Washington in 60 Seconds: Harry Reid Desperately Seeking 60

Good morning, Capitolists! It may be holiday season in Washington, but Santa seems to have nothing in his sack of treats for the Capital except arm-twisting and head-cracking. Maybe there's something better in the bottom of the bag -- like a lump of clean coal?

We'll look into that while you get up to speed on what's making news in Washington today:

* 60 is the Loneliest Number. With less than two weeks left before his self-imposed deadline to push health care reform through the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid is struggling to get to 60 votes with the team he's got on the field. Today's culprits: Sen. Joe Lieberman, who said Sunday he won't vote to expand Medicare; Sen. Ben Nelson, who wants tighter abortion restrictions; and Sen. Claire McCaskill, who said if the bill grows the deficit, "We have to go back to the drawing board."

* Webb of Concern. Another possible bolter? Politico says it's Sen. Jim Webb, the Vietnam veteran from Virginia who has quietly voted with Republicans on six amendments to the health bill. Webb is up for re-election in 2012 in the red-to-blue-to-red state, and is at the top of Republicans' list of Dems they want to "smoke out" on the bill.

* Paper or Plastic, Uncle Sam? Speaking of the deficit, Uncle Sam is going to have to apply for a new credit card to pay the bills this month. The House and Senate will both vote to increase the legally allowable debt limit to $13 trillion (also known as $13,000,000,000,000) or risk not sending out Social Security checks in January. Yikes.

* From "Hopenhagen" to "Nopenhagen." What ever happened to Hopenhagen we can believe in? The BBC is reporting that climate talks at the global summit were suspended Monday morning after the African delegation bolted from the talks over emissions limits. President Obama will travel to the meeting later this week.

* Dear Abbey Ashley. If Eliot Spitzer is looking for some ideas on how to jump-start his career or love life, maybe he should read the New York Post's newest advice column, "Ask Ashley," penned by former Spitzer lady worker Ashley Dupre. The first question, we're not lying, is from NYC: "Are there tell-tale signs a man isn't happy in his marriage?"