Huckabee says Romney owes him apology  —  DES MOINES — Mike Huckabee told me Sunday that Mitt Romney should apologize for saying “blatantly untrue” things about him.  —  Huckabee also said such an apology would be accepted only if Romney also admitted that he “has not been forthcoming” about his own record.

Opposition Parties Vow to Proceed With Jan. 8 Election  —  NAUDERO, Pakistan — Three days after the violent killing of its leader, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's largest political party on Sunday picked her 19-year-old son to succeed her as chairman and vowed to forge ahead with elections next week …

Huckabee: 'I Don't Know' If People Are ‘Born’ Gay, But It's A ‘Choice’ To Act Gay  —  On NBC's Meet The Press this morning, host Tim Russert asked former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee if he believed “people are born gay or choose to be gay?"  “I don't know whether people are born that way …

ANTI-MILITARY LAWYER DAMAGES MARINE'S CAR ON EVE OF DEPLOYMENT  —  This ought to make your blood boil.  And this Marine should receive a commendation for not kicking the living crap out of the guy...seriously.  —  Marine Sgt Mike McNulty is on activation orders to Iraq (second tour).

Bloomberg Moves Closer to Running for President  —  Buoyed by the still unsettled field, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City is growing increasingly enchanted with the idea of making an independent presidential bid, and his aides are aggressively laying the groundwork for him to run.

Thompson Makes His Move  —  On the Internet as of sometime this afternoon, Fred Thompson's closing argument to the people of Iowa.  —  Whereas Romney is saturating the airwaves with attack ads, Thompson pays the voters the courtesy of speaking calmly, and in detail—the video runs to just over 15 minutes.

General Petraeus: man with a message of hope  —  The critics said it couldn't be done, but the vision and determination of General David Petraeus have brought greater security and cause for optimism to the people of Iraq.  He is The Sunday Telegraph's Person of the Year.

France stands up to Syria  —  No scarf for Sarkozy as he suspends diplomatic relations — over the Lebanese elections.  —  Nicolas Sarkozy — L'Americain — continues to show more courage in his little pinky than the Democratic Party combined when it comes to the War on Terrorism.

New Video: The Bhutto Shooting  —  The latest video of the assassination, from another angle, provides evidence that Benazir Bhutto was killed by an assassin's bullet.  —  (Video player requires Flash Player.)

Iowa Here We Come  —  In the airport on my way to Des Moines, where Jeralyn Merritt and I will be bringing you the latest dish from the Iowa caucuses.  In what feels like a replay of last January's Libby trial, David Shuster is on my plane.  (Coincidence?  I think not.)

McCain our choice for GOP nomination  —  Eight years ago, when he was running as a political maverick against Republican establishment candidate George W. Bush, we endorsed John McCain for the GOP nomination for president of the United States.  —  We did so because of his integrity.