**President Obama
*Now overseas, "Obama sought to rally the world's powers to fix a lifeless global economy," AP reports. "The flurry of diplomacy came as Obama stepped on the world stage for the first time as president, aiming to shore up both America's economy and its reputation across the globe." Trying to put aside talk of a rift among G-20 nations, Obama said this morning: "I am absolutely confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work in concert to deal with these problems."

*Speaking with Gordon Brown, the two leaders "frequently cited the same statistics, in a possible signal of how world leaders will attempt to project the summit as a success once it is over. The 20 countries attending the meeting, both said, account for some 85 percent of the stimulus spending since the global recession started." Obama "also tried to strike a conciliatory note on regulation."

*ABC reported on the U.S.-Russia joint statement that has now been issued. An administration official said earlier: "Nobody's going to be looking into anybody's soul tomorrow. We'll deal with concrete issues where we can cooperate, and we will also recognize our disagreements."

*The final graph of the statement seems to lay out the "reset" that the Obama administration sought: "We, the leaders of Russia and the United States, are ready to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start in relations between our two countries. In just a few months we have worked hard to establish a new tone in our relations. Now it is time to get down to business and translate our warm words into actual achievements of benefit to Russia, the United States, and all those around the world interested in peace and prosperity."

*Gov. Kathleen Sebelius paid $7,000 in back taxes for what were said to be "unintentional errors" found during a review of her tax returns. Washington Times reports that the mistakes "were related to business expenses, the sale of a home and charitable contributions." She had her first hearing in the Senate yesterday.

*Arguing that some of Obama's Justice nominees are "liberal ideologues," Republicans are considering filibusters for some, the New York Times reports. The main target appears to be the nominee for Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, Dawn Johnsen. "They will first gauge whether they can attract some support from conservative Democrats, they said, in order to help defeat any motion that would cut off debate."

*VP Biden will announce $1.2 billion in stimulus funds to help 10,000 rural families buy homes during his visit to North Carolina today, the Charlotte Observer reports.

*The Wilmington News Journal reports on rumors about Ashley Biden, noting conflicting reports about what was on a videotape being shopped around. Local police say there is not enough evidence to pursue a case.

*Quinnipiac poll released this morning: "American voters say 51 - 45 percent that President Barack Obama's new budget, which doubles the national debt in 10 years, is needed to fix the economy and address issues such as education and health care."

**Congress
*AP: "President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in Congress are taking only baby steps with his budget, putting off crucial decisions on his ambitious plans to expand health care, curb global warming and raise taxes on the wealthy."

*Reuters points out that the Senate floor debate has become a "show-and-tell" affair: "Republican and Democratic senators paraded to the floor to supplement their debate over Obama's $3.55 trillion budget with stacks of posters blasting exploding deficit figures as well as highlighting lists of tax cut benefits."

*Boston Globe: "In an unusual move, House and Senate Republicans will join together to unveil an alternative to Obama's $3.6 trillion blueprint, which they say will drive the economy further into the ditch and possibly bankrupt the country."

*Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) writes in the Wall Street Journal about House Republicans' alternative budget. "Instead of doubling the debt in five years, and tripling it in 10, the Republican budget curbs the explosion in spending called for by the president and his party. Our plan halts the borrow-and-spend philosophy that brought about today's economic problems, and puts a stop to heaping ever-growing debt on future generations -- and it does so by controlling spending, not by raising taxes."

*The Hill reports that while a bicameral Republican meeting and press conference this morning is meant to show unity against the Dems' budget, "when it comes to its own budget, the GOP is splintered. In fact, several House Republicans have suggested they may oppose their party's alternative that will be formally proposed on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) may buck his party and vote for the Democrats' budget resolution."

*Outrage watch: The WSJ also reports that bonuses for Congressional aides last year were "among the highest in years" ... "Payments ranged from a few hundred dollars to $14,000. Lawmakers, at their own discretion, gave the money to chiefs of staff, assistants, computer technicians, and more than 100 aides who earned salaries of more than $100,000 a year."

**Campaign Stuff
*NY-20
--NYT reports that with more than 10,000 absentee ballots issued and almost 6,000 received so far, "the election cannot be decided until the paper ballots are counted. Moreover, it is likely that the count may not begin until at least April 6, said Bob Brehm, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections."

--The county-by-county results can be found here.

--"Don't Let 'Em Pull a Franken": That's the topic line of a fundraising e-mail sent out late last night by the NRCC, asking for money so the Democrats can't "steal this election."

*Former top McCain surrogate and Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina says she is "seriously considering" a run for California Senate against Barbara Boxer. She tells the Mercury News: "I've had the opportunity to be involved in the political community, policy community and business, and that's a great advantage. I understand all those realms."

*Surprise news this morning from the Justice Department, which will "seek to drop all charges" against former-Sen. Ted Stevens. The decision was reportedly prompted by concerns that the conviction could not be defended "because of problems with the government's prosecution."

**Pop Culture Alert: We know the Postal Service is broke, but really? The Simpsons will be on postage stamps.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli