Top Items:
The Washington Post / The Trail:
Clinton N.H. Official Warns Obama Will Be Attacked on Drug Use — Bill Shaheen, Clinton's New Hampshire co-chair. (AP). — DOVER, N.H. — Billy Shaheen, the co-chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire, raised the issue of Sen. Barack Obama's past admissions of drug use …
Discussion:
CNN, Ben Smith's Blogs, Spin Cycle, TPM Election Central, The Carpetbagger Report, Riehl World View, MyDD and Outside The Beltway
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Martina Stewart / CNN Political Ticker:
CNN N.H. Poll: Obama, Clinton tied; Romney remains strong — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama has chipped away at Hillary Clinton's lead in New Hampshire, and the two Democratic presidential hopefuls are now locked in a statistical tie less than one month before the first-in-the-nation primary, a CNN/WMUR Poll released Wednesday shows.
NY Daily News:
Bill Clinton to aid Hillary's campaign — WASHINGTON - Bubba to the rescue! — Alarmed by his wife's slide in the polls and disarray within her backbiting campaign, a beside-himself Bill Clinton has leaped atop the barricades and is furiously plotting a cure - or coup.
Discussion:
The New Republic, Hot Air, The Politico, Taylor Marsh, JustOneMinute, Riehl World View, TIME: Swampland, Cameron's Corner, Gateway Pundit, Horses Mouth and MSNBC
Marc Ambinder:
Clinton Will Close On Electability, Readies Contrast Ads Obama — Inexperience and Unelectability it is. — The Clinton campaign has settled on its final argument against Barack Obama, and is using two new national polls to kick start an aggressive campaign in the national media designed …
John McCormick / The Swamp:
Obama picks up South Carolina endorsement
Obama picks up South Carolina endorsement
Discussion:
CNN Political Ticker
Zev Chafets / New York Times:
The Huckabee Factor — Mike Huckabee walked into the lobby of the Des Moines Marriott at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, deposited an armful of dirty laundry at the desk and checked to make sure he was being credited with Marriott Rewards points toward his next stay. Then, accompanied by his wife …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, Matthew Yglesias, The Carpetbagger Report, Power Line, The Swamp, The Corner, Associated Press, Hot Air, Boston Globe, Daily Kos, Redstate, The New Republic, The Campaign Spot, Commentary, HorseRaceBlog, God-o-Meter, Salon, Shakespeare's Sister, Examining Presidential …, Washington Wire, CNN Political Ticker, Political Punch, Riehl World View, Eunomia, TPM Election Central, Althouse, The Agitator, Jonathan Martin's Blogs and The Heretik
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Mark Murray / MSNBC:
ENTER ALAN KEYES — From NBC's Mark Murray — JOHNSTON, IA — There is one additional Republican presidential candidate who will be on the stage here at the GOP Des Moines Register/Iowa Public Television debate this afternoon: Alan Keyes. — This will be the first major debate …
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Michelle Malkin:
The Iowa GOP Debate: "A little snappier, gentlemen! ;" Update Fred Thompson's not playing the "hand show;" Update: Aggghhh! The GOP candidates are all turning green; Update: Where's the Hucka-pile-on? ; Update: Keyes the hijacker; Update: New Year's resolutions; bottom line: DUD.
Klaus Marre / The Hill:
Kucinich booted from Iowa debate — Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) is being excluded from this week's Iowa presidential debate because he has not rented office space in the Hawkeye State, his campaign said Wednesday. — The Des Moines Register informed the campaign that Kucinich is not invited …
Discussion:
Des Moines Register, CNN Political Ticker, Boston Globe, Booman Tribune and Cliff Schecter
Marc Ambinder:
First Take: The Final Republican Debate — The headline is that no one laid a glove on Mike Huckabee. And that Mitt Romney had a hell of a good afternoon. He seemed more sinewy than usual, less programmed, quite (dare we say) presidential, and even-tempered.
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Pelosi backs down in spending battle — In the face of stiff opposition from powerful fellow Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has abandoned a proposal she supported less than 24 hours ago to eliminate lawmakers' earmarks from the omnibus spending package.
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Amanda / Think Progress:
Sen. Kit Bond: Waterboarding Is Like 'Swimming' — Yesterday on PBS's Newshour, host Gwen Ifill asked Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) whether waterboarding constitutes torture. Bond replied that the technique is actually more like "swimming": … Watch it: — Conservatives have repeatedly tried …
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The Politico:
Boehner admits GOP money situation 'sucks' — One of the best things that can be said of Rep. John A. Boehner's leadership is that the head of House Republicans is no Newt Gingrich, no Tom DeLay. — The Ohio lawmaker has an affable, understated style and runs a team that has the long knives …
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New York Post:
JEWS' SUBWAY HERO A MUSLIM — SAVES 'HANUKKAH' RIDERS FROM THUGS — A Brooklyn man whose "Happy Hanukkah" greeting landed him in the hospital said he was saved from a gang of Jew-bashing goons aboard a packed Q train by a total stranger - a modest Muslim from Bangladesh.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Jawa Report, Gawker, Gateway Pundit, At-Largely, Liberty Street, The Debate Link, American Footprints and Neptunus Lex
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
The Dream Is Dead — The man crowned by Tommy Franks as "the dumbest [expletive] guy on the planet" just made the dumbest [expletive] speech on the planet. — Doug Feith, the former Rummy gofer who drove the neocon plan to get us into Iraq, and then dawdled without a plan as Iraq crashed into chaos …