Washington in 60 Seconds: Palin's Book Pic, Obama's Olympics, Ensign's Antics

Good morning, Capitolists! We'll all know within hours if Chicago is getting the 2016 Olympics. As a native Atlantan who went to the Games there in 1996, the Capitolist can only assume that Chicago's pitch included a pledge not to duplicate Atlanta's less-than-Olympic caliber T-shirt shack villages. (Maybe they seemed like a good idea at the time?)

The more cynical Washingtonians will be listening for the Olympic announcement to put it in Obama's win/ loss column. Here's what else they'll be talking about in Washington today:

* The House and Senate are not voting today.

* President and Mrs. Obama are on their way back from Denmark, where they made a pitch for their hometown's hospitality.

* There are no teenagers on the Senate Finance Committee but The Washington Post writes that the committee members stayed up until 2 this morning to finish amendments on the health care reform bill. Next up -- a vote by the full committee.

* The New York Times has a huge exposè this morning on Sen. John Ensign's efforts to get jobs for his mistress' husband, who was also his chief of staff. One Ensign donor recalls the senator making an innocuous inquiry like, "He's a competent guy, and he's looking to come back to Nevada. Do you know of anything?" Sen. Tom Coburn explained, "John got trapped doing something really stupid, and then made a lot of other mistakes afterward."

* The Secret Service had identified the person behind the Facebook poll that asked if President Obama should be killed. USA Today writes that the author is "an adolescent" and will not be prosecuted. "This is something we classified as a mistake on the juvenile's part," a Secret Service spokesperson said.

* And finally, the Sarah Palin "Going Rogue" book cover is out. The Chicago Sun-Times has the decidedly un-roguish pic HERE.