**Olympics
*Chicago Mayor Daley and other backers spoke for 45 minutes to the IOC. "Then the stars of the show -- the Obamas -- took the podium and brought an unprecedented focus to a room filled with royalty and industry titans," reports Wall Street Journal, which is live-blogging the events.

*Obama called Chicago "the most American of American cities." Read his full remarks here.

**Health Care
*"The Senate Finance Committee completed its mark up of far-reaching healthcare legislation in the wee hours of Friday morning. Though the panel will not hold a vote on the legislation until next week -- and key senators are still noncommittal about where they stand -- lawmakers adopted a number of key amendments throughout the seventh and final day of its consideration of the long-awaited bill," The Hill reports.

*President Obama released a statement after the committee wrapped up debate. Here is an excerpt: Thanks to the unyielding commitment of Senator Baucus and members of the Senate Finance Committee, we have reached another milestone in our effort to pass health insurance reform. ... we are now closer than ever before to finally passing reform that will offer security to those who have coverage and affordable insurance to those who don't. We have a long way to go, but I am confident that as we move forward, we will continue to engage with each other as productively as the members of the Finance Committee, and will get reform passed this year."

*AP: "Even as Republicans pummel President Barack Obama's health care proposals, some GOP leaders worry their party is being hurt by a Democratic counterattack: Where is your plan?"

**President Obama
*Afghanistan: "Senior White House officials have begun to make the case for a policy shift in Afghanistan that would send few, if any, new combat troops to the country and instead focus on faster military training of Afghan forces, continued assassinations of al-Qaeda leaders and support for the government of neighboring Pakistan in its fight against the Taliban," the Post reports.

*The New York Times reports that in Copenhagen, Obama met with Gen. Stanley McChrystal. "It was the first meeting in person between the two since General McChrystal took over all American and NATO forces on the ground in June."

More from WaPo: "The fragile economic recovery has relied heavily on government stimulus spending, but new data show that as the money runs out, a sustained rebound may be elusive."

**Ethics
*The New York Times digs out the dirt on the extent Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) went to cover up his affair with his former campaign treasurer. "While the affair made national news in June, the role that Mr. Ensign played in assisting Mr. Hampton and helping his clients has not been previously disclosed. Several experts say those activities may have violated an ethics law that bars senior aides from lobbying the Senate for a year after leaving their posts."

*Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) thinks it's "unfair" that the GOP is trying to strip him of his Ways and Means chairmanship until the Ethics committee concludes its now year-long investigation of him, Politico reports.

*Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) has raised $100,000 since his "Die quickly" remark on the House floor Tuesday night, as he reported on DailyKos.

**Campaign Stuff
*"Fresh from a humbling loss in last year's presidential election, Sen. John McCain is working behind-the-scenes to reshape the Republican Party in his own center-right image," Politico reports. "It's all part of an approach that is at odds with most other recent failed presidential nominees, whose immediate response to defeat was to retreat from the electoral arena."

*At an event hosted by the Atlantic, John McCain was asked about Sarah Palin's new book. "The part I'm looking to most is the part where it energized our campaign and put us ahead in the polls. The part I'm looking to least were some of the disagreements that took place within the campaign."

Here's the book cover.

*KY Sen: Rand Paul (R) raised more than $1 million in the third quarter, Louisville Courier-Journal reports.

*MA Sen: "City Year cofounder Alan Khazei ... has already raised $1.1 million in his bid for the Democratic Senate nomination, demonstrating just a week into his campaign that he may be a formidable fund-raiser in the abbreviated race," Boston Globe reports.

*FL Sen: "Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre is expected to announce Wednesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate," challenging Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) in the Democratic primary, Miami Herald reports.

*IL Sen: Rep. Mark Kirk's (R-Ill.) primary challenger just got a boost of sorts -- an endorsement from famed Bears Coach Mike Ditka.

*Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) spoke to conservative activists in two Iowa towns yesterday, sparking conversation that he's interested in running for president in 2012, Philly Inquirer reports.

*Gov. Tim Pawlenty is raising money in DC later this month, CNN reports.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad