Fred Wins, Iowa Loses  —  Why Carolyn Washburn should keep her day job.  —  HERE WE WERE on Wednesday, a nation of political junkies gathered around our televisions to watch the candidates debate each other one last time, and we had as a moderator one Carolyn Washburn, the editor of the Des Moines Register.

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 …

Deal would give Bush victory on war funding  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Democratic lawmakers and staffers privately say they're closing in on a broad budget deal that would give President Bush as much as $70 billion in new war funding.  —  The deal would lack a key provision Democrats had attached …

The Cartoon Mitt Romney Doesn't Want You To See [VIDEO]  —  Posted by Oliver Willis, Oliver Willis.com at 4:32 AM on December 12, 2007.  —  That it's got over 500,000 views on YouTube can't help someone like Mitt Romney  —  I don't know enough about Mormon theology to know if this bit …

Muslim helps Jews attacked on New York subway  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying "Happy Hanukkah," a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday.

THEY'LL LOVE YOU FOR IT!  ORDER HERE.  —  Last Night, I Helped Huck [David Freddoso]  —  Last night, I went to my favorite watering hole.  It's part of my job.  That's what I tell myself, anyway.  —  At various times, I was chatting with Capitol Hill's second-most disgruntled Democratic staffer …

Update on Ratings of Bush, Congress  —  Thirty-seven percent approve of Bush, 22% of Congress  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll, conducted Dec. 6-9, finds 37% of Americans approving of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, an improvement from his recent scores in the low 30s.

General won't say waterboarding violates Geneva Conventions  —  WASHINGTON — A U.S. military legal advisor wouldn't rule out the possibility that statements by suspected terrorists subjected to waterboarding, or simulated drowning, could be used at hearings being conducted at Guantánamo Bay.

Van Hollen concerned about GOP 527 groups  —  Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) signaled concern about the prospect of GOP-aligned 527 groups pouring money into contested races, according to a memo he wrote to House Democrats today.

Half of Scots see Muslims as 'cultural threat' in wake of terrorist attacks  —  THE number of Scots who hold discriminatory attitudes towards Muslims has increased over the last three years following the terrorist attacks in London, new figures showed yesterday.