Romney Strategy in Peril With Huckabee's Ascent  —  Bid for Early States Appears in Jeopardy  —  DES MOINES — A year ago, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney gathered his campaign team for the first time at his suburban Boston home.  There were PowerPoint presentations, and Ann Romney made sandwiches.

Warnings Unheeded On Guards In Iraq  —  Despite Shootings, Security Companies Expanded Presence  —  The U.S. government disregarded numerous warnings over the past two years about the risks of using Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms in Iraq, expanding their presence …

That queasy Little Rock feeling  —  Mike Huckabee is the type of politician that I would like to like.  But I always had a funny feeling about the guy based on allegations made when he was governor.  Subtle innuendos about influence and Big Business that I would pick up when business took me to NW Arkansas.

Huckabee's Co-Pilot  —  Some of us — in my case, a political conservative and evangelical Christian — are getting a queasy feeling when it comes to the presidential campaign of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, and much of it has to do with his use of faith in this political campaign.

U.S. Officials See Waste in Pakistan Aid  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — After the United States has spent more than $5 billion in a largely failed effort to bolster the Pakistani military effort against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, some American officials now acknowledge that there were too few controls over the money.

Politico's Populist pop quiz  —  At first glance, John Edwards and Mike Huckabee seem like complete opposites.  The Democratic trial lawyer and Republican preacher seem straight out of central casting, ready-made rivals for a clichéd Hollywood take on the electoral process.

A Green Light for Common Sense  —  To Slow Drivers, German Town Drops Traffic Signals and Lane Markers  —  BOHMTE, Germany — Like countless other communities, this west German town lived for years with a miserable traffic problem.  Each day, thousands of cars and big trucks barreled along …

Lost In the Obama Era  —  Jesse Jackson can still get a crowd going—when he can find one.  He appeared at a Los Angeles restaurant this fall, primed to discuss school dropout rates and home foreclosures.  But only eight people showed up, mostly reporters.

State of the Unions  —  Once upon a time, back when America had a strong middle class, it also had a strong union movement.  —  These two facts were connected.  Unions negotiated good wages and benefits for their workers, gains that often ended up being matched even by nonunion employers.

Video: Ron Paul explains “fascism” and little else on Meet the Press  —  As Red State observes, strange things happen when Tim Russert meets Ron Paul.  On MTP this morning, Russert asked Paul a number of questions, from how and what government stuff would Paul pay for once he's done away with the income tax …

Health Care Mandates: A Dead-end Debate  —  Democratic candidates have been debating the merits of their universal health plans, with the debate and columns by Paul Krugman focused on the need for “mandates” to acquire health insurance.  Those debates are worthwhile, but they need to be refocused on why …

‘Israel could survive nuclear war’  —  If a nuclear war between Israel and Iran were to break out 16-20 million Iranians would lose their lives - as opposed to 200,000-800,000 Israelis, according to a report recently published by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies …