Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

It's Federal Budget day. The President, by statute, must submit his 2011 spending plan to Congress by the first Monday in February. We'll be hearing a lot about it all day and all week. It's a $3.834 trillion budget with a projected deficit of 1.267 trillion. (The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is not included in the budget.)

Tomorrow, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The question is whether they follow the directive of the Commander-in-Chief to end the policy or try to slow-walk it.

On Thursday, the creepy "Fellowship Foundation" a.k.a "The Family" hosts the National Prayer Breakfast, which has a guest list that includes the President, cabinet members, leaders in Congress and the diplomatic corps. Now, the "Fellowship" has been getting a lot more exposure lately, in part, because of its role in spreading homophobia around the world. Uganda is a prime example. I never knew the "Fellowship" hosted this major event until recently. It's surprisingly disturbing that such an organization holds this much sway.

At the end of the week, the Democratic National Committee holds its Winter Meeting in DC. The Republican National Committee just wrapped up its Winter Meeting in Honolulu.

Going to be a fun week...