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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
The Two Words That Strike Fear Into The GOP — They aren't Hillary Clinton, nor are they Ron Paul. The two words that will haunt the early primary states are "brokered convention", and we may be heading towards it. At Heading Right, I review the McClatchy analysis of what looks to be a Rudy Giuliani slide.
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David Yepsen / Des Moines Register:
Don't rule out surges by Edwards, Thompson — There's a lot of buzz about the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for Democratic caucus votes in Iowa. And there's also a lot of talk about the fight between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee on the Republican side.
USA Today:
Poll: Electability key among Democrats — WASHINGTON — Democratic voters increasingly are focused on nominating the most electable presidential candidate, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama fares better than New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton against prospective Republican rivals.
Discussion:
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Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Huckabee Adviser Clarifies Remark About Homosexuality And Necrophilia: They're Both "Aberrant Behavior," But They're At "Opposite Ends Of The Spectrum" — By Greg Sargent - December 18, 2007, 4:57PM — Oh, man. One of Mike Huckabee's chief advisers has just attempted to clarify …
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Think Progress, MoJoBlog, The Corner, The Daily Dish, The Carpetbagger Report, David Corn and TownHall Blog
Rsinderbrand / CNN Political Ticker:
Elder Bush nixes Clinton trip idea — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former President George H.W. Bush has shot down his successor Bill Clinton's idea of a diplomatic mission under a Hillary Clinton presidency that would send him and other notables abroad to assure other nations that "America is open for business and cooperation again."
Martin Kady II / The Politico:
Reid: The American people are losing — If this is what winning looks like, then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants no part of it. — Tired of Republican crowing about winning on Iraq funding, the budget battle and the energy bill, Reid (D-Nev.) shot back on Tuesday afternoon.
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Blogs For Victory
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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Reid: Al Qaeda Still Winning In Iraq
Reid: Al Qaeda Still Winning In Iraq
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Transterrestrial Musings
Reuters:
New York Times in Iraq: "Blackwater shot our dog" — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Iraq is investigating another deadly shooting incident involving its Blackwater bodyguards — this time of the New York Times's dog. — Staff at the newspaper's Baghdad bureau …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Sweetness & Light, Wonkette, Gawker, JammieWearingFool, Redstate, On Deadline and Brave New Films blog
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Dems mull ousting Byrd as chairman — A group of Senate Democrats has begun quietly exploring ways to replace the venerable Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, believing he's no longer physically up to the job, according to Democratic senators …
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Radio Blogger's TownHall Blog, CNN Political Ticker, Don Surber, michellemalkin.com, The Swamp, Wonkette, Publius Endures, The Newshoggers, Outside The Beltway, Washington Post, UrbanGrounds, The Strata-Sphere, Captain's Quarters, TPMmuckraker, Think Progress, Betsy's Page and Right Voices
Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:
Romney Attended Planned Parenthood Fundraiser in 1994 — ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Mitt Romney attended a fund-raising reception for Planned Parenthood in 1994 in conjunction with a $150 donation his wife made to the organization — notwithstanding Romney's contention that he had …
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
New Fred Thompson Video: Kill. Protect. Punch. — If Fred wants to win the election, all he has to do is put this in constant rotation in Iowa and his victory would be guaranteed...or he would actually drop into last place. One or the other.
Mike Soraghan / The Hill:
Hoyer says Congress may not be able to patch AMT — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hinted Tuesday that Congress may not be able to stop a big tax increase from hitting 23 million Americans. — Hoyer, pressed on whether Congress would resolve disputes over the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), said, "Maybe."
Discussion:
CQ Politics, Weekly Standard, USA Today, Don Surber, Wake up America and Blue Crab Boulevard
Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:
Once neutral, filmmaker Ken Burns picks Obama — Manchester, N.H. - New Hampshire resident and famed filmmaker Ken Burns said today that he is throwing his support behind Sen. Barack Obama for president, complaining that "recent events" and the negative tone of the campaign compelled him to come forward.
MBA Announcement / Media Bloggers Association:
Newsweek and MBA create a Ruckus on Newsweek.com — in - MBAMajorNews - MBANewsweek - MBAPressRelease — MEDIA BLOGGERS ASSOCIATION JOINS WITH NEWSWEEK TO LAUNCH 'THE RUCKUS,' A NEW GROUP POLITICS BLOG — THE RUCKUS FEATURES GUEST BLOGGERS FROM THE LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTER-PLUS KEY PRIMARY STATES
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, The Moderate Voice, Beltway Blogroll, Outside The Beltway and The Ruckus
Charles Paul Freund / American Spectator:
A Brutalist Bargain — How many dollars does it take to change a light bulb? Well, if the defunct bulb you're replacing has been illuminating the Third Church of Christ, Scientist in downtown Washington, you could be looking at a bill of up to $8,000. That's because unscrewing a blown bulb …