Top Items:
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.
Matt Lewis / TownHall Blog:
Fred Thompson Making a Major Move in Iowa … ... That's according to Sen. Fred Thompson's Iowa Executive Director, Robert Haus, a self-proclaimed "fossil" of Iowa politics who has worked for candidates like Sen. Chuck Grassley, Bob Dole, and Steve Forbes. — Of course, Haus was referencing …
Tom Baxter / Southern Political Report:
Edwards takes lead in InsiderAdvantage Iowa poll — John Edwards has leapfrogged over his rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and leads the Democratic field in Iowa, according to the latest InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll. In the Republican caucus race, Mike Huckabee continues to hold a narrow lead over Mitt Romney.
USA Today:
Poll: Electability key among Democrats
Poll: Electability key among Democrats
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 …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Corner, David Corn, Think Progress, MoJoBlog, The Daily Dish, The Carpetbagger Report, TownHall Blog and Lean Left
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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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Reid: Al Qaeda Still Winning In Iraq — Harry Reid doesn't know when to give up, or more precisely, when to give up on giving up. After spending the last several months trying to live down his declaration of America's defeat in Iraq on the Senate floor, Reid once again gave al-Qaeda …
National Enquirer:
NATIONAL ENQUIRER WORLD EXCLUSIVE: JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL! — The woman linked to Presidential candidate John Edwards in a cheating scandal is more than six months pregnant and telling a close confidante that Edwards is the father of her unborn child, The NATIONAL ENQUIRER has learned exclusively.
Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Huckabee touts 'the celebration of the birth of Christ' in ad — By all indications, American presidential campaigns have featured television campaigns for about six decades. Over that period, presidential hopefuls have made just about every appeal imaginable, but it appears that none have ever actually used the word "Christ."
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Ron Paul on Huck's Christmas ad: When fascism comes, it'll come bearing a cross
Ron Paul on Huck's Christmas ad: When fascism comes, it'll come bearing a cross
Discussion:
Political Radar, The Campaign Spot, Confederate Yankee, Riehl World View and Ed Driscoll.com
Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
Senate OKs $70B for Iraq, Afghanistan — WASHINGTON - The Senate gave President Bush a big win on Iraq Tuesday night as it passed a massive $555 billion spending bill combining funding for 14 Cabinet departments with $70 billion for U.S. military operations there and in Afghanistan.
Discussion:
The Grumpy Forester
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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 …
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."
Patrick Healy / The Caucus:
Yes, Mrs. Clinton Was There, Too — IN THE CLINTON HELICOPTER ABOVE IOWA - Hillary Rodham Clinton finally had a friend who could sympathize with her: Even Magic Johnson was not a big enough star to steal back the attention that was showered on former President Bill Clinton at a campaign event in Des Moines this morning.
Discussion:
TownHall Blog
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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.
Discussion:
The Sundries Shack, The American Mind, Redstate, Wizbang, Macsmind, Stop The ACLU and Hot Air
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 …
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.