Top Items:
Steven Thomma / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Iowa: Edwards surges, Huckabees bubble bursts — DES MOINES, Iowa — John Edwards has clawed his way into contention to win Iowa's caucuses on Thursday in the first vote for the Democratic presidential nomination, gaining strength even as rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have lost ground, according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll.
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John Whitesides / Reuters:
Clinton leads in Iowa; Huckabee, Romney even: Poll — DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead in Iowa four days before the state opens the presidential nominating race, while Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are virtually tied, according to a Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll released on Sunday.
Michael Dobbs / Washington Post:
Sorting Truth From Campaign Fiction — Mitt Romney says he “saw” his father “march” with Martin Luther King Jr. Rudolph W. Giuliani claims that he is one of the “five best-known Americans in the world." According to John McCain, the Constitution established the United States as a “Christian nation.”
Michael Calderone / The Politico:
Times defends hiring conservative Kristol — The New York Times' hiring of Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol to write for its op-ed page caused a frenzy in the liberal blogosphere Friday night, with threats of canceling subscriptions and claims that the Gray Lady had been hijacked by neo-cons
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Editor and Publisher:
Kristol Mess? It's Official —'NYT' Explains Hiring New ‘Op-Ed’ Wag — NEW YORK A day after the Huffington Post first reported it, The New York Times has announced that it has indeed hired conservative pundit, and Fox News analyst, Bill Kristol, as a new regular op-ed columnist.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, TBogg, State of the Day, Suburban Guerrilla, Oliver Willis and Left in the West
New York Times:
The Times Adds an Op-Ed Columnist — William Kristol, one of the nation's leading conservative writers and a vigorous supporter of the Iraq war, will become an Op-Ed page columnist for The New York Times, the newspaper announced Saturday. — Mr. Kristol will write a weekly column for The Times beginning Jan. 7, the newspaper said.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
KRISTOL TO RAVISH GREY LADY
KRISTOL TO RAVISH GREY LADY
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, Political Machine, No More Mister Nice Blog, DownWithTyranny!, The Daily Dish and BitsBlog
Concord Monitor:
Hillary Clinton is the Democrats' best choice — December 29. — Immediately after taking office, President Hillary Clinton would begin preparations to withdraw American troops from Iraq. — She would send a message to world leaders that the United States intends to rejoin the community of nations.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily
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Washington Post:
Warning of Threats, Clinton Sells Clinton — Ex-President Emphasizes Wife's Experience — NASHUA, N.H. — Former president Bill Clinton yesterday delivered in stark terms a version of his wife's central campaign message: that her experience in Washington better prepares her to “deal with the unexpected.”
Discussion:
On Deadline
CNN:
Thompson: ‘Not particularly interested in running for president’ — (CNN) — Republican Fred Thompson has long faced criticism he lacks motivation to be President of the United States, but the Tennessee Republican's latest comments Saturday are likely to spawn fresh heat.
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David S. Broder / Washington Post:
Bipartisan Group Eyes Independent Bid — First, Main Candidates Urged To Plan ‘Unity’ Government — New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a potential independent candidate for president, has scheduled a meeting next week with a dozen leading Democrats and Republicans …
Inside Higher Ed:
A Moderate MLA — The Modern Language Association frequently helps out its critics with provocative session titles and left-leaning political stands offered by its members. At this year's annual meeting, in Chicago, some MLA members have worried that the association was poised to take stances …
Don Surber:
The no Ron Paul zone — Fox News wisely excludes the faux Republican from its New Hampshire debate. — If candidates can boycott Fox News debates, why can't Fox News boycott candidates? — The Paulies are all up in arms because he was excluded from the final pre-NH primary debate for Republicans held by Fox News.
Discussion:
PoliGazette
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Dallas Morning News:
2007 DMN Texan of the Year: The Illegal Immigrant — He is at the heart of a great culture war in Texas - and the nation, credited with bringing us prosperity and blamed for abusing our resources. How should we deal with this stranger among us? — He breaks the law by his very presence.
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Scott Helman / Boston Globe:
Ground game is key for Democrats — BOONE, Iowa - John Edwards has the practice, having placed second in the last Iowa caucuses and visited more counties than anyone else. Barack Obama has the buzz, which has translated into an unmatched volunteer army. And Hillary Clinton has the machine …
Foon Rhee / Boston Globe:
Did McCain call Romney a 'pig'? — DOVER, N.H. — As Senator John McCain rolled down a New Hampshire highway today in his “Straight Talk Express” campaign bus, he listened to a description of the latest attack on him by his chief rival in this state's primary, Mitt Romney.
New York Times:
Tapes by C.I.A. Lived and Died to Save Image — WASHINGTON — If Abu Zubaydah, a senior operative of Al Qaeda, died in American hands, Central Intelligence Agency officers pursuing the terrorist group knew that much of the world would believe they had killed him.
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Obama Derides Outside Spending — For much of the last week, Barack Obama has alleged that the series of independent organizations spending money on behalf of his main Democratic rivals in Iowa raise real questions about those candidates' commitment to serious reform of the political process.