S.C. poll: Huckabee bolts to top of GOP; Obama cuts into Clinton lead  —  (CNN) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee surged to the top among Republican presidential candidates in South Carolina, while Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead over Sen. Barack Obama among Democrats narrowed since July in that state, according to a new poll.

Did meeting lead to Shaheen ouster?  —  From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan  —  JOHNSTON, IA — In the spin room after today's debate, Obama adviser David Axelrod said that Obama had told Clinton today that "leadership came from the top" in regards to negative attacks and campaigning.

Vuitton-clad Venezuela minister spouts socialism  —  CARACAS (Reuters) - A video of a Gucci- and Louis Vuitton-clad politician attacking capitalism then struggling to explain how his luxurious clothes square with his socialist beliefs has become an instant YouTube hit in Venezuela.

Unfettered 'citizen journalism' too risky  —  You're beginning to get a lot more news ... from you.  —  It ranges from the CNN YouTube debates to political blogs to cellphone video of that sniper who opened fire at an Omaha Mall.  These are all examples of so called "citizen journalism," …

Plan B For Pelosi And Reid  —  Congressional Democrats need a Plan B.  —  Republicans chortle as they block Democratic initiatives — and accuse the majority of being unable to govern.  Rank-and-filers are furious that their leaders can't end the Iraq war.  President Bush sits back and vetoes at will.

Protecting Hillary: Bill Clinton Severs Business Ties With Billionaire Buddy Burkle  —  Bill Clinton has severed business ties with Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle, fearful that their deals could erupt into bad publicity damaging his wife's presidential bid, according to sources who know both men.

A ROMNEY-FRIENDLY SCENARIO  —  Earlier today, I suggested that Mitt Romney might be man to beat among the Republican contenders in spite of his problems in Iowa, and I promised to describe a scenario under which Romney wins the nomination.  I now put forth that scenario.  —  Let's start with Iowa.

Global Carbon Tax Urged at UN Climate Conference  —  BALI, Indonesia - A global tax on carbon dioxide emissions was urged to help save the Earth from catastrophic man-made global warming at the United Nations climate conference.  A panel of UN participants on Thursday urged the adoption …

Code Huckabee  —  Is the thought of Mike Huckabee as president just vaguely scary?  Or have we learned enough about the man that we should be hair-on-fire alarmed at the prospect, still pretty remote, that he could actually win?  —  True, none of his opponents for the Republican nomination inspires much confidence.

Players listed in the Mitchell Commission report … Here are players mentioned in the Mitchell Commission report and how it links them to performance-enhancing substances:  —  Information Learned During this Investigation Concerning BALCO and Major League Baseball (9 players/3 active in MLB in 2007)

Homespun Meets Hard-Line  —  DES MOINES — There is a frigid grandeur to the Midwest in winter — the dark stubble in snow-layered cornfields, chunks of ice bobbing down the Missouri River, stranded cars decorating the roadside.  —  I came to Iowa to see a series of rallies by the surging Mike Huckabee …

Amazon Ordered to End Free Delivery on Books in France  —  Amazon.com may not offer free delivery on books in France, the high court in Versailles has ruled.  —  The action, brought in January 2004 by the French Booksellers' Union (Syndicat de la librairie française) …

The Pulpit and the Potemkin Village  —  Would Reagan survive in today's GOP?  And is Mrs. Clinton in for a fall this winter?  —  What is happening in Iowa is no longer boring but big, and may prove huge.  —  The Republican race looks—at the moment—to be determined primarily by one thing, the question of religious faith.