The Herman Cain Meltdown  —  The hits keep on coming for the businessman and onetime GOP front-runner, who seems determined to go down in flames  —  The Herman Cain implosion is under way.  —  Once the Republican front-runner, Cain now seems to be self-destructing before our very eyes.

Cain top choice in new ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll, but voters have not made up their minds  —  AMES, Iowa — With fewer than two months before the Iowa Caucuses, a new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll of 1,256 registered Iowa voters finds Herman Cain leading Republican presidential candidates …

Herman Cain: ‘Who knows every detail of every country on the planet?’  —  That's the rhetorical question Herman Cain asked a crowd in Nashua this afternoon, POLITICO's Reid Epstein emails.  —  Cain trotted out the line in a riff about his now-infamous Libya answer.

Santorum: Republicans ‘ignore some realities’ on economy  —  Coralville, Iowa (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, one of the more conservative White House contenders in the race, told a crowd of Iowans on Thursday that he is “not a big fan” of the Occupy Movement that began …

Obama's ‘lazy’ remark catches fire  —  A video clip of President Barack Obama calling America “a little bit lazy” is quickly becoming a focus of Republican campaigns, and GOP operatives say it will get plenty of play not only on the presidential battlefield but also in down-ballot congressional races.

Man Charged With Trying to Assassinate Obama  —  WASHINGTON — Federal authorities charged a 21-year-old Idaho man on Thursday with trying to assassinate President Obama.  They said he had told friends that he believed the president was “the Antichrist” and that he “needed to kill him,” according to a complaint filed in federal court.

The NYT Should Be Ashamed of Itself (Again)  —  Drew Westen is the Worst Thing in the New York Times.  Hands down.  —  Yes, I have a running item complaining about Matt Bai, but as I've said he also, at least when he's reporting, has serious value added: he's actually quite good at the reporting side …

Perry funds dry up after gaffes and dip in polls  —  2,994  —  WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign fundraising has gone into a tailspin as a result of poor debate performances and plunging poll numbers, jeopardizing his position as the best-funded Republican presidential candidate of 2012.