Harry Reid isn't gonna step down or resign. Sensible Republicans are backing off. Everyone who went all-in on the Harry Reid thing should probably feel a bit embarrassed. Besides Michael Steele, of course.

Let's get the most obvious example of hypocrisy out of the way first: Michael Steele says Harry Reid should resign for his statements about Barack Obama, because Trent Lott had to resign. 2002-era Steele felt differently.

Harry Reid somehow rose to be the Senate Majority Leader! Reid recently used the descriptor "negro" when talking about President Obama. It made no sense. He has now apologized. Especially because he realized he's losing his office on it.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid has been pulling a few too many all-nighters trying to push the health care bill through the senate. When it came time to vote for Reid to vote on his own baby, he accidentally said "no."

According to the wonks (and the anguished wails of conservatives), we'll have a health care bill signed by the State of the Union. And it may even incrementally improve between now and then. What did we learn?

NY Sen. Chuck Schumer "regrets" and "has apologized" for snapping at a flight attendant who dared tell him to hang up on Harry Reid (while sitting next to Kirsten Gillibrand) because the plane was about to take off. [NYDN]

Joe Lieberman really is the most appalling human being. All he cares about is that people look at him and that he gets to feel important. Which is why he's jeopardizing healthcare reform again with a last-minute threat.

Harry Reid won a compromise between Senate Centrists and Senate Liberals: centrists killed the public option and liberals get the privilege of voting for something that they could argue resembles a public option, sort of.

Britney Spears turns 28 today. Erin Callan, the former CFO of Lehman Brothers, is turning 44. Lucy Liu is 41. Stone Phillips is turning 55. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is 70. Real estate marketing queen Louise Sunshine is turning 69. Nelly Furtado turns 31. Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel is turning 41. Author George Saunders is 51. And tennis legend Monica Seles celebrates her 36th birthday today.

Joe Lieberman knows the public option is a one way ticket to hell and will fight it to the death! Well, not really, but Ken Layne can always fantasize.

Everyone is acting like the Health Care negotiations have become crazy and impossible to figure out but that is a lie. Where we are at right now is quite simple.

We know we promised to shut up about it and demanded that everyone else do the same, but there is news today, about the health care reform! It is going to happen! Reid is inching toward a liberal public option.

In your proper Monday media column: One newspaper attacked by Harry Reid, another newspaper attacked by Blondie, women's magazines that sit at the checkout line unread, and a reporter hurt in Afghanistan.

Barack Obama invited the entire Democratic Senate Caucus to his house for his birthday lunch, yesterday, in order to charm them into getting some fucking work done. And they had a wonderful time!

The Obama administration was supposed to release a plan to close Guantanamo this week, but the report was delayed, because Congress refused to pay to send prisoners to the US. Now Congress is furious, that the report was delayed.

Whoa, Harry Reid just realized that he's the Majority Leader of the Senate, leading a filibuster-proof majority of Democrats, who also control the House and the White House! Maybe he read a newspaper? Maybe Al Franken told him?

The Democrats have 60 votes in the Senate! Hooray! Now we get health care and climate control and bullet trains and all the wars will end! Except that this doesn't really change anything!

So the Republicans are going on the offensive against Barack Obama with a lame web ad harking back to an awesome campaign ad a Democratic president made successfully painting his Republican opponent as a dangerous, unhinged warmonger. Yay!

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel spent years crafting a reputation as ruthless foul-mouthed cutthroat by sending people dead fish. But today the Washington Post says he's become "more valet than hitman." Ouch.

Here is some important non-pork spending news from your stimulus bill: