U.S. Senate Democrats appeared close to dropping a proposal to let people between 55 and 64 purchase health insurance coverage through Medicare, but they said they remain resolved to pass health-care overhaul legislation this year.

The Medicare “buy-in” is a key component of a compromise version of the Senate bill brokered by a group of 10 liberals and centrists organized by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.). But following a Monday night meeting of Senate Democrats, several lawmakers said they believed the proposal would not remain part of the larger bill.

Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., is opposed to the Medicare buy-in proposal, and the Democrats in the Senate are looking for a 60th vote to end debate and vote on the bill itself. Lieberman is also opposed to a public option.

The Huffington Post reported Monday that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel personally told Reid to give Lieberman what he wanted on the health care reform bill.

Robert Gibbs didn’t rule it out, and Valerie Jarrett said on morning shows that they’re awaiting the results of an internal inquiry.

President Barack Obama was reportedly “furious” about the incident. Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, was called into a meeting with the president and Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Caldera took responsibility for the flyover, saying in a statement, “While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it’s clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.”

Rahm Emanuel near Espanola with Ben Ray Lujan

Is Ben Ray Luján the next Rahm Emanuel? Maybe, according to Politico.

In an article looking at who could take over as the next up-and-coming Democratic House leader, Luján’s name is thrown out there — albeit there is no reason given and it is just one of many. Emanuel, of course, has left the House to become President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff.

Probably the biggest name thrown out there is Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Also listed prominently are John B. Larson of Connecticut, Xavier Becerra of California, Joseph Crowley of New York and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.

Luján’s name is tacked onto a list of “youngsters” in the House who have a chance at being in the leadership. Politico wrote, “The 2008 Democratic class has put rookies like Pennsylvania Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, New Mexico Rep. Ben R. Lujan, New York Rep. Dan Maffei and Colorado Rep. Jared Polis on the map.”

But before you put some money down on the northern New Mexican making that leap to House leadership, see this caveat from Politico:

But it’s way too early to tell which members of this class will establish themselves as prominent voices inside the party — in fact, it’s too tough at this point to tell who will even retain their seats if 2010 proves to be a tough midterm cycle for Democrats.

The Chicago-area U.S. representative caught Obama’s eye, according to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” today, because he “knows policy, knows politics, knows Capitol Hill,” and Obama has told associates that Emanuel would “have his back.”

Bloomberg reports that Obama’s also looking at returning Lawrence Summers to his old Clinton-era post as head of the Treasury Department — a job pretty much no one wants to do these days.

Summers, 53, is favored to return to the Treasury post that he held under President Bill Clinton because Obama values his experience and familiarity with markets and global leaders, a crucial asset during the markets crisis.

Still, people close to the president-elect stress no final decision has been reached and that Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve, is also a strong contender. Geithner would also be welcome by many in the financial community; at age 47, he would be a fresh face in an administration that ran on a mantra of change.

As for Emanuel, let it be remembered that he was one of the national-stature Dems who pooh-poohed Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy that seems to have worked remarkably well for Obama. In terms of getting a quality team together, it seems that letting bygones be bygones could be yet another A+ strategy for Obama.