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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.
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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.
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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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
Edwards takes lead in InsiderAdvantage Iowa poll
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
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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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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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."
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:
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Matthew Moore / Telegraph:
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 …
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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 …
Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
A Stanton For the Saudis — "A court in country X sentenced a black man who had been severely beaten by white men to six months in jail and 200 lashes." — How would you react if you read that in a newspaper? Shock, horror, anger at the regime in country X, no doubt.
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:
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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, Blue Hampshire, Outside The Beltway and The Ruckus
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 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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