Criminal probe opened over CIA tapes  —  WASHINGTON - The Justice Department opened a full criminal investigation Wednesday into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, putting the politically charged probe in the hands of a mob-busting public corruption prosecutor with a reputation for being independent.

Late-Breaking Surge for Thompson  —  The latest news from Iowa?  According to Zogby's latest—and I quote: “Sen. Fred Thompson...has seen a late-breaking surge."  (Rich notes the same poll below.)  —  What's going on here?  My guess is that there are whole lot of Iowa Republicans …

Rush: Huck ‘not a conservative’  —  Rush Limbaugh devoted a large portion of his first show since the holidays to criticizing Mike Huckabee's candidacy and offering a disapproving bottom-line assessment of the former governor.  —  “Ladies and gentlemen, Gov. Huckabee, mighty fine man …

Clinton to appear on Letterman  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) made a last-minute decision to appear on “Late Night with David Letterman” on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, campaign sources said.  —  Wednesday is Letterman's first night back since the writer's strike began.

Readership of major liberal blogs declined in 2007 while conservative blog readership increased  —  It has long been understood that the largest liberal blogs have generally produced more web traffic than the largest conservative blogs.  But I have noticed a general trend over the past few months …

What Kucinich Saw: Witnesses Describe His Close Encounter  —  Candidate's Pals Recall Three Throbbing UFOs; Outed by Shirley MacLaine  —  The 2008 presidential race has raised many questions about the candidates' personal histories.  Will Barack Obama's past drug use preclude a White House future?

A Plan to Kill Everyone  —  “War, children, it's just a shot away, it's just a shot away” - The Rolling Stones, from “Gimme Shelter"  —  FALLUJAH — A sign on the door leading out of India Company's Combat Operations Center says “Have a Plan to Kill Everyone You Meet.”

Josh Marshall's Readers Are... Not So Bright  —  This end of a post at Talking Points Memo today made me laugh: … $1.8 billion sounds plausible?  Using what counting system?  —  Elsewhere on the web today, a Des Moines-based WFAA reporter says Romney has spent $4 million on TV ads …

More on Letters to Pro-Huckabee Pastors  —  Reporting by TIME's Michael Scherer:  —  A pastor's conference call with Iowa church leaders took place this morning at 10 a.m. central time to urge churches to get their parishioners to the polls.  Here are some quotes from the call …

Interview with John Edwards  —  The following is a transcript of an interview by Michael Gordon of The New York Times with John Edwards, conducted Sunday on the Edwards campaign bus as it drove between campaign stops in western Iowa.  Some of the questions have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Pakistan Requests British Help in Bhutto Inquiry  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan has asked Scotland Yard to help with an investigation into the assassination of the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, President Pervez Musharraf said in an address on state-run television Wednesday …

Kristol in Iowa: “Snarky and Contemptuous”  —  Cardinal Richelieu asks, if Romney wins in Iowa, “will the snarky and contemptuous tone of most Romney coverage continue?"  —  I don't know if that was intended to be a rhetorical question (do Cardinals ask rhetorical questions? and how do you say “rhetorical question” in French?).

A Vast Right-Wing Hypocrisy  —  Richard Mellon Scaife, billionaire bankroller of conservative crusades, spent heavily to expose Bill Clinton's “Troopergate” misbehavior.  Now Scaife's divorce from his second wife, Ritchie, is providing another unsavory saga—adultery! addiction! assault! dognapping!?!—as both parties let loose to V.F.