Elvis (aka Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich) will enter the building (aka the State Senate) to make a closing argument in his impeachment trial:

Lucio Guerrrero, Blagojevich's spokesman, said the governor wants to defend himself and also is responding to comments made by Senate President John Cullerton, who has urged Blagojevich to appear.

"Sen. Cullerton asked him to come down," Guerrero said. "So he's taking him up on that and wants to give his closing arguments... That's something he wanted to do."

He'll have an hour an a half from 11am to 12:30 central time on Thursday. Set the Tivo.

So now, after a two-day media blitz that saw Rod Blagojevich appear on like 300 national television shows, America finally has an understanding of what it's like to live in Illinois.  Blagojevich's "I'm MLK, Gahndi and Mandela wrapped up into one experiencing a personal Pearl Harbor" routine is deluded, self-serving, excessively dramatic, and even more pathetic.

But it's merely an amped up version of what he's been doing publicly on a daily basis in the state of Illinois for the last seven years. Only recently has America become clued in on the fact that we have a cross between Al Capone, Elvis, and a carnival barker as our Chief Executive.

The good news is that at least one part of the Blago act should be coming to an end soon. He'll be removed from office by the State Senate shortly, which will not only put an end to the current drama but also take away, at least to a certain degree, his bully pulpit.

Blago will still be able to generate media attention, of course, and he'll still be in the news as the criminal case proceeds. The good news for America is that, aside from an occasional headline or a two-second video clip on cable news of the former Governor walking in and out of the court building downtown, they won't have to put up with  Blago any more. He'll be yesterday's news.

For those of us who live in Illinois, however, the horror show won't end so abruptly. Long after America has finished giggling at our Governor, we'll still see him preening before the cameras on the evening news. It's enough to make one want to cancel the cable subscription or move to another state where politics isn't such a circus. Obviously, that rules out New York.

A new National Republican Senatorial Committee website -- REIDistributeWealth.com -- uses Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as a GOP fundraiser.

An ad featured on the site calls him "Superspending partisan Harry Reid," and calls him out for the economic stimulus package: "And now he wants a trillion more dollars in new spending. A trillion dollars? Tell Harry Reid to stop wasting our hard-earned money."

A large, red "Contribute" button appears right next to the video.

President Obama's job approval in the RCP Average is 63.7%.

Meanwhile, Congress begins its session with a new president it much the same position as it left town under the old one - with a 21.4% job approval rating in the RCP Average.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans still feel the country is on the wrong track, with only 23.2% saying we're headed in the right direction. As a point of reference, you have to go back to late 2003 and early 2004 to find the last positive recording in the right direction/wrong track poll data.

The good news for New York Governor David Paterson is that 46% approve of his choice of Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator, according to a newly released Marist Poll. 24% say he made the wrong choice and 30% were unsure.

The bad news? Paterson has lost ground against his potential opponents in 2010. In November 2008 Paterson held a 4-point lead over NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (running as an Independent). Today Paterson trails Bloomberg by 6.

Paterson also held a 10 point lead over Republican Rudy Giuliani in November 2008 (51-41). Today Giuliani leads Paterson by one point, 47 to 46.

Overall, 46% of voters say Paterson is doing an "excellent" or "good" job as Governor.  That's 2 percent better than 12 days ago, but eight points lower than December of last year.

Nearly half (45%) of Colorado voters don't know enough about their newly appointed Democratic Senator to form an opinion of him, according to a new poll out by PPP. Thirty-three percent have a favorable opinion of Michael Bennet, and 21% view him unfavorably.

Despite this apparent handicap, Bennet leads two possible Republican challengers in  hypothetical match ups for 2010, former Congressman Tom Tancredo and former Governor Bill Owens:

Bennet (D) 48
Tancredo (R) 39

Bennet (D) 44
Owens (R) 41

Two other frequently mentioned names on the Republican side, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and Former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, took themselves out of the running yesterday.

I suppose it's not a shock to learn that public trust in corporations is down around the world over the last year, but nowhere more so than the United States:

As you might expect to follow from a finding of such a massive loss of trust, majorities around the world now see more government control over business as a means of restoring trust in corporations - though the United States ranks last among the countries surveyed:

How much do you deserve for having your life saved? That's a good question. A few who were aboard US Airways flight 1549 aren't satisfied with the $5,000 the airline has offered to cover the cost of any items that were lost during the accident:

Many US Airways passengers who endured a crash landing in the Hudson River 12 days ago say they appreciate the $5,000 that the airline has offered — but some say it's not enough.

Joe Hart, a salesman from Charlotte who suffered a bloody nose and bruises, says he "would like to be made whole for the incident."

It's too soon after the accident to determine what emotional distress he has suffered, he says.

Mr. Hart turns down an offer of five grand for a bloody nose and some bruises when, if not for luck, the Grace of God, and a heroic effort by the pilot, they probably would have dragged what was left of his body out of the Hudson two weeks ago.

If there is a finding of evidence that US Airways was somehow responsible for the accident (this report of trouble with the same plane's engines just a few days earlier raises that possibility), then lawsuits would be in order. But as of now, the evidence suggests it was in fact a bird strike, something beyond the airlines' control.

As the USA Today article states, airlines are liable for up to $3,300 per passenger for checked bags that are lost or damaged on a domestic flight according to DoT regulations. Carry on bags, lap-tops, cellphones, etc. are not usually covered. Nevertheless, US Airways says it wants to make sure no one who was on board is "losing money for the inconvenience or anything lost during the accident."

Anyone who suffered losses in excess of $5,000 will be reimbursed through insurance, though it seems like very few people will fall into that category.

But that doesn't satisfy the above mentioned passenger, Mr. Hart, who suggests he may need a lawyer because he's found it difficult to fly since the crash:

In addition to recovering losses, Hart says he's concerned about having trouble flying. He's flown on six planes since the accident, and each flight has gotten "progressively more difficult."

He says he was tense, sweated and "felt every bit of turbulence" on a Los Angeles-to-Philadelphia flight last week, though it wasn't that turbulent a flight.

Hart says he has talked to a lawyer in North Carolina but hasn't decided whether to take any legal action.

"I want to see how things play out with US Airways," he says. "I'm hopeful US Airways understands the significance of the incident."

The significance of the incident is that it was a frickin' miracle that no one, including Mr. Hart, died. Whatever happened to being thankful for just being alive?

Tony Auth of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

“If there was no Martin Luther King Jr. and no Roland Burris, there would be no Barack Obama in the White House today." - Senator Roland Burris (D-Tombstone)* speaking to a Rainbow PUSH gathering in Chicago today.