Road to Nowhere  —  The most impressive thing about Mitt Romney is his clarity of mind.  When he set out to pursue his party's nomination, he studied the contours of the Republican coalition and molded himself to its forms.  —  Earnestly and methodically, he has appealed to each of the major constituency groups.

2 days to go and poll shows Iowa all tied up  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — With two days to go until the Iowa caucuses, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Tuesday shows both the Democratic and Republican presidential nomination races tied at the top.  —  But with a quarter …

Clinton errs on Pakistan  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was praised in the wake of the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto for demonstrating her command of the players and the issues at stake in Pakistan, even as another candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee …

Edwards' ‘Mudcat’ gives tasty dish on Clinton  —  Storm Lake, Ia.  — John Edwards' most colorful adviser let fly today with complaints that Hillary Clinton's campaign is already trying to spin its way out of a possible loss in Iowa.  —  Dave “Mudcat” Saunders told a van full of reporters …

In 2008, a 100 Percent Chance of Alarm  —  I'd like to wish you a happy New Year, but I'm afraid I have a different sort of prediction.  —  You're in for very bad weather.  In 2008, your television will bring you image after frightening image of natural havoc linked to global warming.

Our Boys blitz Taliban bash  —  On patrol ... British soldier in Helmand province  —  BRITISH commandos launched a devastating blitz on the Taliban - as the evil terrorists held a party to celebrate Benazir Bhutto's murder.  —  The dawn raid was staged after messages were intercepted …

Poll: Clinton, McCain lead in NH  —  From NBC's Domenico Montanaro  —  With exactly a week to go until New Hampshire, McCain has pulled ahead of Romney and Clinton has opened back up a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, according to a 7News/Suffolk University poll.

The White Rose and the Rose Parade  —  Since the conquest of Poland three hundred thousand Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way ... The German people slumber on in their dull, stupid sleep and encourage these fascist criminals ... Each man wants to be exonerated …

The Mendacity of Hope  —  John Edwards lied about the cost of his haircuts.  Fred Thompson lied about lobbying for a pro-choice outfit.  John McCain insists that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation."  Mitt Romney concocted the story about how his father marched …

“Rudy's Got No Heartland”  —  The above New York Post headline is talking about Iowa, where Giuliani's numbers are becoming all but undetectable.  But it gets to the heart of the Rudy problem.  In recent conversations with New Hampshire Republicans, I'm struck by how fierce hostility to the Mayor is.

Still Reeling After All These Years  —  It promised to be a very good year.  But then anything would be better than 1967, with its angry kids burning the flag, and the war raging, and American cities going up in flames one after another.  —  A Page 1 headline in The New York Times said: “World Bids Adieu to a Violent Year.”