning the bill, if passed by the Senate as well, would be signed no sooner. Gibbs explained that the paperwork likely won't travel down Pennsylvania Avenue until then, anyway.

After signing the stimulus bill, Obama will again hit the road, starting Tuesday with a trip to Denver for an event focused on the plan. Wednesday, he'll roll out a plan to address the foreclosure crisis. And Thursday, he'll make his first trip abroad -- just north to Canada, which ended up being the butt of more than a few jokes at the briefing.

Earlier today Obama spoke to members of the Business Council, an organization of business leaders that was formed, he said without hesitation, when President Roosevelt's Commerce Secretary invited executives from the top corporations to help craft New Deal policies. Obama made no reference to his own search for a Commerce Secretary, after joking last night about during a speech about President Lincoln.

"One of the reasons we've come so far is because so many of you have recognized the urgency and necessity of taking action," the president said, referring to the stimulus bill.

There were relatively few questions asked of Gibbs about yesterday's abrupt withdrawal by Judd Gregg. The press secretary said Obama was "quite comfortable" with the selection when he made it, and believed he would be a good addition to the Cabinet.

"[Obama and Gregg] had a discussion about the agenda moving forward, and obviously the agenda that's going to move forward is the president's agenda," he said. "Whether or not, what role that played in Senator Gregg's ultimate decision making in the last few days, I'll let him address. But it won't preclude him from looking at other Republicans or other people who may disagree with certain aspects of his agenda."