**Stimulus
*Washington Post: "After a tentative agreement was struck between Democratic leaders of the two chambers yesterday afternoon, some House Democrats appeared eager to scuttle the deal, as lawmakers vented about deep reductions in education and other social programs."

*New York Times: "But it is unclear if Mr. Obama will be able to claim credit for bringing change to Washington by winning bipartisan support for his first major piece of legislation. Not a single House Republican voted for the bill when it came to the floor two weeks ago, and despite many compromises in the Senate, only three Republicans came on board."

*The Fix: "President Obama's economic stimulus plan may now be on the glide path to passage in Congress but the fight over what the legislation means for average Americans and how it will impact the political landscape for both parties is only just beginning."

*Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal that the legislative victory for Obama comes at a high cost, and thinks Republicans did themselves proud. "What is becoming clear is that the House GOP is becoming energized by empowering its 'Young Guns.' Leader John Boehner has been good. But he wouldn't be as effective if he didn't have the help of Reps. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican, and Mike Pence, the House GOP conference chairman."

**President Obama
**Politico's Mahtesian and Rogers: "While no one expected Obama's pledge to fix our 'broken politics' would be met quickly or easily, the first month of the new administration has been marked by extreme polarization, with hints of more to come."

*New York Times lead: "It is a quick, sweet victory for the new president, and potentially a historic one. The question now is whether the $789 billion economic stimulus plan agreed to by Congressional leaders on Wednesday is the opening act for a more ambitious domestic agenda from President Obama or a harbinger of reduced expectations."

*How much did the traveling salesman act help? It at least shaped opinion of the press corps, it seems. From Newsweek: "For a White House press corps grown used to the at best muted receptions of the last few years of the Bush administration, travel with the new president is a bracing change. This was evident Tuesday, when ecstatically cheering supporters of varied ages and ethnicities lined several miles of the motorcade route in Ft. Myers, Fla."

*USA Today looks at Obama's fascination with Lincoln. He has cited Lincoln's "humble beginnings," as well as his "rise from poverty, his ultimate mastery of language and law, his capacity to overcome personal loss and remain determined in the face of repeated defeat."

*Hilda Solis is on track to become Labor secretary after signing an affidavit declaring that she "did not have check writing or signing authority when she was treasurer of American Rights at Work." Republicans thought it was a conflict of interest, The Hill reports.

*After a rocky start, the White House hopes Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner "will get a second chance." "The primary culprit, say Wall Street analysts and political strategists, were the overblown expectations set by the administration, which billed the speech as a major policy address. The White House, distracted by the complicated economic stimulus package being assembled by Congress, was then stretched too thin to fully support Geithner in his public debut."

**Campaign Stuff
*MO Sen: Former Sen. Jim Talent has opted out of the Senate race in Missouri. Bond cited the fact that other qualified Republicans were gearing up to run and his other obligations, including family. The seat became open when Sen. Kit Bond announced he would not seek re-election.

*NY-20: Gov. David Paterson has set the special election to fill Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's former House seat for March 31. Democrat Scott Murphy and Republican Jim Tedisco are running. There is also a special election pending for White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's former House seat in Illinois; the primary is set for March 3, and the general is April 7.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli