Today: Congress Being Sworn In, Biden At The Senate
This is the day that Congress will be sworn in. Joe Biden will be on Capitol Hill to be sworn in again for a seventh term in the Senate -- which he will resign within the next two weeks or so, to become vice president.

The Big Event: Burris At The Senate
With Congress being sworn in, of course, this means Roland Burris will be showing up at the Senate, and is expected to be turned away. Burris has said he won't make a scene or cause any confrontation -- but any scenario in which he's turned away from the door would inherently be a scene, no matter how civil it might be.

No Senator Franken Today
Senate Democrats will not make any attempt today to swear in Al Franken as the new Senator from Minnesota, instead leaving that seat vacant for now. There is some speculation that they might be planing to try it soon -- but they would encounter a promised Republican filibuster, while Norm Coleman pursues his legal challenges to the election result.

Obama Meeting With Economic Team Today
Barack Obama is meeting with his economic team, this afternoon at his D.C. transition office. The subject of the meeting will be to plan ahead for the 2010 budget, and how they will bring the deficit down as the economy recovers.

Gregoire D.C. Trip Sets Off Speculation About Commerce Department
Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA) is reportedly on a trip to Washington, after having cancelled a lunch appearance back home -- setting off speculation that she is being vetted as a last-minute choice for Secretary of Commerce after Bill Richardson's withdrawal. Gregoire was re-elected by six points this past November, and if this is true she would be succeeded by Democratic Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. (Late Update: Gregoire is visiting troops in Iraq, and is apparently not lining up for a cabinet post.)

Laura Bush Lands Book Deal
Laura Bush has secured a book deal, to publish her memoirs about her years as First Lady. The book will be published in 2010.

Former eBay Head And McCain Surrogate Preparing California Gubernatorial Run
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who hit the campaign trail in 2008 as a surrogate for John McCain, is considering a campaign for governor of California in 2010, when Arnold Schwarzenegger will be term-limited. Whitman has already made a key staff hire in lining up campaign strategist Jeff Randle, who has worked for Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson, and she has stepped down from three corporate boards.

Brownback Running For Governor Of Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) has filed paperwork to run for governor of Kansas in 2010, after having made good on his previous pledge to not run again for Senate. Brownback is actively aligned with the state GOP's Christian-right faction, and should be viewed as the frontrunner going into this race.

We knew the Republican brand is in trouble, but this is just ridiculous. Two statewide Republican candidates in this year's elections in Washington state are choosing to run without that pesky R-word next to their names.

This was made possible by the recent adoption of a new electoral system for the state, known as "Top-Two." All candidates will run on the same ballot, and the top two will go to a runoff election, regardless of party. The tricky part is that each candidate will get to choose the party label next to their name.

All of this means a Republican can list himself as something else -- and one of the two candidates even acknowledged to us that he's doing so precisely because he knows the GOP brand is lethal.

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A new Rasmussen poll of Washington State shows that they're in for a very close gubernatorial race this year between first-term Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire and her 2004 Republican opponent Dino Rossi:

Gregoire (D) 47%
Rossi (R) 46%

Gregoire won the 2004 race by a final certified margin of only 129 votes, after intense legal wrangling over recounts.

Former state Sen. Dino Rossi (R-WA) will announce his plans to challenge Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) next year.

Rossi lost a highly contentious bid to Gregoire in 2004 by a 133-vote margin, after a series of recounts and a court challenge tipped the election to the Democrat. Given the closeness of their previous match-up, observers expect this contest to be a hard-fought one.