Today: Illinois House Set To Impeach Blago
The Illinois state House is expected to vote today to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, after the special impeachment committee approved its full report yesterday evening. Assuming that Blagojevich is impeached by the House, the case will then proceed to the state Senate for a trial.

Obama Press Conference This Morning
Barack Obama is holding a press conference at 10:30 a.m. ET, officially billed as an "announcement." Specifically, Obama is expected to announce the appointment of Leon Panetta as head of the CIA, and retired Adm. Dennis Blair as Director of National Intelligence.

Joe Biden In Pakistan
Joe Biden has arrived in Pakistan, accompanied by Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), where they will be meeting with government officials. The Pakistan trip is the first part of a longer South Asian tour.

Pelosi: Bush "Did Great Harm To America"
In an interview with PBS, Nancy Pelosi declared: "I think the Bush presidency did great harm to America, with this war, with the enormous budget deficits, the challenges to the Constitution of the United States, the financial crisis that we are in." Pelosi also found it very curious that Bush recently said his attempt to privatize Social Security was his proudest achievement -- even though he didn't succeed at it.

Geithner Preparing Overhaul Of Wall St. Bailout
The Washington Post reports that incoming Secretary of the Treasurer Timothy Geithner is working on a reformulated second half to he Wall St. bailout, a necessity if Congressional authorization for the additional $350 billion is to be obtained. The new package would expand aid well beyond Wall St. itself, giving aid to municipalities, small businesses and homeowners.

Blunt, Talent Looking At Missouri Senate Race
House Minority Whip Roy Blunt and former Sen. Jim Talent are reportedly among the Republicans who are considering a run for the Senate seat of retiring GOP Sen. Kit Bond. Both have their strengths in terms of experience and popularity with the party base, but both have their drawbacks -- Blunt's son Matt just retired after one term as an unpopular governor, and Talent lost re-election in 2006.

Chris Christie Running For New Jersey Governor
U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has announced that he is running for governor of New Jersey against Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. Christie starts out as the immediate frontrunner for the Republican nomination and should be taken very seriously, thanks to his record of putting corrupt politicians from both parties in prison.

Campaign Spending Hit Record High In 2008
Bloomberg reports that campaign spending by candidates and political parties for all federal offices reached a record high of $4.1 billion in 2008, blowing away the $3 billion from 2004. This statistic can be viewed in different ways: Is it a matter of too much money in politics, or a good sign that so many more people were contributing to campaigns and getting involved, or a combination of both?

This just in from the Newark Star-Ledger's blog:

"State Police are preparing to release a report that will say the trooper who was driving Gov. Jon Corzine during a serious accident Thursday was speeding at the time, two sources who have been briefed on the report's contents told The Star-Ledger today."

"They declined to be identified because the report — which could be released as early as this afternoon — has not been made public by the State Police."

Update: The Ledger reports that Corzine's SUV was going at an estimated 91 miles per hour five seconds before impact, over 25 mph above the official limit of 65 mph, and fast even by the "unofficial" limits of New Jersey highways. At the time of impact with the guard rail, the SUV was going at an estimated 30 mph.

Failed GOP Senate candidate Tom Kean, Jr., is mulling a second Senate run in 2008 against Dem Frank Lautenberg, according to The Hill. "He is not closing the door on that option," a Kean spokesman says. Kean lost to Dem Robert Menendez by eight points last Tuesday -- a fact that will no doubt be thrown at him by his '08 GOP Primary opponents should he actually decide to give it another try.