memeorandum: Huck's Brilliant Endgame? (Rich Lowry/The Corner)

12:10 AM ET, January 4, 2008

Top Items:

Huckabee, Obama are projected winners in Iowa — DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — Barack Obama will win the Iowa Democratic caucus and Mike Huckabee will be the Republican winner, CNN projects. — With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had the support of 38 percent of voters …

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: CNN, Captain's Quarters, Iowa Independent, Marc Ambinder, TalkLeft, Slog, Stumper, Sister Toldjah, The Belmont Club, The Democratic Daily, American Street, Taylor Marsh, Wake up America, TPM Election Central, You Decide 08! and MSNBC

David Schoetz / ABCNEWS:

Huckabee Takes Iowa; Romney in 2nd — Former Arkansas Governor Rides Momentum Surge to Early Victory — ABC News projects that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will win the Iowa Caucuses, beating out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in a two-man race for the Republican party's top spot in Iowa.

Discussion: The Politico, The Moderate Voice, Ankle Biting Pundits, Punditry and BitsBlog

Jonathan Garthwaite / TownHall Blog:

Huckabee Chairman Ed Rollins Trashes Romney — Amanda Carpenter files this report from the ground in Iowa: … Stay tuned to the Townhall blog for continuing coverage of the Iowa Caucus tonight and Friday.

Discussion: Hot Air, michellemalkin.com, Wizbang, The Campaign Spot, Political Radar, Redstate, The Radio Equalizer, Althouse, race42008.com, The Sundries Shack and Right Wing News

Washington Wire:

Beginning of the End for Romney? — Susan Davis reports from Des Moines, Iowa, on the presidential race. — Mitt Romney congratulates Mike Huckabee on his victory in the Iowa caucus. — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, wildly out-spent and out-organized by Mitt Romney here in Iowa …

Discussion: Hotline On Call

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, Althouse and PoliGazette

The Politico:

Iowa leaves GOP in total disarray — DES MOINES, Iowa — Mike Huckabee's startling, not-even-close victory over Mitt Romney and the rest of the GOP field in the Iowa caucus means the Republican Party is in for a wildly unpredictable ride in the weeks ahead.

Discussion: Tammy Bruce, Spin Cycle and The Democratic Daily

doj.nh.gov:
MCCain and Romney PUsh Poll Complaints

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

Shailagh Murray / The Trail:
A Biden-Obama Deal? — DES MOINES — Sen. Joseph Biden wants …

Discussion: Iowa Independent, Wonkette, Taylor Marsh, RealClearPolitics, Donklephant, All Spin Zone, TPM Election Central and The Carpetbagger Report

Marc Ambinder:
THE BOILER ROOM — REPUBLICANS | DEMOCRATS | KCCI LIVE |

Discussion: Donklephant, TPM Election Central, The Caucus and Rod 2.0:Beta

Think Progress:
Live Iowa Caucus Updates

Discussion: Hot Air and Threat Level

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: TBogg, Moonbattery, The Carpetbagger Report and Wonkette

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
Clinton unbowed by third-place finish

Discussion: The Belmont Club

Roger Simon / The Politico:
Inside Iowa — Fuzzy math, Iowa-style — I just bumped …

Discussion: Boston Globe and MyDD

Carrie Budoff Brown / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Bill, Hillary and expectations in Iowa

Discussion: New York Times, Cafe Hayek, The Swamp, MoJoBlog, Spin Cycle, Primary Monitor Blog, The Democratic Daily, Immigration Chronicles, truthout and TIME

Rick Klein / Political Radar:

Live Caucus Blogging from Des Moines by Rick Klein — 8:28 pm CT: Checking in with the GOP — Fred Thompson stirs. Running third as of this moment, holding off McCain. Wonder if Thompson's secretly disappointed — he looked like he needed a nap. — 8:27 pm CT: It's over way earlier …

Discussion: NYT, Hotline On Call, Slog and Comments from Left Field

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, THE REACTION, Oliver Willis, Cogitamus and Open Left

Associated Press:
Record turnout in Iowa caucuses

Discussion: American Street

Matthew Yglesias:

Preordained — Watching Chris Matthews, I just saw that Tim Russert has already booked John McCain as his featured interviewee for this Sunday. Republican presidential candidate who won the Iowa Caucuses? Well, sorry, you're out of luck. It's already been decided that the “real” story out of Iowa is McCain....

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Atrios / Eschaton:
So Absurd — Tweety: … So if Hillary gets 33 percent …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Talking Points Memo, Salon and Crooks and Liars

Atrios / Eschaton:

Huckenfreude … I'm shocked that Gloria Borger could find an “unaffiliated” strategist who hates Huckabee but is authorized to speak for “the establishment Republican party." — 9:05: … Republicans: — Huckabee 35% — Romney 24% — Thompson 14% — McCain 12% — Paul 11%

Discussion: Norwegianity, Huliq, GregsOpinion.com, Balloon Juice and The Agonist

Arianna Huffington / The Huffington Post:

Obama Wins Iowa: Why Everyone Has a Reason to Celebrate Tonight — Even if your candidate didn't win tonight, you have reason to celebrate. We all do. — Barack Obama's stirring victory in Iowa — down home, folksy, farm-fed, Midwestern, and 92 percent white Iowa — says a lot about America …

Discussion: Hotline On Call

CNN:

Democratic caucus turnout shatters record — The Iowa Democratic Party released the following turnout information tonight, to be updated later this evening: — “With 96 percent of the precincts reporting we are seeing record turnout with 227,000 caucus attendees." — In 2004, the turnout was about 125,000 caucus goers.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!

Rich Lowry / The Corner:

Huck's Brilliant Endgame? — Everyone looks smart when they win. But it might be, as I think I heard Mark Helprin of Time speculate the other day, Huckabee made the right choice to be bold and stay in the news at the end as opposed to Mitt's safer approach.

Discussion: TownHall Blog