**Health Care
*"One day after the Senate Finance Committee approved a measure without a 'public option,' the question on Capitol Hill was how President Obama could reconcile the deep divisions within his party on the issue. All eyes were on Senator Olympia J. Snowe, the Maine Republican whose call for a 'trigger' that would establish a government plan as a fallback is one of the leading compromise ideas," New York Times reports.

The Times also reports on the meeting between senior White House officials and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the chairmen of the Finance and health committees. "Participants said the discussion focused broadly on issues like whether to create a government-run insurance plan and whether to provide more generous subsidies to help people buy insurance."

*Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) "signaled a willingness to work with Democrats on health-care legislation, adding momentum to President Barack Obama's push for a bill despite a move by Republican leaders to slow down the debate," WSJ reports. "Ms. Collins said she would "work with members on both sides of the aisle" to craft bipartisan legislation."

*"If Democratic leadership hoped Republican Olympia Snowe's decision to cross party lines Tuesday would inspire her fellow middle-of-the-roaders, they were mistaken. And the moderates' reluctance to commit showed just how far health reform still has to go, despite getting a boost from Tuesday's Senate Finance Committee vote," Politico reports.

*"With negotiations on a final Senate health care bill now under way, Democrats are jockeying to have their priorities included in the legislation and looking to the players in the room -- some of whom have their own concerns -- to protect their interests," Roll Call reports. Sens. Harry Reid, Max Baucus and Chris Dodd are merging the bills alongside some senior White House officials. "Reid is trying to maintain an exclusive guest list. But Senators said they are intent on being heard before a final bill is brought to the floor, possibly the week of Oct. 26."

**President Obama
*Obama in New Orleans today. The Times-Picayune: "From wheels-down to wheels-up, the stopover will clock in at three hours and 45 minutes, enough time to visit the only school to reopen in the Lower 9th Ward since Katrina, conduct a town hall at the University of New Orleans, and grab a to-go lunch order from Dooky Chase."

*"New cracks are opening in the relationship between President Barack Obama and his liberal allies in Congress over his desire to continue Bush-era tactics against terrorism and his opposition to protecting reporters from revealing their sources in national security cases," AP reports.

*Los Angeles Times reports that "officials at the Pentagon and National Security Council have begun developing 'middle path' strategies" on Afghanistan "that would require fewer troops than their ground commander is seeking. Measures under consideration include closer cooperation with local tribal chiefs and regional warlords, using CIA agents as intermediaries and cash payments as incentives."

*Now that she's out of the political realm, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enjoys a higher favorable rating than Obama, Gallup reports. "The president's current favorable rating of 56% is down 22 percentage points since January. Over the same time span, Clinton's favorable rating has changed little, and now, at 62%, it exceeds Obama's."

The best quote from Hillary Clinton's interview with ABC, talking about her first conversation with then-Pres.-elect Obama. "He said, I want you to, uh ... be my Secretary of State. And I said, oh, no you don't. (Laughs)."

*Washington Times reports on nagging vacancies at Treasury. "Almost nine months after the Obama administration took power, more than half of the 33 highest-level Treasury Department posts are still vacant. Among those nominated by the White House but still awaiting Senate confirmation are the undersecretaries for international and domestic finance and the assistant secretaries who oversee international development, financial markets and tax policy."

*Unions are ratcheting up the pressure on health care, Wall Street Journal reports. "In ads in major newspapers, unions said a government-run plan is needed to provide competition for big insurers and keep costs down. The unions oppose taxing health-care benefits because they fear the expense will be passed on to members who have forgone higher wages in return for richer health-care packages."

**Fundraising
*Chris Dodd raised $900,000 this quarter, which was less than the haul of one of his potential GOP challengers, Rob Simmons.

*Houston Mayor Bill White, running for U.S. Senate, raised $1.5 million in the quarter.

**Campaign Stuff
*In an interview with "Good Morning America," Beau Biden said he's "absolutely" considering running for his father's old Senate seat. But he said he's focused now on resuming work as Delaware attorney general and spending time with family.

*Marco Rubio has won yet another straw poll in the Florida Senate GOP primary. This time it was by a vote of 90-17 in Palm Beach County. Tampa Tribune: "Rubio has already won straw polls of county Republican parties in Bay, Gilchrist, Hernando, Highlands, Jefferson, Lee and Pasco counties, many by lopsided margins -- 75-1 in Highlands, for example. ... Palm Beach is the first big urban county in which the Republican Party organization has held such a vote. Large, urban counties should be Crist's strong points."

*Christie Vilsack, wife of the former governor, sounds like she's considering a Senate run against Chuck Grassley. Des Moines Register: "Vilsack told WHO TV's Dave Price yesterday that she has talked with people about running for Senate next year, but stopped short of saying when we might hear whether she is the mystery candidate Democrats have been buzzing about for the past few weeks." Vilsack said: "I think that I am well-qualified to run. I think I'm qualified to serve. So, time will tell."

*Elsewhere in Iowa, former Gov. Terry Branstad plans to address Des Moines University, with speculation he may announce another gubernatorial bid.

*Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias huddled at the White House to talk about his Senate candidacy, the Sun-Times reports. "After an ill-fated attempt to recruit Attorney General Lisa Madigan into the contest, the White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Obama team would not take sides in the Illinois Democratic primary."

*George Will breaks down the possibility of a Republican wave in 2010: "The possibility of Republican gains, especially in the Senate, helps explain why Obama is in such a rush to remake the nation and save the planet. His window of opportunity could be closing."

*You either "adore or loathe" Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), New York Times reports. That's one reason two Democrats have already announced they're taking her on: Maureen Reed and State Sen. Tarryl L. Clark.

*Voting (or lack thereof) controversies are dogging CA Gov candidate Meg Whitman and Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, San Jose Mercury News reports. "The voting controversy was sparked by a Sacramento Bee story last month that suggested Whitman did not register to vote until age 46. That claim has since been debunked, but there's no doubt she has a checkered voting record. As infrequently as Fiorina has voted this decade, her voting record in the decade before she moved to California is even worse."

*"If there's any incumbent who might be sunk by the 'D' next to his name, it's Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.). Even Republicans admit the popular new congressman has stayed on track through his first year and a half in a tough GOP-leaning district, so the party is counting on nationalizing the race as its key to victory in 2010," The Hill reports.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad