memeorandum: Ron Paul backers stage Boston Tea Party, raise millions (Michael Levenson/Boston Globe)

10:45 AM ET, December 17, 2007

Top Items:

New Clinton campaign out to show her likability — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, trying to warm up an image some voters perceive as cold, starts a drive Monday to showcase her personal side with testimonials from friends, associates and constituents she has helped.

Discussion: The Swamp, MSNBC, Gateway Pundit, New York Times, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, Comments from Left Field, Blue Crab Boulevard, Fausta's blog, Macsmind and The Page

Geoff Earle / New York Post:

KERREY'S PRAISE OF BARACK A BIG O-BOMBO — NEW SCHOOL President and former US Sen. Bob Kerrey just couldn't help himself from applauding Barack Obama after endorsing Hillary Rodham Clinton in Iowa yesterday - until he gave a left-handed compliment that almost sounded like it was cooked up in Clinton's headquarters.

Discussion: Des Moines Register and The Campaign Spot

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Big Table Fantasies — Broadly speaking, the serious contenders for the Democratic nomination are offering similar policy proposals — the dispute over health care mandates notwithstanding. But there are large differences among the candidates in their beliefs about what it will take to turn a progressive agenda into reality.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Open Left, Brian Beutler, politburo diktat 2.0, Prairie Weather, Cafe Hayek, Daniel W. Drezner and Tom Watson

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

In '08 Race, the Other Clinton Steps Up Publicly — DUNLAP, Iowa — When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign advisers laid out their new political strategy in a private conference call with allies last Tuesday, Bill Clinton was not on the line. He did not need to be. The message being delivered was his.

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker, TownHall Blog, MSNBC, The Politico, TIME, Washington Times, No More Mister Nice Blog and Shakespeare's Sister

Tony Leys / Des Moines Register:

Iowa's first lady to back Edwards for president — Iowa's first lady, who had said she would stay neutral in the presidential race, has changed her mind and plans to endorse Democrat John Edwards Monday. — "I decided to join in the fray," Mari Culver said in an interview today.

Discussion: Associated Press

Michael James / Political Punch:

Why Did Bob Kerrey Mention Obama's Middle Name — 'Hussein'? — Some Obama supporters have asked why former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., who endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., today, mentioned her opponent Sen. Barack Hussein Obama's middle name in remarks published in The Washington Post. (LINK)

Discussion: UrbanGrounds, The Carpetbagger Report, The RBC, Outside The Beltway, Political Machine, JammieWearingFool and No More Mister Nice Blog

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
Clinton invites voters to 'inspect' her

Discussion: michellemalkin.com

Patrick Healy / The Caucus:
Clinton Endorsed by Bob Kerrey

Discussion: Radio Iowa and The Democratic Daily

Jose Antonio Vargas / The Trail:

Ron Paul Beats Own Fundraising Record — In 2004, on the day John Kerry accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, the Boston senator raised $5.7 million on the Internet, the biggest online fundraising day on record. — Yesterday, Ron Paul, the Republican congressman whose rock star status …

Discussion: The Caucus, PoliBlog (TM), The Democratic Daily, PoliGazette, Connecting.the.Dots and Los Angeles Times

Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:

Paul's one-day haul a record — Rep. Ron Paul of Texas yesterday broke the single-day Republican presidential-campaign fundraising record he set last month, raising about $6 million and giving him almost $18 million for the fourth quarter. — His new record came on a day in which former Massachusetts …

Discussion: CALIFORNIA YANKEE, TechRepublican.com and Boston Globe

The Corner:
Ron Paul — Two Decades of Leadership [Rick Brookhiser]

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:
Ron Paul becomes $6 million man

Discussion: Reason Magazine

Michael Levenson / Boston Globe: Ron Paul backers stage Boston Tea Party, raise millions

Yahoo! News:

Lieberman's New Kiss of Death — The Nation — Senator Joe Lieberman will finally come clean on Monday, unleashing his inner-Republican to endorse the struggling campaign of Senator John McCain, according to several news reports. It is a bittersweet alliance for both men.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, PoliBlog (TM), Middle Earth Journal, CANNONFIRE, PoliGazette, Oliver Willis, Firedoglake, The Moderate Voice and The Politico

The Trail:
Lieberman to Cross Aisle to Endorse McCain

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister, Buck Naked Politics, DownWithTyranny!, Blue Hampshire, Hot Air, Outside The Beltway, The Daily Dish, CAFFEINATED POLITICS, Lawyers, Guns and Money and TalkLeft

Washington Post:

Home-School Ties Aided Huckabee's Iowa Rise — Early Backers Rallied Conservative Network — ELDORA, Iowa — Julie Roe, an early believer in Mike Huckabee, worked with what she had. — With no buttons, no yard signs and no glossy literature from his nearly invisible Iowa campaign …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

Michael Cooper / New York Times:
Candidates Scrambling to Cope With Rise of Huckabee

Discussion: TownHall Blog, MSNBC, Telegraph, Associated Press, New York Post, Booman Tribune and Crunchy Con

David Paul Kuhn / The Politico:
Huckabee ramps up game in early states

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker

Washington Post:

Bush Faces Pressure to Shift War Priorities — As Iraq Calms, Focus Turns to Afghanistan — With violence on the decline in Iraq but on the upswing in Afghanistan, President Bush is facing new pressure from the U.S. military to accelerate a troop drawdown in Iraq and bulk up force levels in Afghanistan …

Discussion: Don Surber, On Deadline, Prairie Weather, Political Machine and SWJ Blog

Kevin Landrigan / Nashuatelegraph.com:

Clinton chases after Obama with gender card — This week has finally put an end to all of that silly talk over the last 10 months from media pundits and political observers alike that Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., was going to win the New Hampshire primary in a walk.

Discussion: The Politico, The Stump, TPM Election Central, eyeon08.com and New York Post

Atrios / Eschaton:

Shorter Candidates — Obama: The system sucks, but I'm so awesome that it'll melt away before me. — Edwards: The system sucks, and we're gonna have to fight like hell to destroy it. — Clinton: The system sucks, and I know how to work within it more than anyone.

Scarecrow / Firedoglake:

Who Will Stand with Chris Dodd for the Constitution? — Sometime today, Chris Dodd will take the floor in the US Senate and begin talking — a filibuster — and what he has to say touches on the most important issues facing this country. The immediate topic will be a bill to provide retroactive immunity …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Sideshow, TIME: Swampland, Chris Dodd National Blog, Lean Left, CNN, Salon, All Spin Zone, First Draft, Blue Hampshire, Corrente and The Anonymous Liberal

Katherine Kersten / Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Normandale's 'meditation room' is home to a single faith — Last week, I visited a Muslim place of worship. A schedule for Islam's five daily prayers was posted at the entrance, near a sign requesting that shoes be removed. Inside, a barrier divided men's and women's prayer space …

Discussion: Norwegianity

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
DOING THAT WUDU AT NORMANDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Markus Becker / Spiegel Online:

Climate Change Deal Reached after US U-Turn — There were tears, boos and, at the end, even hugs: After a long struggle, the delegates at the UN climate conference on Bali finally managed to agree on a roadmap for fighting climate change. Despite the lack of concrete targets, most considered the deal a success.

Discussion: PoliGazette

Jonathan Leake / Times of London:
Bali deal leaves greens in despair

Discussion: Telegraph and NewsBusters.org

Joseph Menn / Los Angeles Times:

Striking writers in talks to launch Web start-ups — MOVING TO NEW MEDIA: Aaron Mendelsohn, a Writers Guild board member known for the "Air Bud" franchise, is in a group that plans to produce programming for the Internet independently of Hollywood studios at odds with the union.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias