Good morning, Washington. A spring-like weekend gives way to another very busy week. It starts with President Obama trekking again away from the White House with a visit to Elkhart, Ind., to sell his stimulus bill. Tonight he holds his first press conference in prime time. The "Jobs Squad," the centrist senators who forged the compromise, have taken to selling it in the press. Here's what we're watching.

**Economic Stimululs
*The Senate's vote on the slimmed down $827 billion stimulus bill is expected to take place Tuesday, with the necessary votes. "After cutting deals Friday with three moderate Republicans to pare the cost of the package, Senate Democrats, who control the chamber with a 58-41 majority, are confident of attracting the 60 votes needed to close off debate Monday," the WSJ reports.

*Washington Post, on the GOP's newfound optimism: "Three months after their Election Day drubbing, Republican leaders see glimmers of rebirth in the party's liberation from an unpopular president, its selection of its first African American chairman and, most of all, its stand against a stimulus package that they are increasingly confident will provide little economic jolt but will pay off politically for those who oppose it."

*Although Republicans have touted poll numbers in their arguments against the stimulus and Democrats, the latest Gallup poll finds that the people may not be as behind them as they've said. Obama received a 67%-25% approval-disapproval rating for his handling of the economic stimulus bill. Democrats in Congress were 48%-42%, while Republicans were a dismal 31%-58%.

*Of course, there are political risks for both parties. "The risks for Obama are considerable. He and the Democrats will have no one else to blame if the package fails to boost the economy," Politico's Martin and Raju write. "Still seeking a way forward from their Election Day thumping, [Republicans] risk appearing out of touch as the unemployment rate jumps to 7.6 percent and a popular new president is appearing to seek their support to address the crisis.

*Arlen Specter, one of the moderates who forged a compromise, lays out his support in the Washington Post, arguing as Obama has that the country couldn't afford any delay. "The unemployment figures announced Friday, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking make it clear that failure to act will leave the United States facing a far deeper crisis in three or six months. By then the cost of action will be much greater -- or it may be too late."

**President Obama
*Obama is taking his case for the stimulus on the road, traveling to Indiana today -- where he'll hold a town hall before tonight's primetime news conference at the White House -- and Florida tomorrow. "In both states, he will be working to counter Republican criticism of his $800 billion recovery package and take greater control of the debate," reports the New York Times.

*The Indianapolis Star looks at Elkhart's plight; it leads the nation in unemployment largely because the recreational vehicle industry, long the backbone of Elkhart's economy, "is in a deep funk." Democratic Mayor Dick Moore "is chomping at the bit to move on Obama's stimulus package."

*Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who had taken herself out of consideration for a Cabinet selection, now seems to be a top choice to be the HHS secretary. Polling sponsored by the Daily Kos had shown her with early leads in a potential 2010 Senate race, though she had not reached 50 percent against two potential rivals for the open seat.

*Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will announce a new approach to addressing the financial industry crisis Tuesday, one that may not require that much new money. Bloomberg: "They include a new round of injections of taxpayer funds into banks, targeted at firms identified by regulators as most in need of new capital, people briefed on the matter said. A Federal Reserve program designed to spur consumer and small-business loans will be expanded, possibly to include real-estate assets, they said."

*Vice President Joe Biden made a major speech this weekend, signaling to the world that the Obama administration is "determined to set a new tone in Washington, and in America's relations around the world." He said that the U.S. is open to talks with Iran, and wants to press the "reset button" in ties with Russia.

**Republicans: New RNC chair Michael Steele appeared on "This Week," and was hit with questions raised in the Washington Post about payments made to his sister's company when he ran for the Senate in 2006. "It's all false," Steele said. "I want to clear my good name. ... This is not the way I intend to run the RNC with this over my head. We're going to dispense with it immediately."

**Technology Alert: A warning to those techno-savvy lawmakers showing off on Twitter. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the ranking member on Intelligence, broke an embargo by announcing his arrival in Iraq through the web site. "Nobody expected ... that a lawmaker with such an extensive national security background would be the first to break the silence. And in such a big way. Not only did Hoekstra reveal the existence of the lawmakers' trip, but included details about their itinerary in updates posted every few hours."

-- Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad