Washington in 60 Seconds: 'SNL' Does Glenn Beck; Huckabee Has 'No Plans' for 2012

Good morning, Capitolists! After a marathon session Saturday night, all's quiet in Washington today, where the House has no votes, the Senate debates a non-controversial bill on military construction spending, and Harry Reid must be asking Nancy Pelosi for a copy of her playbook. Love her or hate her, you can't say Nanners doesn't know how to pass a bill.

While Reid gets his unruly ducks in a row, why don't you get up to speed on what's making news in Washington today:

* The Story Everyone's Talking About. A crucial factor in getting the House bill over the finish line Saturday was the addition of restrictions on abortion funding in the public option to appease pro-life Democrats. Although it meant the difference between success and failure for the bill, pro-choice activists are now racing into action to ensure the measure never becomes law. The New York Times reports on the looming showdown inside the Democratic Party.

* Just looking? Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made a weekend trip to the heart of Iowa caucus country to sell his new book, "A Simple Christmas." When the Des Moines Register asked him about his presidential plans for 2012, the perennial nice guy and GOP base favorite said, "I do not have any political plans for the moment." Sounds like a maybe to us.

* Hey, It Ain't Joe. We can only hope Harry Reid is buying aspirin in bulk these days. With all eyes on the Senate and its chances to pass health care reform, The Hill says a northeastern independent senator is refusing to commit to vote for the bill, and it's not Joe Lieberman. Instead, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders told the paper: "All I'll say for now is that I want the strongest public option possible in the bill. Beyond that, we're going to have to look at what develops."

* Spoiler Alert in the Sunshine State. Caps, keep an eye on Marco Rubio, the 37-year-old conservative Republican running for the open Senate seat in Florida. The former House speaker is taking on Gov. Charlie Crist in the primary, and he beat the governor in the Okaloosa straw poll, 86 to 4, over the weekend. That's not exactly a representative sample, but it's a start.

* "SNL" Goes Full Beck. "Saturday Night Live" kicked off its show Saturday night with Fox News' election coverage of the GOP's big wins Tuesday night. The highlights included Karl Rove's observation on Obama: "Let's not forget it was under his watch that we lost the King of Pop," and Glenn Beck declaring, "Loving America is legal again." Video below.