The Two Earthquakes  —  I've been through election nights that brought a political earthquake to the country.  I've never been through an election night that brought two.  —  Barack Obama has won the Iowa caucuses.  You'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel moved by this.

Andy Olmsted  —  Andrew Olmsted, who also posted here as G'Kar, was killed yesterday in Iraq.  Andy gave me a post to publish in the event of his death; the last revisions to it were made in July.  —  Andy was a wonderful person: decent, honorable, generous, principled, courageous, sweet, and very funny.

Worthless chatter  —  I love when this happens.  It's a reminder that the political prattle that spews forth from group-think media stars without end and which consumes our political dialogue for a full year is based on absolutely nothing.  Also, most predictive “analysis” …

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby New Hampshire Poll: McCain Leads Romney; Clinton Leads Obama as Edwards Hits 20%  —  Huckabee a distant third, Rudy fourth  —  UTICA, New York - Republican John McCain has leapt into first place in the GOP primary race in New Hampshire, while Clinton holds on to a six-point edge …

Admit it  —  Let's say last night really did indicate that Hillary's negatives will keep her off the ticket.  (Or keep her from winning if she's on it.)  You know what?  Deep in my psyche, in the place that kind of misses the toothache I've been prodding at with my tongue, I am having a tiny little pang of missing Hillary.

Obama Makes a Clinton-Campaign Joke  —  Inside an old airplane hangar at what used to be Pease Airforce Base in Portsmouth, Barack Obama made his first New Hampshire appearance since his Iowa victory.  —  He recited his standard stump speech, but there was a confident, almost giddy …

Giuliani stays positive despite weak campaign  —  BEDFORD, N.H. - He flatlined in Iowa and he's struggling in New Hampshire, but Rudy Giuliani shook off the early-state blues Thursday as only he can.  —  “None of this worries me - Sept. 11, there were times I was worried,” Giuliani said.

Data Bomb  —  Three weeks before the 2006 midterm elections gave Democrats control of Congress, a shocking study reported on the number of Iraqis who had died in the ongoing war.  It bolstered criticism of President Bush and heightened the waves of dread — here and around the world — about the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Conserving Liberalism?  —  Remarkable goings on in American politics as of yesterday.  Much has been said everywhere, so I will add relatively little.  Of note, firstly, is that the victors are the two best speakers among all the candidates.  In our age of the soundbite …

Economists React: ‘Looking for a Bunker to Hide in’  —  Economists and others weigh in on the weaker-than-expected gain in payrolls and the rise in the unemployment rate.  —  The sharp jump in the unemployment rate — from 4.7% to 5.0% — may be the most alarming feature of this report.