I needed 20 of me today. And tomorrow, but fortunately I’m getting help on that front. Jon Walker and Bill Egnor will liveblog all the action, and I’ll be… well, looking at stories like these:

• Republican wankery aside, reconciliation is a perfectly normal procedure in the US Senate. In fact, almost all of the changes to the health care system used the process, from COBRA to SCHIP to multiple changes to Medicare and Medicaid. And most of the Republicans at tomorrow’s summit have endorsed, supported and voted for reconciliation at one point or another.

• The Indiana Senate race is starting to turn into a heated argument rather than a smooth transfer of power on the Democratic side. Baron Hill may want the seat over Brad Ellsworth, and local Democrats across the state aren’t happy with the anointing process. Heckuva job, Evan Bayh.

• Lee Hamilton became the first eminence grise that I know of to endorse ending the filibuster. Meanwhile Robert Byrd signaled opposition to ending the filibuster, but support for reforming the process so that filibusters were live and torturous on the part of those who wanted them sustained. That’s actually progress.

• The weatherization funds in the stimulus, designed to get people to work making low-income homes more energy efficient through grants to states, are really not working. A report out of California today said that the $93 million dollar grant has so far led to the weatherization of 12 homes. The Governor’s office disputed the number, however.

• What should we make of this new EPA timetable for greenhouse gas regulations? They appear to be phasing in slowly enough (small emitters wouldn’t get targeted until 2016) for coal-state Dems not to raise a fuss, but of course that means the standards are both weakened and delayed. Still, Jackson sought to fight the Lisa Murkowski plan to strip the EPA of rulemaking powers in this area, saying that would endanger the landmark fuel economy rules created last year. With the climate bill imperiled, the EPA looks like the only game in town.

• Obama actually pulled no punches in remarks to the Business Roundtable today, vowing to end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and saying he “can’t justify continuing to give millionaires or billionaires big tax cuts.” But I think I’m pretty much done reporting heavily on Obama’s words.

• The people are getting restless in Greece: “Tens of thousands of Greeks took to the streets Wednesday as much of the country went on a 24-hour strike against government austerity measures.”

• The polls confirm the teabag-ization of the Republican Party: Rand Paul’s up big in Kentucky, and Marco Rubio’s crushing Charlie Crist. In fact, Jim DeMint is practically daring Crist to switch parties.

• The crucial question on whether John McCain is toast in his Senate primary is whether or not independents can vote in it. The answer? Yes, for now, but Republican lawyers are trying to close the primary. J.D. Hayworth’s stock goes WAY up in that scenario.

• This is a dumb article by Keith Hennessey for two reasons: 1) he deliberately narrowed the field of bills passed by this Congress to make it seem like there were no non-divisive votes, when in fact, on measures I’d consider as important as the ones he posted for Bush (Credit card reform, tobacco industry reform, SCHIP, Ledbetter), there was plenty of bipartisan support; 2) He fetishizes bipartisanship as a virtue in and of itself, in the Bush years, without mentioning that the domestic legislation passed then did nothing to stop, and in many cases led to, a massive federal deficit, a crashed financial sector and the worst recession since the 1930s. But 70 Democrats joined 190 Republicans sometimes, so everything rulez.

• Can the jobs crisis be attributed to corporate consolidation? Well, we don’t call it the New Gilded Age for nothing.

• The war in Darfur is over? Trust, but verify – that’s a quote from indicted war criminal Omar al-Bashir.

• Marcy Winograd, the progressive challenger to Jane Harman in CA-36, actually got Harman to recuse herself from the Toyota investigation today, both because Toyota is a major player in the district and because Harman holds $115,000 in Toyota stock. In a statement, Winograd said, “I am pleased to learn my opponent finally acknowledged the conflict of interest due to financial ties to the troubled automaker. Her recusal on the eve of the congressional hearings is a welcome one. We must always maintain the integrity of our congressional investigations, avoiding even a hint of impropriety and valuing safety above all else.”

• Jim Gibbons (R), Nevada Governor, got caught lying about a female traveling companion in about the worst way possible. And he upped the ante so high that he claimed he couldn’t have had affairs (he’s divorced now) because he hadn’t had sex for 15 YEARS. This is the same girl he sent 800 text messages to in five weeks back in 2007 (while he was still married). I don’t even know what to say about this.

• Interesting story about the need for a revamped 50-state strategy. Well worth your time.

• Van Jones is back, about to receive an NAACP Image Award and join the Center for American Progress. The NAACP calls him a treasure. Good for him – I’ve seen so many disgraced Republicans resurrected that they have no room to complain about this. And if we get Jones’ return and Sally Quinn’s firing in the same week, hallelujah!

• I will absolutely credit the Obama Administration for their commitment to smart growth. Very important stuff.

• Turns out Sarah Palin only likes to talk about and carry special needs children, rather than actually instituting policies that would help them.

• Speaking of Palin, what is it with beauty pageant contestants, Biblical literalism and homophobia? Miss Beverly Hills outdoes Carrie Prejean with her call for gays to be put to death. If she’s willing to move, I’d bet she has a shot at Miss Uganda.

• As if all this wasn’t enough, we’re not out of the woods on the swine flu.