The Note: Topsy Turvy

— -- WASHINGTON, Jan. 23

NEWS SUMMARY
It is an extraordinary, ordinary day in American politics.

The pompiness and circumstanciness of the State of the Union are going to be a great comfort to the political-media infrastructure in which the Gang of 500 nestles, what with all the out-of-kilter, Twilight Zone phenomena taking place:

-- President Bush is fighting with House Republicans over an issue of critical importance to him (Iraq) at a time that is inconvenient for him (as the State of the Union moves to TelePrompter).

-- Speaker Pelosi is battling with her own base of House liberals (over the Pure Power of Old Bulls).

-- Rahm Emanuel is the most bipartisan person in Washington (per the Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman, who seems to have flipped from Hastert to Emanuel in a blink). LINK

-- Speakering of which: the sight of Pelosi sitting behind Bush during the SOTU will make our eyes bug.

-- Labor unions are opposing a government plan to expand health insurance coverage, while Grover Norquist is all for it.

-- Small-government conservative George W. Bush plans to morph into a greenbean/HillaryCare/amnesty-loving/increased-federal-role-in-education expansionist (again).

On the other hand, some things will apparently never change (and some of you will take comfort from that):

-- Sens. McCain, Clinton, and Obama will have no trouble inserting themselves into the post-SOTU speech reaction, while other 2008 candidates will struggle.

-- Television pundits such as Bill Schneider, explaining the Bush poll numbers, are saying "Iraq, Iraq, Iraq."

-- The media is obsessed with the length of the speech, the guests in the First Lady's box, and Bill Livingood's chops.

-- The media will get speech excerpts late in the day, and will once again paraphrase Ronald Reagan: "Is that all there is?"

-- Sen. Clinton refuses to say if Sen. Obama is qualified to be commander in chief.

-- We are all still getting our political news from Mike Allen, Roger Simon, Jim VandeHei, and Ben Smith (just from a different platform LINK).

Mr. Bush's annual address to the nation will occur this evening sometime after 9 pm ET just after the U.S. House Sergeant at Arms says, "Madam Speaker, the President of the United States," for the first time in this nation's history (and then after some bipartisan applause).

On the television broadcast network, Charlie Gibson will anchor ABC's coverage from Capitol Hill. He will be joined by George Stephanopoulos, Martha Raddatz, Jake Tapper, and Kate Snow in Washington and Dan Harris in Baghdad. ABC News commentator George Will, ABC News financial contributor Mellody Hobson, and ABC News consultant General Jack Keane will also contribute. Prior to tonight's address, there will be preview coverage on ABCNews.com, ABC News Now, ABC News Radio, and ABC "World News with Charles Gibson" at 6:30 pm ET.

The Democrats will respond to the President's address with newly elected Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), the former Reagan Navy Secretary who knocked off Sen. George Allen (R-VA) in November. For the second year in a row, Democrats will offer a response to the President in Spanish. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), who was recently named Assistant to the Speaker, will perform those duties this evening.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be interviewed on ABC News by Gibson following President Bush's address and the Democratic response.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) plans to go to his office in the Capitol (S-321) to blog on DailyKos, the popular liberal web site at roughly 10:30 pm ET.

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) is set to endorse Gov. Mitt Romney today -- "a strong indicator of where much of the anti-McCain Republican establishment is headed," reports Jonathan Martin of the Politico. LINK

"An Inconvenient Truth," former Vice President Gore's documentary about the climate crisis, received two Oscar nominations this morning for Best Documentary and Original Song.

Vice President Gore reacted to the nominations thusly: "I am thrilled for our director Davis Guggenheim and producers Laurie David, Lawrence Bender, Scott Burns and co-producer Leslie Chilcott. The film they created has brought awareness of the climate crisis to people in the United States and all over the world. I am so grateful to the entire team and pleased that the Academy has recognized their work. This film proves that movies really can make a difference."

See below for more schedule items.

2008: Democrats: Clinton's morning show interview:
ABC News' Diane Sawyer asked Sen. Clinton on "Good Morning America" if she concurred with her husband's assessment 15 years ago, that if elected, the country will get "two for the price of one"?

Sen. Clinton said that she is "certainly going to count on his advice and his experience. . . And I'm very grateful to have his staunch support and good advice going forward."

When Sawyer again pressed Clinton on "two for the price of one," Clinton responded by saying, "Well, I wouldn't say it quite like that. I'm running to be the president -- to make the decisions."

On whether or not her vote for the Iraq war was her biggest mistake in the Senate?

"Well, I think giving the President the authority has turned out to be a terrible decision for everybody including the President," Clinton said.

And Diane Sawyer picked up where Charlie Gibson left off last night, still pressing Sen. Clinton to answer if she believes Sen. Obama is qualified to be president.

"I have no opinion one way or the other," said Clinton continuing to refuse to answer the question. "We're all in this to demonstrate as clearly as we can that we're ready for the most important and difficult job in the world. I think I may have a bit of an inside track in understanding just how difficult it is," Clinton added.

Sawyer also asked if Chelsea Clinton plans to hit the stump for her mom.

"Well, she's pretty busy -- she's got a life and a job of her own. I'm going to be out there on my own talking about what I want to do because that's who I am asking people to vote for," said Clinton.

While appearing on NBC's "Today," Sen. Clinton previewed the line of attack that she might use against former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., if her 2008 Democratic presidential rival were to challenge her in a debate for not renouncing her 2002 pro-Iraq war vote.

"I'm not on the sidelines," Clinton told NBC's Meredith Viera in an apparent invocation of a Teddy Rooseveltism. "I'm in the arena."

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Tahman Bradley have more on the "Political Radar." LINK

With her cozy, crackling fire in the background, Sen. Clinton fired back at Liz Cheney -- daughter of the Vice President and former deputy assistant secretary of state – while appearing this morning on CNN's "American Morning."

In an op-ed in today's Washington Post, Cheney lambasted Sen. Clinton for "hemming and hawing about her vote for the war resolution."

Liz Cheney's op-ed is at LINK

Sen. Clinton shot back: "I've been a consistent critic of this administration's war planning," she said. "They've been dead wrong. They've been wrong in the war, they've been wrong in alienating the rest of the world," said Sen. Clinton. Asked by Soledad O'Brien whether she thinks she can win despite stirring the "passions" of Republicans, Sen. Clinton said: "There's a bit of bravado there," she said of the Republicans, arguing she heard the same comments when she ran for the Senate in New York and still won.

On CBS' "Early Show," Harry Smith asked Sen. Clinton how she will woo voters who "just don't like you." Sen. Clinton gave her trademark laugh, and exclaimed, "What a way to start my morning!"

As to the power of her political enemies to define her, Sen. Clinton said "I've been around long enough to know how effective the other side is." Sen. Clinton continued, "I'm battle hardened. I've been there. I know how to overcome these kinds of political tactics."