Attack ad decision cost Huck $150k  —  DES MOINES - Mike Huckabee's last-minute decision to pull the plug on an attack ad against Mitt Romney has been the talk of Iowa in recent days.  —  But it turns out there is more to the story than Huckabee explained at his now-famous, had-to-see-it-to-believe it news conference Monday.

Poll: Neck-and-neck in New Hampshire  —  (CNN) — With six days to go until the New Hampshire primary, there are ties in poll results for the top candidates in both parties.  —  With roughly a quarter of those polled in both parties saying they won't make up their mind until the election …

Kucinich Tells Supporters to Caucus for Obama  —  SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Representative Dennis Kucinich urged his Iowa followers today to select Senator Barack Obama as their second choice at the caucuses on Thursday if his support is not strong enough to be viable in the 1,781 precincts across the state.

Independent Voters May Give Obama Edge in Iowa  —  DES MOINES, Jan. 1 — With two days before Iowans go to the polls, significant support for Sen. Barack Obama from political independents has put rival Democratic campaigns on edge, challenging the traditional model of the state's caucuses …

Oil prices start new year higher  —  Traders expect further decline in U.S. inventories  —  NEW YORK - Oil prices rose Wednesday amid expectations a midweek report will show U.S. crude stockpiles fell last week to post the seventh straight decline in inventories for the world's largest energy consumer.

Caucuses Bring Power Only to Some in Iowa  —  DES MOINES — Jason Huffman has lived in Iowa his whole life.  Lately he has been watching presidential debates on the Internet, discussing what he sees with friends and relatives.  But when fellow Iowans choose among presidential candidates on Thursday night …

Deign or Reign?  —  Edith Wessel, an 80-year-old white-haired retired nurse, moved slowly up the aisle with her walker after listening to Hillary make her pitch.  —  She told one of the Hillary volunteers that she had “great admiration” for the senator, but also great doubts about whether …

Stonewalled by the C.I.A.  —  MORE than five years ago, Congress and President Bush created the 9/11 commission.  The goal was to provide the American people with the fullest possible account of the “facts and circumstances relating to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001” — and to offer recommendations to prevent future attacks.

Partisan Trends  —  Number of Republicans in U.S. Increases in December to Two-Year High  —  The number of Americans who consider themselves to be Republicans jumped nearly two percentage points in December to 34.2%.  That's the largest market share for the Republican brand in nearly two years …

EDWARDS CALLS FOR PULLOUT OF TROOPS TRAINING IRAQIS  —  John Edwards is advocating a more rapid and complete troop withdrawal from Iraq than his principal rivals.  — Text of Interview |  Times Topics: John Edwards  —  MORE IN POLITICS  — Leonhardt: Democrats Are More Than Health Care

Giuliani Will Back a ‘Surge’ in Afghanistan  —  To Refocus Campaign With New War Strategy  —  WASHINGTON — Mayor Giuliani will announce a new four-point war strategy in New Hampshire today, an effort to refocus a primary campaign season for Republicans that has centered in recent weeks less …

World's Top Surveillance Societies — Updated with link  —  Privacy International, a UK privacy group, and the U.S.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center have put together a world map of surveillance societies, rating various nations for their civil liberties records.

FRED THOMPSON: Too sane to be President?  Quite possibly. … I think he's right.  Thompson is running the kind of campaign — substantive, policy-laden, not based on gimmicks or sound-bites — that pundits and journalists say they want, but he's getting no credit for it from the people who claim that's what they want.

Democrats: More Than Health Care  —  Perhaps you have heard that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have come up with different health care plans.  Hers would require every American to own health insurance.  His would not.  —  That difference is the only one between the two candidates …

O Little Libel on Bethlehem  —  On the eve of Christmas, an op-ed by Kenneth L. Woodward, the former religion editor and now contributing editor of Newsweek, appeared in the Wall Street Journal.  Titled “The Plight of Bethlehem,” it enumerated a number of ways in which the Jewish state imposes hardships on Christians in the Holy Land.