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.

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 …

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.

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."

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 …

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

BBC's censorship of The Pogues: Reader fury  —  The BBC's decision to remove the word "faggot" from the classic Christmas song Fairytale of New York has roused the ire of Telegraph readers.  —  Music lovers of all political stripes and sexual orientations have posted messages …

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 …

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.

Check out the cross in the Huckabee ad  —  An Associated Press analysis of the Mike Huckabee's new Christmas-card TV ad reminds me of something I noticed last night when I first saw the ad, the not-so-subtle use of the cross behind the former Arkansas governor.  —  The AP analysis actually doesn't mention the use of the cross.

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."

The Sound of a Million Elves Celebrating  —  To my surprise, I find I'm on New Line Cinema's PR list, so let me pass on this bit of news: Peter Jackson's gonna make two films from The Hobbitt: … Why did this happen now, after many years of bitterness between Jackson and New Line over the Lord of the Rings payouts?