Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Hu State Dinner Marked By Absense of Congressional Leaders - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) were notable no-shows last night. All three will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao today on Capitol Hill. The Washington Post has more here.

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Only 3 Democrats Vote to Repeal Health Care - out of the 193 Democrats in the House, with Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D- Ariz.) unable to cast her vote. Now, House Republicans will create subcommittees to work on what to replace. The symbolic vote will go nowhere as there is little to no chance of a vote for repeal in the Senate. TheHill.com has more here.

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South and North Korea Agree To Talks - after heightened tensions took on the appearance of warfare, the two countries have now agreed to high level military talks. The talks will include the North's sinking of a South Korean's ship and their recent shelling of an island. Reuters.com has more here.

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Obama to Attend House Democratic Caucus Retreat - he will work the room Friday as the weekend retreat gets underway in Cambridge, Maryland. Many House Democrats remain unhappy with the tax cut compromise brokered by the president during the lame duck session of Congress. Politico.com has more here.

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Martin O'Malley Becomes last Governor to Be Sworn In - Maryland had the latest date for swearing in ceremonies for Governors elected in November 2012. Below, is the Governor's Inaugural speech. Maryland is term limited and this will be O'Malley's second and last term as Governor. The speech was heavy on appeals for unity and the desire to continue moving forward - both national Democratic themes. O'Malley was recently elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association. Speculation is the Governor has national aspirations, but the question remains as to what as his term expires in 2014. Senator Barbara Mikulski, who just won reelection to become the longest serving woman in the Senate may choose to retire, making this an attractive seat for O'Malley to pursue in 2016. Below is his Inaugural Speech from yesterday.



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