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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
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.
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Sridhar Pappu / Washington Post:
As Huckabee Pulls Ad, Rollins, For Once, Must Pull a Punch — DES MOINES — “The negatives feel good,” says Ed Rollins, the onetime wunderkind of the Reagan White House and now, at 64, the national campaign chairman for upstart Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Corner, Hot Air, The Campaign Spot, Connecting.the.Dots and Blue Girl, Red State
Michael Levenson / Boston Globe:
More of Romney's fortune is plowed into campaign — Candidate has outspent all GOP rivals in Iowa — Mitt Romney with his wife, Ann, Saturday in Altoona, Iowa. Romney said he was unsure of the amount he had put into his campaign during the past three months. (John Gress/Reuters)
Discussion:
About.com US Politics
CNN:
Poll: McCain ties Romney 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 …
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New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
Make Them Accountable
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
9/11 Commission: Our investigation was “obstructed” — The bi-partisan co-chairmen of the 9/11 Commission, Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, jointly published an Op-Ed in today's New York Times which contains some extremely emphatic and serious accusations against the CIA and the White House. The essence:
Rasmussen Reports:
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 …
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John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
The 40 Most Obnoxious Quotes Of 2007 … Also see, — The 40 Most Obnoxious Quotes Of 2006 — The 40 Most Obnoxious Quotes For 2005 — The 40 Most Obnoxious Quotes For 2004
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
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 …
Kim Zetter / Threat Level:
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.
Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
USA Today, TIME, CBS News, The Independent, The Raw Story, MSNBC, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh and Corrente
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:
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.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications, The Corner, The Sundries Shack, The Politico, Hot Air, BitsBlog, Say Anything and BobKrumm.com
Peter Fenn / The Hill:
Edwards: Too Cute by Half — John Edwards may very well win Iowa. He has a strong organization, four years in the making, and a message that goes to the anger and frustration of many voters. — His central theme is that Washington is corrupt. Lobbyists and money control the process.
Zogby:
Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Daily Tracking Poll: Frontrunners Clinton, Huckabee Slip As Both Races Deadlock — Clinton, Obama in tie with Edwards close behind; Romney gains as McCain drops slightly — UTICA, New York - The race for the Democratic presidential nomination tightened again over the last 24 hours …
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
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 …
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