memeorandum: Two Nights at the Val-Air Ballroom (TIME: Swampland)

12:50 AM ET, January 4, 2008

Top Items:

Huckabee, Obama have huge night 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 all precincts reporting, Obama had the support of 38 percent of voters, compared to 30 percent …

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: New York Times, Tammy Bruce, DownWithTyranny!, Spin Cycle and The Democratic Daily

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, Iowa Independent, michellemalkin.com, Marc Ambinder, TalkLeft, Slog, Stumper, Captain's Quarters, The Belmont Club, Sister Toldjah, 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 Moderate Voice, The Politico, Middle Earth Journal, 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: michellemalkin.com, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, The Campaign Spot, The Radio Equalizer, Political Radar, Redstate, race42008.com, Wizbang, Althouse, The Sundries Shack and Right Wing News

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

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: Macsmind and Hotline On Call

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

Think Progress:
Live Iowa Caucus Updates

Discussion: Hot Air and Threat Level

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

Discussion: MyDD, THE REACTION, Oliver Willis, Cogitamus and Open Left

Joe Biden / CNN:
Biden, Dodd to abandon White House runs

Discussion: MoJoBlog

Martin Kady II / The Politico:
Dodd, Biden drop out after Iowa defeats

Discussion: The Swamp and BlueOregon

You Decide 08!:
BIDEN, DODD BOW OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE AFTER POOR SHOWINGS IN IOWA

Discussion: Spin Cycle and Patterico's Pontifications

Gateway Pundit:

Live— Photo-Blogging the Nodaway, Iowa Democratic Caucus — ** FOX News is reporting that Mike Huckabee has won the Republican Iowa caucus. — ** FOX News is calling Iowa for Obama. (8:30 PM CST) — FOX News has live video streaming from the Obama and Huckabee headquarters.

Discussion: You Decide 08!, Tammy Bruce, Atlas Shrugs and Viking Pundit

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

Discussion: The Belmont Club

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, Group News Blog and TIME

Associated Press:
Record turnout in Iowa caucuses

Discussion: American Street

David Corn / MoJoBlog:

McCain in NH: Would Be “Fine” To Keep Troops in Iraq for “A Hundred Years” — The United States military could stay in Iraq for “maybe a hundred years” and that “would be fine with me,” John McCain told two hundred or so people at a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, on Thursday evening.

Discussion: David Corn

Moira Whelan / democracyarsenal.org:
McCain on Iraq...100 years and counting

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

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

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 and The Democratic Daily

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

The Mold Is Smashed — Look at their names: Huckabee and Obama. Both came from nowhere - from Arkansas and Hawaii. Both campaigned as human beings, not programmed campaign robots with messages honed in focus groups. Both faced powerful and monied establishments in both parties.

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, GregsOpinion.com, Balloon Juice, The Agonist and Environmental Republican

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

Foon Rhee / Boston Globe:

Dodd withdraws from Democratic field — Democrat Chris Dodd, who moved his entire family to Iowa for the last weeks of the campaign, dropped out tonight after his poor showing in the caucuses, CNN and the Associated Press reported. — The Connecticut senator had hoped to finish at least fourth …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice and The Democratic Daily

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.