Top Items:
The Politico:
Thompson may drop out, back McCain — DES MOINES, Iowa - Several Republican officials close to Fred Thompson's presidential campaign said they expect the candidate will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday's Iowa caucus. — Thompson's campaign …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The Caucus, Redstate, TIME, The Fix, Crooks and Liars, Don Surber, RealClearPolitics, Talking Points Memo, The Corner, You Decide 08!, QandO, PoliBlog (TM), The Moderate Voice, Political Machine, Brilliant at Breakfast, MyDD, DownWithTyranny!, Right Wing News, Cliff Schecter, Outside The Beltway, The Right's Field, Miss Beth's Victory Dance, The Sundries Shack, Wonkette, Shakespeare's Sister, Sister Toldjah, The Huffington Post, LiberalLand, TPM Election Central, Hot Air, Hullabaloo, Reason Magazine, Macsmind, Liberal Values, Daily Kos, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Publius Endures, race42008.com, Taegan Goddard's …, ABCNEWS and Gallup
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Rasmussen Reports:
As Campaign Season Begins, Only One Presidential Candidate is Viewed Favorably by Majority of Voters — One impact of the long run-up to Election 2008 can be seen in public perceptions of the leading Presidential candidates. After a year of campaigning with no votes actually being cast …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Buck Naked Politics, Taylor Marsh, The Huffington Post, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and Viking Pundit
Byron York / The Corner:
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.”
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Chase Martyn / Iowa Independent:
Richardson Set to Send Obama Second-Choice Support — [Exclusive] Gov. Bill Richardson's campaign is expected to direct their supporters to caucus for Sen. Barack Obama in the second round of voting at Thursday's caucuses in precincts where he is not viable.
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John Deeth / Iowa Independent:
Clinton Understood Surface, Not Spirit, Of Caucuses
Clinton Understood Surface, Not Spirit, Of Caucuses
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
Nikki Finke / Deadline Hollywood Daily:
Mike Huckabee Slammed By WGA Pickets; Hillary Clinton Gets Cameo On Letterman — UPDATE: Late Night TV's Official Return: A Sneak Peek Of The Shows — The Late Show With David Letterman snagged Hillary Clinton as a last-minute guest for his New York City show tonight.
Discussion:
BuzzFlash.org
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Chuck Todd / MSNBC:
Get your post-caucus spin now — With this guide, you can analyze any result — before the Iowans gather — DES MOINES, Iowa - In a matter of hours, following the results of the Iowa caucuses, a contest will begin. It will take place among the slew of national media trying to determine exactly what happened.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs, Blue Crab Boulevard, Democratic Strategist, RealClearPolitics and Donklephant
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Marc Ambinder:
Caucus: Clinton Revises Turnout Model Up — ** Hillary Clinton's team has revised its turnout model. The same senior campaign source who projected a turnout of 140,000 voters is now predicting that 150,000 voters will show, and says that, according to the turnout model the campaign is employing …
Discussion:
Des Moines Register
Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
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.
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Vanity Fair:
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 …
Discussion:
Rising Hegemon
Foreign Policy:
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.
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 …
Shaun Waterman / Washington Times:
Press, political pressure helped ‘lose’ Fallujah, report says — A secret intelligence assessment of the first battle of Fallujah shows that the U.S. military thinks that it lost control over information about what was happening in the town, leading to “political pressure” …
New York Post:
ROCK MAKES THE GARDEN HOWL — RAUNCHY stand-up Chris Rock had Madison Square Garden in stitches Monday night, when he kicked off his six-month tour performing for a sold-out New Year's Eve audience of 20,000 fans who gave him a midnight standing ovation. — The comic from Bed-Stuy proclaimed …
The Big Trunk / Power Line:
A WORD FROM PHILIP ZELIKOW — Philip Zelikow is the fomer executive director of the 9/11 Commission. Before returning to the University of Virginia, he served most recently as counselor of the United States Department of State. Among his academic degrees is a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
Mark Steyn / The Corner:
Re: Fred's end? — It would be a big loss, for reasons Peter Robinson and Michael Ledeen have outlined, if Fred Thompson were to pull out. But in practical terms the timing is everything. A pull-out before Saturday obviously boosts McCain in NH. But the very floating of the rumor …