The Note: Inside David Axelrod's Steel Cage

— -- WASHINGTON, Jan. 17

Bending to reality, The Note will suspend regular coverage of politics until further Notice.

For the foreseeable future, we will simply chronicle the politics and coverage of Barack Obama's quest to become America's 44th president with daily awards in all categories.

As Robert Gibbs (likely) said to Senator Obama as they reviewed the events of the last 24 hours: "Welcome to the Freak Show, boss."

Best analysis of the meaning of Clinton versus Obama: Dan Balz's must-read opus in the Washington Post. LINK

Best explanation of the planned February 10 Springfield/Lincoln symbolism: the Chicago Sun-Times. LINK

Best Clinton versus Obama fundraising reporting: the Los Angeles Times. LINK

Best David Axelrod quote (of the news cycle): "There is such a compulsion on the part of the political community and political media community to create a steel cage match between Clinton and Obama you can almost see the fight posters."

Most absurd over-the-top analysis of Clinton versus Obama: Dana Milbank's childish Washington Sketch in the Washington Post. LINK

Most perfunctory Howard Wolfson quote: ""The field is shaping up as a strong field. It's an exciting time to be a Democrat. We obviously wish Sen. Obama well."

Best sign for John Edwards: Polling partners ABC News LINK and the Washington Post LINK, and the New York Observer LINK, cast Edwards high, below the frontrunners but above the pack, and he made the Today show as a soundbite.

Best/latest indication of how well-wired Lynn Sweet of the Sun-Times is: "In a conference call with some of his best fund-raisers Tuesday, Obama said he could need to raise between $65 million and $70 million for the primary season -- a year away -- and set a goal of raising $500,000 on his first day in the race." LINK

Biggest show of Clinton weakness (from the Los Angeles Times): "He's going to have an effect on our fundraising — no question about it," said Sim Farar, a major Clinton fundraiser in Los Angeles." LINK

Silliest headline: New York Daily News' "Up Hill Battle: Obama's Early White House Bid Rattles Clinton Camp," which suggests via blind quotes that Clinton might announce next week in reaction to Obama.

Best low-ball expectations setting by an anonymous Obama adviser (in the Chicago Tribune): "An Obama adviser said the exploratory committee hopes to raise $7 million by the end of March." LINK

Best evidence that the Chicago Tribune treats its hometown candidates differently than the Boston Globe does: this slobbering editorial. LINK

Best color: Jeff Zeleny (who is going to co-own this story), in the New York Times, "In Washington, Mr. Obama's announcement caused a stir among Democratic political operatives, who rushed to make inquiries about joining his campaign. A list of telephone numbers for local offices in Iowa, New Hampshire and Chicago -- none of which have even opened yet -- were being circulated via e-mail." LINK

Biggest names for Clinton to worry about (for now): David Geffen (per the Los Angeles Times) and Tom Daschle (per the New York Sun's Gerstein LINK

.Best line of tab analysis: "Obama's biggest problem may not be that he's black but that he's green." (New York Daily News)

Most banal Jennifer Palmieri quote: "The country's going to face some tremendous challenges in 2009 and we need the very best candidates to run. . . . [A]nyone who has good ideas on how we tackle these problems should get into the race."

Clearest sign that Tommy Vietor needs more sleep and less BlackBerry time: this New York Times photo. LINK

Most overt indication that Sen. Clinton is actually in the race already: Wolfson to the Los Angeles Times, "Sen. Clinton has a strong case to make for her own candidacy, and is going to have to make the best case for herself." LINK

Sen. Obama attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iraq at 11:30 am ET, attends the Democratic Caucus Lunch at 12:45 pm ET, and presides over the Senate at 5:00 pm ET.

We'll hear more from Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) today about her endorsement of a cap on U.S. troops in Iraq since Jan. 1 (and perhaps an explanation of how aggressive she plans to be in pushing that position, and if she supports the Kennedy bill) today when she joins Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Congressman John M. McHugh (R-NY) at a press conference to discuss their recent visit to Iraq at 3:00 pm ET. Check out Sen. Clinton's comments this morning on ABC News' Political Radar: LINK

(Over to you, Sen. Obama.)

With Republican Sen. Hagel on board to co-sponsor a Senate resolution on the Iraq war, and with majority agreement that the Senate will go before the House, we have some answers But there are still questions: what will be voted on and when; what will Mitch McConnell do; and what other Republican Senators will vote with the majority?

President Bush visits the National Institutes of Health laboratories in Bethesda, MD at 10:35 am, and then participates in a roundtable discussion on advances in cancer prevention at 11:15 am.

Republican National Committee members start arriving in Washington today with some closed press events this afternoon in advance of their winter meeting truly getting underway tomorrow. Mel Martinez's fate remains somewhat unclear.

It's a busy day in on the Hill. The House Foreign Affairs Committee meets to discuss Iraq, with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appearing as witness, starting at 10 am ET, while at the same time the House Armed Services Committee meets to discuss alternative Iraq strategies.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing on "Iraq: Regional Diplomatic Strategy." at 9:30 am ET.

The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a closed committee hearing on "Iraq's Regional Neighbors and Their Influence on the War" at 2:30 pm ET.

2008: Democrats: Obama:
ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin analyzes the permanent realignment of the 2008 Democratic race with the entry of Sen. Obama (D-IL) into the race, forming the "Big 3" of the contest. Halperin writes, "those three -- Clinton, Obama and Edwards -- have the three key "Ms" far in excess of the other prospective candidates: money, media access and majesty." LINK

For ABC News' World News Webcast, Jake Tapper uses the Illinois Senator's unique name to spell out the elements of Obama's candidacy. . . in rhyme, no less. LINK

The New York Times' Zeleny writes that the Senator's announcement ends weeks of speculation that "sent ripples though the ranks of other Democrats eyeing the presidential nomination" and an Obama candidacy "changes the contours of the Democratic landscape." LINK

More Zeleny: "The dynamic among Mr. Edwards, Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, not to mention other Democrats, is poised to touch off a curious scramble inside the party. Mr. Edwards is seeking to capture the economically disenfranchised or anxious class of voters, who might also find Mr. Obama appealing. At the same time, it remains an open question whether Mrs. Clinton will have competition for the moderate voters who provided a staple for her husband's candidacy 15 years ago."