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.

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

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.

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.

Bipartisan Zombies  —  It was inevitable.  I wrote about it right after the 2006 election —  as soon as the Republicans lost power, I knew the gasbags would insist that it's time to let bygones be bygones and meet the Republicans halfway in the spirit of a new beginning.

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 …

Mysterious holiday card spotlights Romney's religion  —  (CNN) - A holiday card that falsely claims to be from “the Romney family” and highlights Mitt Romney's Mormon faith was anonymously sent to Republican mailboxes across South Carolina earlier this week.  —  The source of the card is unknown.

Ron Paul NOT excluded from Fox debate  —  One of the hazards of instant mass communication is that incorrect stories can get distributed immediately.  A particular hazard during holiday vacations.  —  There is NO NH DEBATE on January 6th.  Ron Paul was NOT EXCLUDED.  That event was canceled three weeks ago.

The great fall of China  —  Revised GDP calculations show that Beijing isn't the giant we thought it was.  —  The most important story to come out of Washington recently had nothing to do with the endless presidential campaign.  And although the media largely ignored it, the story changes the world.

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.

Bhutto's Successor  —  Benazir Bhutto's son has been anointed her successor, the slain former prime minister's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) confirmed today.  A senior PPP official had told TIME late Saturday that Bhutto's 19-year-old son, Bilawal, would likely be named as her political heir and the new party leader on Sunday.