Poll: Obama makes gains, is even with Clinton in N.H.  —  PELHAM, N.H. — Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a dead heat among New Hampshire voters in a statewide USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, underscoring the volatility of the race less than three weeks before the nation's first primary.

Huckabee Surges, Giuliani Plummets  —  By The Associated Press - 13 hours ago  —  THE RACE: The presidential race for Republicans in Michigan.  —  ___  —  THE NUMBERS — REPUBLICANS  —  Mitt Romney, 21 percent  —  Mike Huckabee, 19 percent  —  Rudy Giuliani, 12 percent  —  John McCain, 10 percent

Bush boxed in his congressional foes  —  HALCYON DAY: Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) at the opening of the 110th Congress in January.  Over the course of a year, President Bush used his veto and a core of loyal Republicans to substantially limit gains by the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

McCain Campaign Calls Allegations ‘Gutter Politics’  —  Sen. John McCain said today that he has “never done any favors for anybody — lobbyist or special-interest group” as his presidential campaign rushed out a statement denouncing allegations that he did anything to benefit a specific Washington lobbyist as “gutter politics.”

Putin ‘has secret $40bn fortune’  —  An unprecedented battle is taking place inside the Kremlin in advance of Vladimir Putin's departure from office, the Guardian has learned, with claims that the president presides over a secret multibillion-dollar fortune.

Descendants of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse break away from US  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States, leaders said Wednesday.  —  “We are no longer citizens …

Richardson Accuses Clinton of ‘Flip-Flop’ on Iraq Pullout  —  MUSCATINE, Iowa — I just got a phone call — unprompted — from Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a Democratic candidate for president, blasting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for saying she would withdraw nearly all American troops …

An Interview With Fred Thompson's Wife, Jeri Thompson  —  Yesterday, I got together with Fred Thompson's wife, Jeri Thompson, for a phone interview as she traveled around Iowa.  Unfortunately, near the end of the interview, while she was running low on time, she hit a bad cell.

Business As Usual On The Border  —  The reliably thoughtful Andrew Sullivan delivers his perspective on the awful story of a Nordic would-be tourist: … Matt Yglesias joins in: … So, this incident from Cheney's America reads like an Eastern European country in the 70's?

Choice is clear: McCain's the one  —  There are times in this nation's history so perilous that they cry out for a steady, experienced leader, a person so trusted that we would put the fate of this country in his hands.  —  This is one of those times, and Sen. John McCain is that person.

Ron Paul's Photo-Op with Stormfront  —  An LGF reader emailed this photograph, showing Ron Paul at the Values Voters Presidential Debate in Fort Lauderdale on September 17, 2007.  Immediately to Paul's left: Don Black, the owner of neo-Nazi hate site Stormfront.

Stewart and Colbert to Return Without Writers  —  Comedy Central's pair of popular news satirists, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, will return to their late-night television shows on Jan. 7, two months after production was suspended because of a writers' strike.

To See Or Not To See  —  There's a bit of controversy brewing today over Mitt Romney — apparently the Boston Phoenix and the Detroit Free Press are reporting that Romney's father George, the former Governor of Michigan never actually marched with Martin Luther King Jr. as had been previously claimed.

Troops Capture ‘Special Groups’ Leader, Release Detainees  —  Coalition forces captured a suspected “special groups” leader during operations yesterday in the northern Baghdad area, military officials reported.  —  The targeted individual was the special groups criminal element leader …

Belgium arrests 14 in terrorist plot  —  BRUSSELS, Belgium - Belgian police Friday arrested 14 Muslim extremists suspected of planning to free an al-Qaida sympathizer imprisoned for planning a terrorist attack on U.S. air base personnel, officials said.  —  Security was heightened at airports …

The Weakest of Denials  —  At a year-end press conference this morning, President Bush staved off questions about White House complicity in the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, refusing even to flatly deny that he was personally involved.  —  Bush also declined to say whether …

Huckabee's Faith-Based Views Find Critics, Fans in Both Parties  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — When the idea for a proclamation declaring Christian Heritage Week came up in 1994, Jim Guy Tucker, the Democratic governor of Arkansas, would not sign it.  His aides said he did not think it was appropriate to honor a particular faith.

Housing changes unravel Katrina victims' lives  —  Rent subsidy programs migrate to new agencies  —  On a rainy afternoon two days before Thanksgiving, Dawn Haynes was driving when she spotted the family of five sitting on the steps of Gospel Baptist Church.