Never fear, I plan to write more tomorrow! This should tide you over:

• The Department of Education announcedtheir “Race To The Top” stimulus funding contest, which would provide eligible states with hundreds of millions in funds for leading the way in “reforming” their educational systems. More info here. Some state progressive bloggers are severely displeased with having to take sides in the reform v. teacher unions debate in order to possibly get some federal crumbs. I’m wondering why this kind of funding-for-compliance scheme isn’t being applied to the opt-out on the public option.

• ABC News has more on Karl Eikenberry and how his views are favorably received inside the White House, especially by the President. The short version – Eikenberry wields a lot of influence.

• Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis speaks out again on the need to pass paid sick leave for every worker in America, which would be one of those “tangible benefits” Democrats need going into 2010. This now raises the profile for the policy up to the cabinet level.

• Speaking of 2010, the Cook Political Report’s preliminary House assessment shows tight races in 36 Democratic-held seats and only 12 Republican-held seats. Based on some of the seats I know, I think they’re being a little alarmist, but we’ll see.

• The President has begun his trip to Asia. The White House has a preview.

• 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan would cost $40 billion dollars, estimates Peter Orszag of the OMB. Surely Congress and the White House will work up an offset to make sure that the war is budget-neutral, it was so important in the health care debate…

• ACORN is calling the bluff of the US government and pointing out that the law passed against their organization is an unconstitutional bill of attainder.

• President Obama wants to know about the intelligence on Nidal Malik Hassan, the shooter at Fort Hood.

• Yet another nail in the “Jerry Brown is a 1970s progressive” coffin – at an event yesterday, he “remained uncommitted on a public option for health care”. The next several years in California could be brutal.

• Revenge of the teabaggers: Republican Congresswoman who voted for the climate bill the first time around is wavering on it now.

• CNN has decided to fill their Lou Dobbs spot with… John King and his magic map. What a bold, risky choice! That’s going to bring in the eyeballs! Meanwhile, will the left get credit for pushing Dobbs off the network?

• A key bit in this Suzy Khimm story on the winding through the Senate of the health care bill:

Once the bill is brought to the floor, if it violates any of the spending caps and requirements in the budget resolution that the Senate passed last spring–which is possible, given the kinds of compromises Reid may end up making to appease different Senators and interest groups–then a Republican could raise what’s called a “point of order.” The Democrats would again need 60 votes to move the debate forward.

We could see lots and lots of 60-vote thresholds. Makes it that much harder.

• This Humana CEO has no regrets about trying to deceive seniors about health care reform. Good for him!

• Chris Bowers savages that report about Obama potentially using TARP money to lower the deficit. He’d much rather see that money plowed into a jobs bill.

• Everyone’s linked to this, but this testimonial from a NY Daily News columnist who happened to run into the President at Arlington is worth reading.