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.

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 …

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 …

Worst Headline of the Day Award  —  The thinly veiled sexism oozing out of today's Examiner column by veteran local politics observer Harry Jaffe is hard enough to take, but to whomever thought up this gem of a headline, be they copy editor or author, DCist salutes your willingness to go boldly …

FIRST THOUGHTS: LAST IA DEBATE  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro  —  DES MOINES, IA — The seemingly endless debate parade of 2007 began — on the Republican side — at the Reagan Library in California, underneath Reagan's own Air Force One.

The Immigration Obsession  —  Kevin Drum quotes the LA Times' analysis: "More than any other question, Republican presidential candidates are asking voters to consider a single issue in the weeks before primary voting begins: Who detests illegal immigration the most?"

Bush: 'I Doubt I'd Be Standing Here If I Hadn't Quit Drinking Whiskey'  —  President Bush Opens Up About Past Alcohol Addiction During Exclusive Interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz  —  In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Bush spoke more candidly than ever before about his past alcohol addiction.

The Roots of the Mortgage Crisis  —  Bubbles cannot be safely defused by monetary policy before the speculative fever breaks on its own.  —  On Aug. 9, 2007, and the days immediately following, financial markets in much of the world seized up.  Virtually overnight the seemingly insatiable desire …

Paper Trail  —  Who authorized the CIA to destroy interrogation videos?  —  NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE  —  The CIA repeatedly asked White House lawyer Harriet Miers over a two-year period for instructions regarding what to do with "very clinical" videotapes depicting the use of "enhanced" …

Republican Special Election Performance A Harbinger For 2008?  —  Had the Republicans lost their two special election contests to replace deceased GOP House members, one would see the papers filled with analyses of the coming debacle for Republican hopes in 2008.

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.

3 Car Bombs Kill 27 in Southern Iraq  —  BAGHDAD — At least 27 people died and about 100 were wounded Wednesday when three car bombs ripped through a southern Iraqi city where rival Shiite groups have been battling for control of oil and power.  —  Iraqi security officials said the blasts in Amara …