Things have “perked up” a lot since we complained about having nothing to blog about. Mr. Abramoff, is that a new House Majority Leader you have in your pocket — or are you just happy to see us? MORE »

* House, by narrow 216 to 214 vote, approves steep cuts in entitlement programs; viewed as victory for Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). [WP, NYT, W$J, USAT]
* White House has scaled back their agenda; “Bush has come around to the notion that a presidency can handle only one truly big thing at a time, and for now that thing is Iraq.” [WP, LAT]
* Rep. Blunt expected to win race for House majority leader today. [LAT]
* Many House Republicans believe their leadership is going too far with proposed reforms for lobbying. [WP, NYT]
* Administration is rejecting Senate requests for legal opinions on NSA eavesdropping. [NYT]
* “Disorganization of Senate Democrats” created smooth path for Samuel Alito’s confirmation. [WP]
* U.S. Capitol Police chief apologizes for hassling Cindy Sheehan. [WP, NYT]
* Bush’s rhetorical push for energy independence is greeted with skepticism and “a lack of enthusiasm” on the Hill. [NYT, W$J]

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* Bush calls for alternative energy sources and increased spending on science and education; some ideas “were repackaged versions of proposals he has supported for years.” Bush: “The only way to protect our people, the only way to secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership, so the United States of America will continue to lead.” [WP, NYT, W$J, WT, USAT]
* State of the Union was “rooted in some harsh global and political realities,” but many of Bush’s proposals will not become reality. [WP, NYT, NYT, USAT]
* Samuel Alito is sworn in after confirmation vote of 58 to 42; perfectly timed to attend SOTU. [WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, LAT, USAT, WT]
* Cindy Sheehan arrested moments before Bush’s speech for being “boisterous” in the House gallery. [WP]
* Virginia Governor Tim Kaine offers Democratic response with the refrain, “Together, America can do better.” [WP, LAT]
* Bush made assertions that are not entirely true. [WP]
* Bush appeared more “solemn” than “cocksure.” [NYT]

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• Reliable Source: Patron rides Segway into Bistro Bis. . . Bush and the Belgian prime minister talked for nearly an hour about biking. . . For the inauguration of Liberia’s first female president, Barbara Bush was “‘Sex and the City’ chic in a skintight turquoise dress and open-toe snakeskin high-heels.” [WP]
• Under the Dome: Larry David is tickled to no end over sandwich coincidence. . . Rep. Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) campaign bought roybluntsucks.com and other variations. . . The Federal City Club is closing. [The Hill]
• Inside the Beltway: White House pool report notes African “women balancing baskets on their heads.” [WT]

• Democratic leaders believe the “ethics-corruption issue,” not Samuel Alito, will win them seats in November. [WP, W$J]
• Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) says he has enough votes to be the next majority leader. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio): “We’ll see where the votes really are.” [USAT]
• Bush orders insurers to fill gaps in Medicare program; “Republicans have joined Democrats in asserting that the federal government botched the beginning of the prescription drug program.” [NYT]
• Under pressure of Jack Abramoff scandal, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) will temporarily step aside as head of the House Administration Committee. [WP, NYT]
• Twenty-five year friendship with Abramoff is “proving highly inconvenient” for Ralph Reed as he runs for governor of Georgia; his records have been subpoenaed. [WP]
• After signing bills, Bush maintains the presidential power to override them. Political professor: “The president is basically saying that those structural changes are nice, but I don’t have to listen to anybody in particular.” [NYT]
• Sen. Specter (R-Penn.) vows to look “closely” at NSA eavesdropping: “I don’t see any talk about impeachment here.” [NYT, WT]
• Success of Alito challenges the conventional wisdom on the Supreme Court and abortion. Sen. Feinstein (D-Calif.): “I do not see a likelihood of a filibuster.” [NYT, WT]
• At the hearings, Alito said “I don’t know” 29 times, Democrats mentioned Vanguard 68 times, and Republicans uttered “integrity” 43 times. [WP]
• Laura Bush is “irritated” by criticism of the administration’s AIDS prevention program in Africa. [WT]
• At the United Nations, the administration takes a defensive posture regarding human rights. [WP]
• Opponents of abortion are making strides outside of the political arena. [NYT]

• Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) claims to have over 100 of the 116 votes necessary to be majority leader. [WP]
• Bush visits the Gulf Coast for the first time in three months: “Four months is not all that long, and a lot’s happened in that four-month period. And a lot more is going to happen in the next four months, and then the next four months.” [WP, NYT, W$J]
• Leadership races “are a special kind of art form”; Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Blunt “barely waited for the ink to dry on DeLay’s farewell letter earlier this month before jumping into the race for the second-ranking job.” [WP]
• Administration may set standards for domestic intelligence. [WP]
• Deficit could top $400b, White House official says. [WP, NYT]
• Rumsfeld considered Bremer’s request for additional troops. [WP]
• 200 private school girls rally to encourage Bush to improve New Orleans levees. [NYT]

• Bush defends NSA eavesdropping and welcomes a congressional inquiry. [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
• Redistricting increased the Democratic vote in Rep. Tom DeLay’s Texas district. [NYT]
• Reps. John Boehner and Roy Blunt “engaged in an arms race over who supported the most stringent changes” to lobbying. [NYT]
• Some Republicans call for a re-vote of all House leadership positions on Feb. 2. [LAT]
• Congress is close to curtailing lobbying activity. [WP, USAT]
• The wall between lawmakers and lobbyists is “dismantling.” [WP]
• The White House is “considering expansions of several earlier proposals aimed at using market forces to improve the quality and restrain the rapidly rising cost of health care.” [W$J]
• Gov. Mark Warner says farewell to Virginia, plans to “check out the skiing in New Hampshire.” [WP]

• Source of NYT story on NSA eavesdropping steps forward and says spying is widespread: “We need to clean up the intelligence community. We’ve had abuses, and they need to be addressed.” [ABC News]
• Abramoff scandal probe centers on Sens. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Harry Reid, (D-Nev.) and Reps. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) and Bob Ney (R-Ohio), sources say. [WT]
• NSA begins internal investigation into eavesdropping; probe will not determine legality of program. [WP, NYT]
• Bush attacks Democrats “who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil, or because of Israel, or because we misled the American people.” [NYT, USAT]
• Reps. John Boehner and Roy Blunt are both tied closely to lobbyists; Boehner is criticized for last month’s vote on immigration bill. [NYT, WT]
• Howard Dean sees Abramoff scandal as a “Republican finance scandal.” [WT]
• House Republicans may ban travel paid by lobbyists. [NYT, WSJ]
• Approval of Bush rests at 46%; support of eavesdropping is divided along partisan lines. [WP]

• Samuel Alito speaks publicly for the first time: “Good judges are always open to the possibility of changing their minds based on the next brief that they read, or the next argument that’s made by an attorney who’s appearing before them, or a comment that is made by a colleague during the conference on the case.” [WP, NYT, WSJ, USAT, WT, LAT]
• 58% of Americans believe there is “widespread corruption in Washington,” according to fresh WP-ABC News poll; strong majorities approve of sweeping reforms of the lobbying industry. 53% in USAT-CNN poll believe the Abramoff scandal is major. [WP, USAT]
• Reps. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and John Boehner (R-Ohio) are the last contenders standing in the race for House majority leader; race seen as “wide open.” [WP, NYT, WT, LAT]
• FISA judges have rare private meeting at the Justice Department to discuss the eavesdropping program. [NYT]
• Confirmation hearings illustrate “a clear disconnect between the zeal of activists and the detachment of the general public.” Pollster: “You’re going to have to really get some significant news out of these hearings to move the needle in a negative way.” [WP, NYT]
• Alito’s views on the legal footing of NSA eavesdropping will be key component of the hearings. [NYT]
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Alito: “He was nervous. He was more human than Roberts.” [NYT, WP]

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• Cheney makes early morning visit to the hospital after experiencing shortness of breath. [AP]
• Republican Reps. John Boehner (Ohio) and Roy Blunt (MO.) launch aggressive campaigns to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader; the race “will highlight the internal divisions among Republicans on a variety of topics, including immigration, at a time when the party’s discipline has been fraying and Mr. Bush has had trouble holding thin legislative majorities together.” [NYT, USAT, WT]
• Democrats are expected to use Judge Samuel Alito’s memos regarding abortion against him. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.): “The worst thing that could happen with Judge Alito is if he tries to duck the question.” [WP, NYT, USAT, USAT]
• Speaker Hastert (R-Ill.) says congress will soon tighten regulations on lobbying: “Now is the time for action.” [WP, WP, WSJ, LAT]

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• Administration likely to get its way on the renewal of the Patriot Act. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Libby’s attorneys plan “to use Woodward’s testimony to try to show that Libby was not obsessed with unmasking Plame and to raise questions about the prosecutor’s full understanding of events.” [WP, WP, USAT]
• Revelation of Woodward’s knowledge of Plame extends life-span of the leak scandal. [NYT, USAT]
• Woodward’s “handling of the matter has now raised questions about his paper’s credibility and has roiled The Post’s newsroom.” [NYT]
• Alito’s 1985 memo fuels partisan fire. Schumer: “Anyone who thinks that this nomination is a foregone conclusion is sadly mistaken.” [NYT, WT]
• Cheney attacks critics of the Iraq war at a conservative gathering: “The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone, but we’re not going to sit back and let them rewrite history.” [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Administration strategy attacks Democrats critics and courts congressional Republicans. Nicolle Wallace: “Our strategy has to include hitting back. . . and calling them out for what are actually lies.” [USAT]

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