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Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, said he supports the mission change, but he has concerns about the exit strategy.

(CNN) – Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, said he supports the mission change, but he has concerns about the exit strategy.

"My major concern is that the administration is more focused on an exit strategy than a success strategy," Alexander said. "An exit strategy should come only after we've achieved success."

(CNN) – Liberals said today that they appreciate President Obama's plan not to have an open-ended commitment. But anti-war lawmakers told me it doesn't make sense to send all these new troops to Afghanistan and bring them right home. They're very skeptical of it.

(CNN) – Multiple Democrats said today that the similarities between Vietnam and Afghanistan are eerie.

(CNN) – It is unclear if President Obama's tough words for President Hamid Karzai are enough to reassure skeptical Democrats. Even hawkish Democratic Rep. Jane Harman opposes the president, in large part, because of the corruption problems surrounding the Afghan president.

(CNN) – President Obama took a not so veiled hit at former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Republicans who accused him of dithering.

(CNN) – The first Republican statement reacting to President Obama's speech arrives.

Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, sounds what will likely be a common Republican theme:

"Announcing an arbitrary withdrawal deadline before these troops even set foot in Afghanistan undercuts their efforts and calls our resolve into question," says Thune.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana on Saturday said she has decided to support a floor debate on the Senate's health care reform bill, according to two Democratic sources.

Sixty votes are needed to move the controversial bill to the floor for discussion. The legislative body is expected to vote Saturday night.

Landrieu had said she's concerned about the bill's costs to small businesses and individuals, and is opposed to a public health insurance option "that will undermine the private insurance market."

(CNN) – Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson, who have all expressed skepticism about the party's health care reform plan, were summoned to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office Wednesday to get a sneak peak at his health care bill.

Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Wednesday the senator invited these three moderate Democrats into his office to give them the "particulars on the bill."

All have been withholding support on voting to start debate - and the fact that Reid is giving the three their own special briefing, before the broader Democratic meeting at 5 pm Wednesday, is a signal of their power.

Assuming no Republican senator joins Democrats in voting to end debate, Reid needs all 60 senators in his party's caucus to vote in favor of a so-called "motion to proceed."

If any Democrat votes no on proceeding to debate, Reid's health care bill will go down before it starts.

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Washington (CNN) - Senate Democrats are set to hold a vote Tuesday on breaking a GOP filibuster against a district judge first nominated by President Barack Obama for a seat on the federal appeals court eight months ago.

Indiana Judge David Hamilton - Obama's first judicial nominee - was tapped to fill a vacancy on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March.

His nomination cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in June, but leading Republicans have since prevented a final vote, arguing that Hamilton is too liberal.

Congressional Democrats have expressed growing unease over what they argue is a slow pace of both judicial nominations and confirmations since Obama took office. Obama's high profile nomination of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was successful, but only six of the president's nominees have been approved so far for the federal bench.

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Harry Reid is hoping to start debate on Senate health care legislation next week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The first crucial showdown over health care reform by the full Senate could come as early as next Tuesday.

That's when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes the chamber will vote to start debate on health care legislation.

Though Reid put the wheels in motion for next week's vote, nothing is guaranteed.

Democrats need 60 votes to pass the motion to start debate. While there are 60 members in the Democrats' coalition, Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat from Nebraska – says he hasn't decided whether he will give his party his vote, and won't until he sees the actual bill.

In fact, no one has seen the senate health care bill yet. Reid won't release the legislation until he knows the cost of the bill. Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, has been waiting nearly three weeks for the non partisan Congressional Budget Office to return its score, or cost, of the bill. Aides to the Senate Majority Leader say they expect the CBO information on the cost of the bill by the end of this week.

Saturday the House of Representatives voted 220 to 215 to pass their version of health care reform. Any legislation that emerges from the full Senate would then have to be reconciled with the House bill.

CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

Sen. Thune, foreground, is Senate Republican Policy Committee.

Washington (CNN) - He walks through Washington's Reagan National Airport, arriving as he does nearly every Monday from a weekend home in South Dakota. He makes his way unnoticed.

But John Thune's anonymity may not last forever.

He is a Republican on the rise: a freshman senator who is already a member of the GOP leadership.

As head of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, Thune runs the weekly strategy session where all Senate Republicans try to find consensus on the best way to challenge President Obama and the Democratic majority.

"It's probably the most candid assessment that we have in a given week," Thune said, riding the subway to the Tuesday lunch.

With just 40 Republicans in the Senate now, Thune insists that there is still a diversity of GOP views - but one that he argues must be expanded.

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Washington (CNN) - President Obama will meet with members of the House Democratic caucus Saturday in a rare visit to Capitol Hill as he works to push forward proposed health care legislation.

But the contentious issue of abortion is threatening to delay Saturday's scheduled vote on the nearly $1.1 trillion health care bill by the full House of Representatives and possibly push it back to Sunday, according to two Democratic sources.

In a late night development, anti-abortion Democrats scored a major victory by persuading Democratic leaders to allow them to offer an amendment during the House health care debate Saturday that would ban most abortion coverage from the public option and other insurance providers in the new so-called "exchange" the legislation would create, three Democratic sources told CNN.

The prohibition would exclude cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger.

House Democratic leadership sources said that win or lose, they hope giving abortion foes the opportunity to vote will clear the way for passage of their health care bill.

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Washington (CNN) - A Democratic source with direct knowledge confirms that AARP is endorsing the House Democratic health care bill.

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GOP congresswoman says health care bill scarier than terrorism.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A Republican congresswoman said Monday on the House floor that she believes Americans have more to fear from the Democrats' health care bill "than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."

Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina said people in her home district tell her they are frightened of the health care bill expected to be debated by the House as soon as this week.

"I share that fear, and I believe they should be fearful," Foxx said, "And I believe the greatest fear that we all should have to our freedom comes from this room - this very room - and what may happen later this week in terms of a tax increase bill masquerading as a health care bill.

"I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."

The Democratic National Committee immediately criticized Foxx, calling her comments "outrageous" and comparing them to Sarah Palin's previous warning about death panels in regard to a Democratic proposal for voluntary counseling on living wills and other end-of-life decisions.

"Sadly, these inexplicable comments represent what is now the mainstream of a Republican Party that has been hijacked by an extremist far right-wing faction that craves ideological purity, will purge dissent, and offer nothing but reactionary opposition to progress," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said in a statement.

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Sen. Lieberman said Tuesday that he opposes any kind of public health insurance option.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Joe Lieberman told reporters Tuesday that he will support Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on a procedural motion in order to start the health care debate - but opposes any kind of public option, including state opt-out and trigger provisions, and will ultimately not vote to approve any health care bill that includes any version of a public option.

The announcement means that even if Reid is able to get a measure introducing a public option that allows states to opt out onto the Senate floor for debate, Lieberman - who caucuses with the Democrats - won't provide a crucial vote needed to get it off the floor and up for a final vote.

"I am strongly inclined, and I have had this conversation with Sen. Reid several times, to vote for the motion to proceed to take up the bill. Why? Because I want to vote for health care reform legislation, so I'd like the debate to begin," said the Connecticut senator. "But I've also made clear to Sen. Reid that if the bill remains as it is now, I will vote against cloture, to finish the bill and pass it affirmatively."

Lieberman said the inclusion of an opt-out provision would not change his position.

"To me, the opt out doesn't change the basic facts. The last thing we want to do now is create another Washington-run health insurance company," he said. "There's enough good things that we're talking about - health care delivery reforms, insurance market reforms, extending coverage to people who don't have it now. I think we're just asking for trouble that the taxpayers don't need. I think the end result of it - I mean we are having enough time sustaining Medicare."

The Democrat-turned-independent said he could not support the creation of a public option because "it still creates a whole new government created entitlement program for which taxpayers will be on the line."

"I can't see a way in which I can vote for cloture on any bill that contained a creation of a government-operated-and-run insurance company, it's just asking for trouble," he said. He also rejected the idea of a "trigger" option that would allow for the launch of a new public option if the insurance industry failed to meet certain coverage benchmarks. "I feel this way about a national government-run health insurance company whether it's a trigger or not," he said.

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It's unclear whether Reid has the 60 votes necessary to move forward with his plan.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will announce Monday his plans for the Senate health care bill on Monday afternoon, and multiple Democratic sources tell CNN he will discuss his decision to move forward with a bill that includes a public option, but with a provision allowing states to opt out.

CNN first reported Sunday that Reid was poised to finalize a Senate health care bill as soon as Monday and send it to the Congressional Budget Office so it could begin to determine the bill's cost.

Reid hopes his proposal will appeal to liberal senators who have been insisting on a public option as well as to conservatives who are wary of a government-run plan but could persuaded to support one if states have the authority to opt out.

Several Democratic sources tell CNN that Reid does not yet have firm commitments from 60 senators for this idea, which he would likely need even for a vote to begin Senate debate.

For that reason, multiple Senate Democratic sources concede this strategy is risky. But a Reid aide told CNN Sunday that the Senate Majority Leader is cautiously optimistic, based on a series of conversations with Democratic senators, that he will ultimately find the votes.

An administration official went so far as calling Reid's move "dangerous," but quickly followed by saying Reid knows his caucus better than anyone, and will therefore have the support of the White House.

A senior aide tells CNN that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is likely to include an 'opt out' version of the public insurance option in the Senate health care bill Reid is currently crafting.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is poised to proceed with plans to introduce a Senate health care bill with a public health insurance option that would allow states to opt out, a senior aide to Reid told
CNN on Sunday.

The aide, who did not want to be quoted by name when talking about private deliberations, said a final decision would be made Monday.

Reid is likely to make the move without having firm commitments of support from 60 senators, the number needed to break a filibuster, according to the aide. Describing the move as a "risky strategy," the aide said Reid believes including the public option is the right approach, and that the senator is "cautiously optimistic he can get the votes necessary."

The Senate fate of any bill with a public option is unclear, due to unanimous Republican opposition and concerns by some conservative and moderate Democrats.

A public option was considered virtually dead a few weeks ago, but Reid revived it last week by canvassing support for a plan that includes the public option while allowing states to opt out.

According to Reid's aide, the Nevada senator hopes to finalize the bill by Monday afternoon to send to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring - an analysis of what it will cost. Reid then would present the bill to all Senate Democrats at their weekly policy lunch on Tuesday, the aide said.

Several Democratic sources acknowledged to CNN that Reid's decision to include a public option in the Senate health care bill reflects a desire to calm an increasingly angry Democratic base. According to the Democratic sources, the party's base is furious with President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for moving slower than desired on issues such as closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and reversing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gay soldiers.

Even if the Senate votes to drop the public option, Reid could still argue he tried to get it included, the sources noted.
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