**President Obama
*Obama will formally back the House health care legislation today with a statement of administration policy, ABC reports.

*Yesterday he addressed the killings in Fort Hood, Texas, saying: "It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas.. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil," per The Hill.

*Politics Daily reports that "mental stress is emerging as a prime factor in the horrific shootings."

*AP: "Obama and House Democrats scrambled on Thursday to secure the votes to pass a historic health care overhaul initiative, working to ease disagreements with rank-and-file lawmakers over abortion and illegal immigrants."

*Obama stopped by the press briefing room briefly to tout the endorsement of the AARP for health care legislation. First Read calls it "a strategic maneuver by the White House to regain control of the message" amid yesterday's Capitol Hill protests.

*LA Times: "As President Obama struggles over a new military strategy for Afghanistan, his advisors are trying to satisfy sharply divergent demands: assuring Americans that any military buildup will be limited while convincing Pakistan and other wary allies that the U.S. presence is substantial and not about to end."

**Congress
*Roll Call reports that the House Hispanic Caucus has warned Obama that 20 of its members are ready to vote against health care "if language restricting the rights of illegal immigrants to buy insurance is added to the bill."

*"Pelosi insisted 'we will' get the 218 votes Dems needed for passage. She must find supporters within her 258-member caucus because Republicans are united against it," The Hill reports.

*Politico: "The fate of the bill itself rests on the shoulders of a new generation of Democrats whose young careers will be defined, in part, by the votes they cast Saturday -- votes sure to be used against many of them in 2010."

*Meet Rick Scott, who Politics Daily reports is "the one man arguably most responsible for stalling the rush toward ObamaCare."

**Campaign Stuff
*The Pioneer Press previews Pawlenty's Iowa jaunt. "State GOP leaders picked Pawlenty to give this year's speech because he is a 'fresh face on the political front. He's a popular, conservative governor who has been successful in a blue state,' said Chuck Larson Jr., a former legislator, state Republican Party chairman and U.S. ambassador to Latvia."

*Bloomberg writes about the early activity in Iowa for 2012, while noting: "Obama's re-election campaign will have an Iowa presence this month as well, when Vice President Joe Biden speaks Nov. 21 at a Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines."

*In the race to replace Pawlenty, Democrats have a live one now as Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak enters the race. The Star Tribune: "No Minneapolis mayor has ever won a governor's race, and Rybak, who campaigned heavily for President Obama last year, brings both assets and issues to the statewide race."

*New York Gov. David Paterson is getting an early start on his ad campaign, the New York Times reports. "The two ads, each 30 seconds long, highlight his biography and address criticism Mr. Paterson has faced from labor unions and business interests over his proposed cuts to the state budget. Both directly confront what polls say is Mr. Paterson's central political problem: widespread public skepticism that he has the ability to lead the state effectively."

*Josh Kraushaar reports that Montana Sen. Jon Tester may get a challenge in 2012 from the state's longtime Congressman, Denny Rehberg.

*AP reports that Carly Fiorina's record at HP will be the key to the California Senate race. And Kyle spoke with her primary opponent, Chuck DeVore, in the wake of Fiorina's endorsement by eight U.S. senators.

*Rep. Mark Kirk's (R-Ill.) request for support from Sarah Palin "has become fundraising fodder for" Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, Chicago Tribune reports.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli