Tuesday's Starting Lineup

Good Tuesday morning. Here's hoping your long holiday weekend was as fun and relaxing as ours. Now, back to the grind.

Here's today's Starting Lineup, previewing the people who will make a difference in politics this recess week:

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: After a series of cancellations, the Israeli prime minister will finally sit down with Pres. Obama at the WH today. Netanyahu and Obama are expected to discuss the Middle East peace process, Israeli settlements, the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip and Iran, among other contentious topics.

Part of Netanyahu's visit will be to present a list of concessions Israel has made of late -- allowing more materials and goods to enter Gaza, as a start. The admin has dubbed the embargo "unsustainable," and WH officials said last week they would push to allow more goods through the borders. Israel has started bending to that international pressure.

Obama has tried to push peace in the Middle East, but progress has been slow going; the Israelis and Palestinians are still only talking through mediators George Mitchell and Tony Blair. That won't change, Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas has said, until Israel stops building settlements in the West Bank.

AG ERIC HOLDER: The Justice Department will file suit against AZ in order to prevent a controversial new immigration law from taking effect, DoJ officials told the Washington Post yesterday. It's been an open secret since last month, when Sec/State Hillary Clinton inadvertently told a TV station in Ecuador.

The law, SB 1070, has been the source of protests around the nation, though polls show a large portion of Americans support the bill. DoJ lawyers will say the law hinders the federal government's ability to enforce immigration laws around the country, arguing under the preemption doctrine that the measure is unconstitutional. SB 1070 is set to go into effect next month.

The challenge will have serious political ramifications -- both positive and negative -- for each party. Expect AZ Gov. Jan Brewer (R) to jump all over the Feds, and for fellow GOPers to follow suit (Remember when Brewer faced a tough GOP primary? SB 1070 has been a huge boon to her political prospects, if nothing else). But watch out, GOPers: Hispanic voters are already wary of your party, and too much harsh rhetoric on SB 1070 will push them more into the Dem fold.

The suit puts people like AG Terry Goddard (D) and Reps. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) in an awkward spot, too; they have to appeal to the voters who first got them elected -- swing voters in immigration-focused AZ -- while not alienating the Hispanic and liberal voters without whom no AZ Dem can win an election. That tightrope isn't going to be an easy one to walk, but they could find a benefit if their GOP rivals go overboard. With the AZ primary set for Aug. 24, it's possible GOPers could still try to out-conservative each other too much, and make their general election positions untenable.

SEN. SCOTT BROWN: Brown is fast becoming the only GOPer willing to work with the WH on contentious issues, something that benefits both sides. Over the weekend, Brown said he likes what he sees on financial regulatory reform; though that's not exactly an endorsement of the bill, it's a sign that he's moving toward giving Dems the crucial 60th vote after negotiators dropped a bank tax Brown found distasteful. His endorsement, and Sen. Maria Cantwell's (D-WA) "yes" vote, would give Dems the margin they need to pass the package.

Financial regulatory reform would be the latest in a string of measures Dems can add to their midterm report cards -- next to health care, the stimulus and various jobs bills, it's probably the most popular measure, as well. But can Dems translate that record of achievement into votes? Here's a sign they can't: The GOP isn't calling Dems a do-nothing Congress. Instead, they're charging their rivals with taking Obama's "change" mantra too far, too fast.

Meanwhile, as Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid takes a week off of one difficult job to attend to another -- that is, winning re-election -- Dems are beginning to realize just how crammed their schedules are for the post-recess legislative session, likely the last session of consequence before Election Day. Dems have to finish reg reform; confirm Elena Kagan; extend unemployment benefits; and maybe, just maybe, bring the DISCLOSE Act to the Senate floor. No lame duck session for this Congress. But time is becoming Dems' enemy very quickly.