The Senate returns to work today after a week off for Thanksgiving, and the pending matter on the floor is the debate on health care legislation from Democrats.  It will be a busy run to Christmas for Senators.

"What happens next is we legislate," said Jim Manley, the chief spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who interrupted his NFL viewing habits to take email questions from pesky reporters like your blog author.

"The bill will be fully amendable," said Manley, which - if I take him at his word - means Reid won't try to "fill the amendment tree" and hamstring any GOP efforts to amend the health bill.

But Manley also telegraphed some tough parliamentary moves in the weeks ahead.

"We need 60 votes at some point to end debate and will try to do that," Manley added.

Meanwhile, the lead paragraph of the latest health care story from the Associated Press laid bare the problems that Reid and other leading Democrats have right now on health care.

"The 60 votes aren't there any more."

They were ten days ago, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  But Democrats face a lot of hurdles, on the public health insurance option, abortion funding restrictions and much, much more.

As of now, Democrats have not publicly identified the first amendment that their side will offer to the bill, and neither have the Republicans, though we certainly know some of the issues that will be the focus for debate.

We will get an idea this week just how serious Democrats are about trying to finish the bill this year.  For example, if we go a couple of days without votes on amendments, you can forget any talk about finishing the bill in December.

Will the Senate work this Saturday?  Sen. Reid has threatened that multiple times in recent weeks.

This will be a fun next few weeks to be a reporter in the halls of Congress, covering a story that could go any number of ways.