Congress

(Newser) - Newt Gingrich predicts that Sarah Palin will not be the Republicans’ 2012 presidential nominee, the Hill reports. “I think that she is going to be a significant player,” the former speaker of the House told Face the Nation . “But she’s going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players.” In other talk shows: Arnold Schwarzenegger will do all he can to help President Barack Obama, but not as a Cabinet member, the Hill reports. “I am the first one to go and do everything that I can, as governor, and as a state, to support his administration,” he told This Week . Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told Fox News Sunday that the GOP needs to adapt as voters move away from the right. “We have to be a conservative party. But we have to apply those principles in the context of a changing country,” he said. More »

(Newser) - The Treasury Department's radical shift in the execution of the government bailout drew fire from both sides of the aisle in a Capitol Hill hearing today, the Washington Times reports. Neel Kashkari, point man for the $700 billion plan, felt the wrath of the House Oversight subcommittee's ranking Republican, Darrell Issa, as well as Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Elijah Cummings. "This is a classic bait-and-switch," Kucinich railed. More »

(Newser) - Senate hopeful Al Franken is suing Minnesota counties to get the names and addresses of locals whose absentee ballots were rejected, the Star Tribune reports. Franken’s team is sweeping the state for such information in an effort to cut GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s current 206-vote lead. A full state recount begins next week in the race, which could tip the balance of power in the Senate. More »

(Newser) - It’s looking unlikely that a new economic stimulus package and a Detroit bailout will happen this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. The proposals are facing stiff resistance from Republicans and may have to wait until the new, more heavily Democratic Congress convenes in January and Barack Obama takes office. Democrats are leery of introducing a proposal that may face a veto from Bush. More »

(Newser) - John McCain found himself back on familiar terrain tonight—the campaign trail. The Republican also-ran traveled to Georgia to stump for Saxby Chambliss, who's locked in a runoff battle for the Senate with Democrat Jim Martin, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “I did not think I would be back on the campaign trail quite this early,” McCain said. “But there is a lot at stake here. I’m asking you to go into battle one more time." More »