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Sanford: I Was In Argentina
Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has now resurfaced at the Atlanta airport, telling The State that he was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, taking a break after a busy legislative session — not hiking the Appalachian Trail, as his staff had claimed. Sanford said he’d considered hiking the Trail, “But I said ‘no’ I wanted to do something exotic.” When asked why his staff had said he was hiking the Trail, he said, “I don’t know,” but then later added that “in fairness” to his staff, he’d previously told them he might go hiking there.

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 2 p.m. ET today with Govs. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Jim Douglas (R-VT), Jim Doyle (D-WI), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Christine Gregoire (D-WA) to discuss health care. At 8 p.m. ET, he will hold a town hall from the White House on health care, which will be broadcast on ABC.

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet this morning with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile. At 11 a.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at the Communication Workers of America’s 2009 legislative conference. At 2 p.m. ET, he will join President Obama’s meeting with five governors to discuss health care. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team, the 2009 NCAA champions.

CNN Finds Alleged Sanford Car At Columbia Airport
CNN reported last night that they have found what is believed to be Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R-SC) state vehicle, parked at the Columbia airport in South Carolina. Inside the vehicle are a baseball cap, running shoes, sunscreen, a pair of shorts, a canvas bag and a sleeping bag. This would mean Sanford left from the airport in Columbia, and then returned at a different airport in Atlanta.

GOP Attacks Sotomayor’s Links To Puerto Rican Legal Group
Republican Senators have begun stepping up attacks against Sonia Sotomayor, focusing in part on her work with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. “This is a group that has taken some very shocking positions with respect to terrorism,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) in a floor speech yesterday, citing work the group did in 1990 on behalf of Puerto Rican nationalists who had attacked the House of Representatives in the 1950s.

Baucus Becomes New Point Man On Health
The New York Times profiles Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who has sort of stumbled into a point-man position on health care due to the absence of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and the more liberal bill having stalled in the Health Committee. “I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” said Baucus. “Here I am representing Montana in the United States Senate. I am at the point to be able to do something really significant, really meaningful, and it must be done.”

Huckabee Bashes National GOP’s Crist Endorsement
In an interview with The Hill, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) discussed his endorsement of conservative insurgent Marco Rubio in the 2010 Florida Senate race — and he lambasted the party establishment for supporting the moderate Gov. Charlie Crist. “The establishment Republicans have made this endorsement for the same reason that they’re in so much trouble,” Huckabee said. “They go out there and support stuff like TARP bills and stimulus packages, pork-barrel spending and huge debt, and they wring their hands and act like, ‘This is not good, but we don’t have a choice.'”

Report: Hillary To Hire Sidney Blumenthal At State
The New York Times reports that Sec. of State Hillary Clinton is recruiting Sidney Blumenthal, a liberal journalist and former close political ally, to come work with her on communications issues at the State Department. Blumenthal is reportedly in negotiations to join Hillary’s speech-writing team.

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