**President Obama
*Utilizing two military options "drawn from a detailed analysis prepared by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of the faltering Afghanistan war, senior military officials said," Washington Post reports.

*"President Barack Obama's two-day visit to Florida beginning Monday marks his first personal outreach to Democrats there heading into 2010 and indicates how determined his White House is to compete for the state in 2012. This trip, more than any the president has taken since January, looks like a campaign swing," Politico reports.

*Obama was joined for a round of golf with his chief Domestic Policy Adviser Melody Barnes -- the first woman to play the sport with him since becoming president.

*"The same president who aggressively harnesses the power of the press to promote his agenda has taken to lacing his comments with criticisms of the media, with no bigger target than the gabby culture of cable television," AP reports. "In essence, Obama's strategy is not to tame the media to his liking or blame it for his troubles. It is both."

*"U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue says a campaign by the White House and its allies to undermine his $200-million-a-year association has largely failed -- and actually has helped raise even more money for its pro-business efforts," Politico reports.

**Congress
*WSJ: "Top Senate Democrats are close to finalizing their health bill and could unveil a measure as soon as early this week that would include stiffer penalties on employers who fail to provide health coverage. Senate leaders plan to submit the bill to the Congressional Budget Office for a cost estimate as soon as Monday, and make the legislation public as soon as Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the negotiations."

*"Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), one of a handful of Senate wild cards in this fall's healthcare reform debate, says his concern about the Senate bill is based on the national deficit -- not the insurers that dominate his state." He "told The Hill he may support a bill that taxes insurers or cuts into their profits, but only if the federal deficit won't balloon as a result."

*L.A. Times looks at Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) and his "big mouth" as the 78-year-old lawmaker is next in line in seniority for the House Ways and Means chairmanship, should it come open.

*Two-time WA-8 nominee Darcy Burner "plans to raise $1 million next year to give liberals an edge in public policy battles with the conservative Blue Dog Coalition," The Hill reports. Burner "has played a behind-the-scenes role in the healthcare debate, applying constant pressure on Democratic leaders to keep the public option on the negotiating table."

**Campaign Stuff
*Gallup: "Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group."

*Newt Gingrich talked 2012 on C-SPAN yesterday, saying, "Callista and I are going to think about this in February 2011. And we are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country. And we'll decide, if there's a requirement as citizens that we run, I suspect we probably will. And if there's not a requirement, if other people have filled the vaccum, I suspect we won't."

*NH Sen: Kelly Ayotte (R) made her Senate bid official Saturday, announcing her bid at her former elementary school, Union Leader reports.

*MA Sen: Atty Gen Martha Coakley, who's "running a classic front-runner's campaign," faces off tonight in a debate against her three Dem primary opponents -- "a potentially game-changing event that will give all the candidates broad statewide media exposure for the first time. Each of Coakley's competitors has his first major chance to make a dent," Boston Globe reports.

*FL Sen: Marco Rubio "is gaining momentum as he reminds Republican voters of Crist's" literal embrace of Obama in February and his support of the president's economic stimulus package. "And the same political insiders who downplayed Rubio are starting to think the unthinkable: Crist's campaign might be threatened by another Republican," AP reports.

*Sarah Palin's decision to support the Conservative Party nominee in the NY-23 special election instead of the GOP nominee "is the latest example that the former Alaska governor's allegiance is to her conservative principles rather than the party's edicts," Washington Post reports.

*Columbus Dispatch's Riskind: "Sure, there are other places viewed as barometers of whether Democrats will see their congressional majorities dramatically eroded in 2010, or even whether Republicans will claw their way back into power. But Ohio is as big as any and bigger than most."