QUICK POST-DEBATE IMPRESSIONS  —  From NBC's Chuck Todd  —  If the last debate was the moment where Democrats realized that the Clinton coronation was, at least, postponed, this one will be known as the debate that seemed to sharpen the contrast between Clinton and Obama and create a gap between the big two and everyone else.

Gonzales Defense Fund Set Up  —  Supporters of former attorney general Alberto R. Gonzales have created a trust fund to help pay for his legal expenses, which are mounting in the face of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether Gonzales committed perjury or improperly tampered with a congressional witness.

Clinton campaign: Hillary would win in a landslide if the election were tomorrow  —  Mark Penn, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) chief strategist, said Thursday that the Democratic front-runner would get 360 electoral votes if the election were held tomorrow and she faced former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R).

Karl Rove's New Gig  —  Less than three months after leaving the Bush White House, Karl Rove is becoming a member of a community not all that popular with administration officials: the media.  —  Newsweek has signed the president's former deputy chief of staff as a commentator who will turn …

Sources: Latest Senate FISA Bill Does Not Contain Telecom Immunity  —  This is pretty big.  As some people have been speculating today, aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have confirmed to me that the version of the FISA bill that was just reported out of the Judiciary Committee does not …

Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction charges  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could face prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.

Anti-Romney calls being made in Iowa  —  In an apparent push poll, a research firm has called Iowa Republicans this week praising John McCain and critcizing Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith.  —  An individual in Manchester, Iowa, contacted me on Wednesday night saying he received a call …

Saudi punishes gang rape victim with 200 lashes  —  A court in the ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia is punishing a female victim of gang rape with 200 lashes and six months in jail, a newspaper reported on Thursday.  —  The 19-year-old woman — whose six armed attackers …

Sedition in Olympia: Anti-war mom drops baby human shield as anarchist kiddie shields watch  —  On Monday, I blogged about the human kiddie shields being used by anti-war thugs in Olympia to block military shipments.  This afternoon, an Olympia reader e-mailed some new …

Debate Drunkblogging — LIVE!  —  5:49pm (All times Mountainish) The comments thread is below.  Loud [Freudian typo? -ed.] Dobbs needs to fire his colorist, but it's not like they're hurting for business over at Crayola.  —  5:53pm Mike Gravel is notable for his absence.

Manual exposes Guantánamo tactics  —  A detailed insight into the inner workings of the Guantánamo detention camp, ranging from items allowed in cells to how many witnesses should be present for cavity searches, is provided in a leaked Pentagon manual.  —  See the full manual here (pdf)

Decision time for US over Iran nuclear threat  —  UN nuclear report heightens tension  —  Iran has installed 3,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium - enough to begin industrial-scale production of nuclear fuel and build a warhead within a year, the UN's nuclear watchdog reported last night.

Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women  —  SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.  —  Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say …

KCCI-TV Releases Exclusive Iowa Caucus Poll  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — An exclusive copyrighted KCCI-TV poll released Thursday shows the Democratic race for president in Iowa tightening among the top three contenders, while there are significant changes in the Republican field.

Three-Tour Iraq Vet: 'Our Troops Need To Come Home Now'  —  At tonight's CNN Democratic debate, the candidates heard a strong warning against U.S. military action against Iran from Christopher Jackson, a Marine who served three tours of duty in Iraq: … The entire audience, including the candidates …

America suffers an epidemic of suicides among traumatised army veterans  —  More American military veterans have been committing suicide than US soldiers have been dying in Iraq, it was claimed yesterday.  —  At least 6,256 US veterans took their lives in 2005, at an average of 17 a day, according to figures broadcast last night.