memeorandum: Iowa Caucus Results To Be Broadcast Online, and on Digital Billboards (Sarah Lai Stirland/Threat Level)

9:20 PM ET, January 3, 2008

Top Items:

John Harwood / The Caucus:

Is Obama a Plan B for Richardson Voters? — Barack Obama's drive to win tonight's Iowa caucuses is getting a boost from two of his putative rivals. After earlier winning the support of Dennis Kucinich, Obama's campaign has reached an agreement with Bill Richardson for the second-choice votes …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Marc Ambinder, Slog, Stumper, Iowa Independent, Sister Toldjah, Captain's Quarters, The Democratic Daily, American Street, You Decide 08!, TPM Election Central, Taylor Marsh and The Washington Note

Shailagh Murray / The Trail:

A Biden-Obama Deal? — DES MOINES — Sen. Joseph Biden wants to beat New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson tonight. And Sen. Barack Obama could help him do that. — A source close to the Biden campaign described a possible arrangement, now under discussion between the two camps …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Wonkette and TPM Election Central

Chase Martyn / Iowa Independent:

Richardson set to send Obama second-choice support — The story gets significantly more complicated, as more evidence of a two-way deal in select counties or precincts emerges. Click here for the updated story. — [Exclusive] Gov. Bill Richardson's campaign is expected to direct …

Zogby:

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Daily Tracking Poll: Obama Moves Into Lead Followed by Edwards; Huckabee Lead Widens — Clinton, Romney dip as Ron Paul gains — UTICA, New York - Democrat Barack Obama continued his upward momentum through the evening before the Iowa caucuses, capturing the lead ahead …

Discussion: TPM Election Central, Captain's Quarters, Heading Right, The Newshoggers, Taegan Goddard's …, RealClearPolitics, Pollster.com, Open Left, Deadline USA, Wonkette, The Democratic Daily, Pajamas Media, The Moderate Voice, Weekly Standard, Middle Earth Journal, Hot Air and Booman Tribune

Chase Martyn / Iowa Independent:
Obama-Richardson Deal Goes Both Ways in Certain Precincts and Counties

Discussion: Open Left, Norwegianity and Donklephant

Lynda Waddington / Iowa Independent: Biden, Dodd & Richardson to Iowans: Make your own decision

doj.nh.gov:

MCCain and Romney PUsh Poll Complaints — Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte is requesting the public's assistance in identifying who employed Moore-Information of Portland, Oregon to conduct a poll in New Hampshire, in November 2007, which has been alleged to be a push-poll.

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, Captain's Quarters, michellemalkin.com, The Corner, Hot Air, Washington Times, Wake up America, BlueOregon and Redstate

Philip Elliott / Associated Press:
N.H. doubts it will ID push poll culprits before vote

Discussion: Mitt Romney For President News, Talking Points Memo and Hot Air

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Iowa Caucuses — Prediction Time!

Discussion: Rolling Stone, The Campaign Spot, Hullabaloo and Comments from Left Field

John McIntyre / Real Clear Politics:
What the Major Campaigns Need Tonight

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and TIME

Jonathan Garthwaite / TownHall Blog:
Huckabee Chairman Ed Rollins Trashes Romney

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, The Radio Equalizer, Political Radar, Redstate, Radio Iowa, Hot Air and race42008.com

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
New Hampshire Identifies Firm Behind Anti-Mormon Calls — But Not Their Sponsor

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

CNN:

Supreme Court Justice Bill Clinton? — WASHINGTON (CNN) — It is a title that would be sure to bring either fear or cheer to many Americans, depending on your political leanings: Supreme Court Justice Bill Clinton. — That provocative possibility has long been whispered in legal …

Discussion: Moonbattery and Wonkette

Carrie Budoff Brown / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Bill, Hillary and expectations in Iowa — Former President Bill Clinton tried to lower expectations today for his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, suggesting at a Starbucks here in Des Moines that Iowa was not make-or-break for her presidential campaign. — “I didn't win a race until …

Discussion: Cafe Hayek, Spin Cycle, The Democratic Daily, MSNBC and TIME

Roger Simon / The Politico:

Inside Iowa — Fuzzy math, Iowa-style — I just bumped into David Axelrod, Barack Obama's chief political strategist, and told him about my earlier blog item in which Tom Vilsack said: “Hillary Clinton has 5,000 people prepared to give rides this time." — “Sure, she has 5,000 drivers …

Discussion: Boston Globe and MyDD

New York Times:
Iowa Begins First Contest of 2008 Election

Discussion: TPM Election Central, The Politico, Immigration Chronicles, Opinions You Should Have and truthout

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS SITE PACKED — From NBC's David Gregory and David Gelles — Inside the Westridge elementary school in West Des Moines, this Democratic caucus site is packed. Huge turnout here. — Only 86 showed up in 2004. Tonight, the line is out the door. — It looks like almost 200 here.

Discussion: MyDD, Cogitamus, Oliver Willis and Open Left

Rick Klein / Political Radar:
Live Caucus Blogging from Des Moines by Rick Klein

Discussion: Hot Air, NYT, You Decide 08!, Hotline On Call and Comments from Left Field

Atrios / Eschaton:

So Absurd — Tweety: … So if Hillary gets 33 percent “she's been rejected here in Iowa by two-thirds of the Democratic Party." — What of Saint McCain? … If McCain is rejected by 82% of caucusgoers he's a “big hero." — Tweety just repeated the Clinton/two thirds crap on Hardball just now.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Crooks and Liars and Salon

Media Matters for America: Matthews: “[L]ow 30 percent” …

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Harman Warned against Destroying Tapes in 2003 — The CIA's initial defense for destroying the videotapes showing interrogations of Al Qaeda detainees was that they'd briefed members of Congress about their intention to do this long ago. — To which, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Lede and Emptywheel

FactCheck.org:

Huckabee's Attack Ad Runs After All — His attack ad appears on three Iowa stations. We find it somewhat misleading. Another ad makes misleading claims about tax cuts. — The ad Huckabee said he decided not to run has now appeared at least three times in Iowa anyway.

Discussion: The Corner, AlterNet.org, Althouse, PoliGazette and Fact Checker

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Dodd may drop out — Sen. Chris Dodd, who moved his family to Iowa in an effort to make a strong showing in the caucus, has told Fox News that he would be “going to Hartford tomorrow” if he doesn't finish stronger than fourth place tonight, my colleague Martin Kady II reports.

Discussion: The New Republic and MyDD

CNN:

Romney: 'Don't touch the hair' — (CNN) - Republican Mitt Romney joked Thursday that his opponents are welcome to throw all they've got at him, but when it comes to his perfectly coiffed hair, they'd better back off. — The former Massachusetts governor's comments came at an Iowa event …

Discussion: Hotline On Call and Cliff Schecter