Richardson set to send Obama second-choice support  —  [Exclusive] Gov. Bill Richardson's campaign is expected to direct its supporters to caucus for Sen. Barack Obama in the second round of voting at Thursday's caucuses in precincts where he is not viable.  Two sources familiar …

Team Fred Strongly Denies...  Good morning from Des Moines.  I just got off the phone with Rich Galen, a top adviser to Fred Thompson, and it would be an understament to say that he is strongly denying the Politico story reporting that Thompson “will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday's caucus.”

The Independents  —  John Judis and Ruy Teixeira take a look at the demographic and ideological characteristics of self-described independents and their potential role in the presidential election.  It's clear that the post-partisan rhetoric from Barack Obama that's annoyed a lot of bloggers …

Rumor watch: GOP mudslinging in the works?  Update: The push polls?  —  Update: John Hawkins says it's the push poll story.  —  For the most part, the GOP presidential candidates have waged clean, substantive campaigns.  With a few notable exceptions, the office-seekers have attacked each other's records and eschewed ad hominems.

Domestic Issues Now Outweigh Iraq  —  DES MOINES — The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are navigating a far different set of issues as they approach the Iowa caucuses on Thursday than when they first started campaigning here a year ago, and that is likely to change …

For Marine's sendoff, his car is keyed  —  Marine Sgt. Michael McNulty — now on his way to Iraq for his second tour of duty in the war — took meticulous care of his car.  —  It is a black two-door BMW, an expensive ride for a young Marine from Chicago, but then, McNulty didn't exactly join …

Slaying of popular teens stuns friends  —  Sisters' father wanted for capital murder  —  Sarah Said was an avid tennis player known as a silly but bright student.  Her 18-year-old sister, Amina Said, was often called “the girl with pretty eyes,” friends say.

Karl Rove  —  A principal architect of the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush, Karl Rove, 57, has charted a long course from the internship he landed with the Republican Party in Utah almost four decades ago.  Here, the president's former deputy chief of staff reflects on his fear of going broke …

Romney to Huck's Camp: 'Don't Touch the Hair'  —  ABC News' Matt Stuart and Teddy Davis Report: Mitt Romney made a tongue-in-cheek plea Thursday for Ed Rollins, the Huckabee campaign chairman who recently said that he wanted to knock Romney's teeth out, to keep his hands off his well-quaffed hair.

Flashman author George MacDonald Fraser dies aged 82 after cancer battle  —  George MacDonald Fraser, author of the hugely entertaining Flashman novels, has died aged 82.  —  Fraser - whose fans included P G Wodehouse and Kingsley Amis - died after a battle with cancer.

Seven Questions: Gen. David Petraeus on Winding down the Surge  —  By the end of July, 25 percent of American combat troops are due to withdraw from Iraq.  FP sat down with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to find out how he plans to draw down without leaving chaos behind.

Can Edwards Do It In Iowa?  —  The Mellencamp concert for John Edwards last night was a huge success for the campaign.  It was well attended (easily twice the size of the Huckabee “Huck'n'Chuck” rally the night before), the crowd was enthusiastic and responded to his message.