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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.
Discussion:
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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 …
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:
TPM Election Central
CNN:
Caucuses 101: Mastering rules could lead to victory — (CNN) — The arcane rules governing Thursday's Iowa Democratic caucuses will test even the most organized campaign, but mastery of the process could launch a candidate on a path to the White House. — Most Americans are familiar …
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:
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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.”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Von Spakovsky says good-bye to that job at the FEC — Hans von Spakovsky threw in the towel on New Years Eve, in an e-mail sent out to supporters. — The former Fulton County GOP chairman became the centerpiece of a tit-for-tat shutdown of the Federal Elections Commission — forced out for lack of U.S. Senate confirmation.
Discussion:
TPMmuckraker
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John Bresnahan / The Crypt's Blogs:
White House says it has not withdrawn von Spakovsky's nomination for FEC
White House says it has not withdrawn von Spakovsky's nomination for FEC
Discussion:
Think Progress
Matt Stoller / Open Left:
The Bipartisan Virus in Iowa — There's another side to what Atrios says. … Being in Iowa and listening to the radio on long car rides, as well as various politicians, I'm hearing a huge amount of talk of bipartisanship as some sort of virtue. There have literally been several call …
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Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
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 …
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Thomas Beaumont / Des Moines Register:
Independents plan to caucus with Dems — Thousands more Iowa independent voters are expected to turn out for Democrat presidential candidates than Republicans at today's Iowa caucuses. — Iowa independents are expected to follow the lead set by their national peers in 2006.
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John Kass / Chicago Tribune:
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 …
Daily Mail:
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.
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.
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, RealClearPolitics, Left in the West, Democratic Strategist and Blue Crab Boulevard
Michelle Malkin:
Rumor watch: GOP mudslinging in the works? — 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. But word has been spreading on the right side …
Pig / WanderingGoblin.com:
Goblin Literature — Ron Paul, the Future President of Azeroth — Ron Paul, the Future President of Azeroth — I am, by my own admission, the worst journalist in gaming. Before I begin writing about the World of Warcraft Ron Paul rally, it's important that you understand this.
Lindsey Ellerson / Political Radar:
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.
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 …