The Senate takes up the health care debate today, here's seven issues to look for. The big fight though will be within the Democratic party, as Senators Bill Nelson (D-Neb.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) have all come out solidly against the public option, which is seen as pivotal to the final bill.

In the health care reform debate, Republicans have recently been pushing the idea that the actual cost of health reform will be $2.5 trillion, not the $900 billion or less that Democrats have been touting. The Republican number was first widely mentioned by Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) after the CBO released its analysis of Senate version and has been repeated by the GOP since then. That figure seems to come from Michael F. Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, who argues that the individual mandate, which will require all Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a fine, is a $1.5 trillion hidden cost to health care reform.

What would you do if you were Sarah Palin and were asked about Canada's healthcare system by a comedian posing as a news reporter? Just be yourself and say "Canada needs to reform its health care system and let the private sector take over some of what the government has absorbed."

It's a day family and food and fun, enjoy your tryptophan induced coma. But if you need to escape the family for a moment, read up on these great moments in Thanksgiving politics where George Bush had his finest hour, Sarah Palin doesn't pardon a turkey, Al Gore got bad news, America was introduced to a kid named Elian Gonzalez and New York had a political massacre.

Now pass the stuffing!

Yesterday, Britain's Defense Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, criticized the Obama administration for not moving more quickly on the decision of whether to increase troops in Afghanistan. Yes, a close ally and partner of the United States in the Afghan war publicly critiqued the current administration's performance.

Today comes the announcement that President Obama will make a national address next Tuesday announcing and explaining his decision.

Is Ainsworth grandstanding or just out of his depth?

Filed under "nice dream, but ain't gonna happen": Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fl-8) is trying to get Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to change the rules of the Senate so that invoking cloture only needs 55 votes, not 60. One of the main reasons it's not going to happen is because 67 Senate votes are needed to change Senate rules.

Historical note: Until 1975, 2/3 of the Senate or 67 votes wee required to end a filibuster. Also, a filibuster used to be much more serious, in that it literally ground the Senate to a halt, no other business could be done in the chamber while a filibuster was occurring, thus making them much less likely to happen. All that changed with dual tracking of Senate bills, meaning a filibuster could still occur, but of just that bill, while other Senate business still went on.

President Obama has announced plans to get kids interested in science and technology: "Today, I'm announcing that we're going to have an annual science fair at the White House with the winners of national competitions in science and technology."

In the wake of the Senate's slim margins for health care debate (60 votes are needed to invoke cloture) Harry Reid is said to be casting about for potential Republican votes. The most likely place is Maine, where Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who voted with the Democrats on the stimulus bill, are being sought as potential votes on health care reform.

The US Senate will be debating the health care reform bill all day today, ahead of the 8pm vote on whether to allow the bill to reach the Senate floor. CSPAN will be carrying the a live feed from the Senate floor starting at 10am as the various Senators argue for and against health care reform.   |   Click for full text...

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford will have to face an ethics panel early next year to answer questions about his use of state funds. Sanford disappeared for five days in June, lied about where he was and then eventually admitted he was in Argentina visiting his mistress.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will unveil that chamber's version of health care reform to other Democrats this evening. Reid is pleased about the CBO score, which should be publicly available to today. He's cautiously optimistic about getting 60 votes to pass it.

Former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote a book and it's being released today. Unsurprisingly, she got a few things wrong, but says a 2012 Presidential run isn't on her radar.

The US House of Representatives will be taking up the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009, which is supposed to correct a problem with the sustainable growth rate. See, back in 1997, Congress tied Medicare spending to the economic growth via a formula, with the goal of making Medicare payments to doctors predictable and thus able to budget for. However, changing dynamics in the economy made the formula not work well and rather than risk reducing Medicare payment to doctors, Congress has consistently overrides the law on yearly basis. Since those cuts are never enacted, they keep growing each year and now in 2009, they're slated to be 21.5% and go into effect on January 1st, 2010. So the House bill is supposed to be permanent fix.

Why wasn't the act in the House's health care reform bill? Because it would cost between $210-$300 billion dollars (there's debate about what the final number is) and including that amount in the final health care bill kicks the cost of that bill over a trillion dollars over ten years (i.e. about 100 billion a year, for ten years), which no one wants.

Long story short, Congress is working to pass another piece of health care legislation to that will definitely add to the deficit to the tune of between $200-$300 billion while preventing cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. Since the bill adds to the deficit, it's expected to be a contentious debate.

US attorney general Eric Holder announced yesterday that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who planned the 9/11 attacks, and four other detainees would be brought to New York from Guantanamo Bay to stand trial for the attacks.

Republicans, are wigging out, arguing that doing so poses a national security risk.

Politico noted last night that the Republican National Committee has been offering employees health insurance that includes coverage for abortions for the past 18 years. Naturally, they've decided to opt out of that coverage now, but their health insurance is still through Cigna, a company that covers elective abortions for other companies and people.

So yes, the Republican National Committee indirectly funds abortions.

Remember the NY-23 congressional race between 3 candidates, a Democrat, a Republican and a conservative, and how up in the air the election was? You know how Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava eventually dropped out and endorsed the Democrat, Bill Owens, while the Republican party machine put its weight behind Doug Hoffman, the Conservative party candidate, yet the Democrats went on to win the seat? Well, maybe (maybe!) the Democrats didn't win.

Owens won by 5,335 votes, but a re-canvassing has dropped that to 3,026 votes and the 10,200 absentee votes have yet to be counted, which were mailed out before Scozzafava withdrew. So there's a possibility that Hoffman could still win, despite having conceded the race on election night.

The trial of Shelia Dixon, the mayor of Baltimore, beings today. At issue is whether gift cards designated for the poor and needy were instead used by Dixon and others for their personal use.

As the U.S. ambassdor to Afghanistan cautions against a troop surge in Afghanistan, President Obama is said to be dissatisfied with arguments both for and against adding additional troops to the country.   |   Click for full text...

The Charleston County Republican Party voted to censure to South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham for working with Massachusetts Senator John Kerry on the Cap and Trade bill. It's not the first time the state party has censured Graham. Back in 2007, the local GOP party rebuked him for supporting an immigration bill.

There's been ongoing friction between Graham and local Republicans for a while. Though he's solidly conservative, he's not above working with Democrats, which tends to infruiate the right ward pulling GOP, some of whom have branded him a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and (gasp!) a moderate, which if fine with Graham, who's determined not to have the Republicans be the party of angry, old, white guys or Ron Paul.

Independents don't like the health care bill, even though there isn't an actual final bill and won't be one till the end of the year at the earliest. Meanwhile the President says he's looking to change the anti-abortion Stupak amendment, to make it more in line with the current status quo i.e. no federal dollars for abortions, but still leave options for private health care.

7 Lessons for Democrats and Republicans From the 2009 Elections shows that while Democrats should be concerned, nothing is written in stone. There was no slam dunk in these off year elections, just potential signs.

The U.S. House of Representatives is debating its final version of the health care bill today. President Obama stopped by for a pep talk to the Democrats, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vows the vote will be held today. The Washington Post has notes on what to look for, while CSPAN is broadcasting the floor debate.

A deal was struck last night to prohibit federal funds for abortions, which was a sticking point with some Democrats. Hopefully this'll secure the 218 votes (which will all be from Democrats, not a single Republican is expected to vote for the bill) needed to pass the bill.

Yesterday brave patriots staged a protect at House Czar Nancy Pelosi's office, taking the fight for freedom to the very doorsteps of America's government.

Or was it just Operation Rescue, mugging for the cameras again?

Remember how health care reform was supposed to be passed by the end of year? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is signaling that there may be a slight delay. How much delay? Nothing specific but before the State of the Union address on January 20th is being bandied about.

Meanwhile the final House bill on health care is heading to the floor and may be voted by Friday evening.

Elections occuring today:

Virginia Governor's race between Bob McDonnell (R) and Creigh Deeds(D). It doesn't look good for Deeds, which is interesting because Virginia went for Obama in 2008.

New Jersy Governor's race- Three candidates, Jon Corzine (D), Chris Christie (R) and Chris Daggett (I) and it looks to be a nail biter between Corzine and Christie

California congressional race, which looks to stay in Democrat's hand.

New York Congressional race- It was a three way race between Bill Owens (D), Dierdre Scozzafava (R) and Doug Hoffman (Conservative Party). Then Scozafava quit and endorse the Democrat, while her party, the Republicans endorsed Hoffman. It looks like Hoffman will win, but that's not a sure bet at this point.

Finally, both the Democrats and Republicans would love to have these elections be a symbol of their particular parties strength and their rival's weakness. They'd be fools to actually believe that, as off year elections are far from being reliably predictive.

Yesterday, on Face the Nation, Senator Joe Leiberman vowed to filibuster any health care reform bill that has a public option in it.

(Leiberman) "There're so many good things we can do to make health insurance more affordable and to extend it to people who don't have it now, but I feel so strongly about the creation of another government health insurance entitlement, of the government going into the health insurance business, I think it's such a mistake that I would use the power I have as a single Senator to stop a final vote."

"But wouldn't that mean that you might wind up with nothing instead of something?" asked Schieffer.

"Yeah, but I'd say to the people who are all of a sudden making the public option a government health insurance company the litmus test here, they're stopping us from getting something done."