New NBC-WSJ poll  —  From NBC's Chuck Todd  —  As expected, one of the two major Democratic candidates saw a downturn in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, but it's not the candidate that you think.  Hillary Clinton is sporting the lowest personal ratings of the campaign.

US: Saddam Paid for Lawmakers' Iraq Trip  —  Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.  —  An indictment unsealed in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti …

Pentagon says new Iraq fighting arises from surge's success  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Pentagon on Wednesday said an eruption of violence in southern Iraq, where US-backed government forces were battling Shiite militias, was a “by-product of the success of the surge.”

The Company Obama Keeps  —  Marc Ambinder wrote today of Obama's troubles with McPeak and Rev. Wright: … Fair enough.  But there comes a point when one looks at the people Obama has surrounded himself with and begins to wonder.  On Israel, Obama has no real track record …

IRAQ: Fever Named After Blackwater  —  By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*  —  Iraqi doctors in al-Anbar province warn of a new disease they call “Blackwater” that threatens the lives of thousands.  The disease is named after Blackwater Worldwide, the U.S. mercenary company operating in Iraq.

BREAKING: Condi Rice Flirts With VP Possibility — Speaks to Grover Norquist's Wednesday Group Meeting  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is speaking this morning to Grover Norquist's weekly powerhouse gathering at Americans for Tax Reform of conservative associations, think tanks, and political operations.

BILL: ‘SADDLE UP’  —  From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli  —  PARKERSBURG, W.V. — Bill Clinton kicked off a day of campaigning here by making a personal appeal to voters, saying Hillary's success depends on “real” people like those who came to see him.  And as the rhetoric heats up between the Democratic campaigns …

Obama's Pastor Slurs Italians in Latest Magazine  —  (CNSNews.com) - Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago where Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been a member for two decades, slurred Italians in a piece published in the most recent issue of Trumpet Newsmagazine.

The Last Word on Obama's Character  —  I am convinced that Obama is pursuing a sort of liberal radical chic acceptance.  That this half-black Harvard grad has gone all Patty Hearst on us.  That he deliberately chose the most distressed blackfolks in his ambit to align himself …

Federal judge: Michigan's presidential primary law unconstitutional  —  DETROIT — A federal judge on Wednesday ruled Michigan's presidential primary law unconstitutional and blocked the state from giving voter lists from the Jan. 15 election to the state's major political parties.

Hillary's Minister Problem  —  Barack Obama isn't the only candidate with ties to a controversial religious group.  —  Since Hillary Clinton has launched a frontal attack on her opponent's church and pastor, it's worth noting that she has some odd religious ties of her own.