Washington in 60 Seconds: Afghan Troop Discussions, Hashing Out Health Care, and Cool Responses to Cheney's Remark

Good morning, Capitolists! The House and Senate are taking their sweet time getting back to Washington, so the news today is about what's likely to happen later this week, namely the big reveal of the House and Senate's new health care bills. Will they be subtle, successful make-overs or just lots of lipstick on pigs?

Nobody knows, but here's what's happening in the meantime. It's your Washington in 60 seconds:

* The president meets behind closed doors today with his senior national security advisers on Afghanistan. Later, he heads to Miami to headline another fundraiser for Democratic Senate and congressional candidates.

* The House and Senate are in session but have no votes or committee hearings.

* A series of helicopter crashes has killed 14 American troops in Afghanistan, according to the BBC; 2009 is the deadliest year for international coalition forces since the Taliban government was overthrown in 2001.

* Speaking of that war, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said yesterday he is working to prevent any troop increase in Afghanistan. Speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation," Feingold said of a proposed surge, "There will be resistance to this if necessary. . . . We will do what we can to prevent this mistake."

* The Wall Street Journal writes up the likely outlines of the Senate health care bill. Employer mandates are out, but higher penalties will apply to companies with 50 or more employees who don't cover their peeps. A public option is in, but states could opt out. Finally, progressives are supportive, but Senate moderates are still on the fence about the bill that could meet the president's goal of keeping the total cost under $900 billion for 10 years. Confused yet? Stick with us and we'll keep you posted on the latest.

* Could the swine flu be a political contagion for President Obama? We admit we've never thought about that, but Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post has, and says natural disasters can be political disasters for presidents (see Bush, George W.; Hurricane Katrina). So far, however, 69 percent of Americans say they're confident the government will respond "effectively" to the H1N1 virus. Let's hope so.

* And finally, if you want a friend in Washington, try to do whatever Dick Cheney isn't doing. The Hill writes that when asked about the former veep accusing President Obama of "dithering" over the strategy in Afghanistan, Sen. Orin Hatch (R-Utah) said Sunday, "I would never want to call my president dithering," while Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, "The more united we can be behind [Obama], the more the chances are we can succeed."