memeorandum: Professor vs. Professor — IN 2004, the Democrats were furious … (Ross Douthat/New York Times)

12:35 AM ET, December 12, 2011

Top Items:

First Read / msnbc.com:

Gingrich opens up big leads in South Carolina and Florida — Newt Gingrich's surge in the polls isn't limited to just the early presidential-nominating contest of Iowa. — According to new NBC News-Marist polls, the former House speaker has now opened up commanding leads in South Carolina and Florida …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Reaction, The Political Carnival, 2012 Decoded, Hot Air, Connecting.the.Dots, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, americanthinker.com, Balloon Juice and Scared Monkeys

Barry Rubin / Rubin Reports:

Fact-Checking Newt Gingrich and the Fact-Checkers on the Middle East — ABC News “fact-checked” Newt Gingrich's Middle East statements and some readers asked me to fact-check ABC, so here is my view: — Gingrich said Palestinians are an “invented” people. ABC says: Not true.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, American Power, Israel Matzav, Outside the Beltway, americanthinker.com and Associated Press

Matthew Putney / ABCNEWS:

Democrats Blast Newt Gingrich in First Video Ad as ‘Original Tea Partier’ — For the first time in the presidential primary campaign, Democrats are turning their web video and “rapid response” email attack machine on former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. — Just hours after the ABC News …

Discussion: The Last Tradition, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit and The Caucus

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

Newt's Palestinian comment was more than about history — Palestinian national identity as it currently is recognized was a reaction to the creation of Israel and most prominently the 1967 war when Israel captured territory controlled by Egypt and Jordan. Newt Gingrich is under fire for stating this truth.

David Weigel / Slate:
The Iowa Debate: Newt Wins the Dress Rehearsal

Discussion: Eunomia, Daily Pundit, Mediaite and The Other McCain

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Debate 2.0: Romney and Gingrich surrogates attack

Discussion: ABCNEWS

San Francisco Chronicle:

Opposition grows to Occupy's port shutdown plan — Occupy Oakland's plan to shut down the city's bustling port on Monday for the second time in as many months is facing a complicating wrinkle nowhere in sight last time - opposition from several unions and some within the Occupy movement itself.

Discussion: Firedoglake

Laird Harrison / Reuters:

Anti-Wall Street activists look to block West Coast ports — (Reuters) - Anti-Wall Street protesters, hoping to briefly cripple a key supply chain of American commerce and re-energize their movement, plan to attempt to block major West Coast ports on Monday.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative and The Other McCain

John T. Bennett / The Hill:

Perry, Huntsman pledge major changes for Congress — Two long shot Republican presidential candidates took aim at the nation's capital on Sunday, vowing to make major changes to Congress as they search for traction with GOP voters. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman …

Discussion: CNN and Outside the Beltway

Michael Barone / Campaign 2012:
Thoughts on the ABC/Drake debate

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Iowa Caucuses, National Review and Los Angeles Times

Kim Geiger / Los Angeles Times:
Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich spar over moon mining, child labor

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Guardian and No More Mister Nice Blog

New York Times:
Race Reshaped, Rivals Target Gingrich in G.O.P. Debate

Discussion: The Caucus, FiveThirtyEight, Reuters, The Politico, ABCNEWS, The Iowa Republican, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Outside the Beltway, Balloon Juice, Campaign 2012, The Page, American Power and Daily Kos

Brian Bennett / Los Angeles Times:

Police employ Predator drone spy planes on home front — Unmanned aircraft from an Air Force base in North Dakota help local police with surveillance, raising questions that trouble privacy advocates. — A Predator drone spy plane helped police make arrests after a North Dakota family's run-in with a local sheriff.

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog, Balloon Juice, Global Guerrillas, The Impolitic, msnbc.com, The Jawa Report and Newshoggers.com

Michelangelo Signorile / The Huffington Post:

Candace Gingrich-Jones Questions Whether Brother Newt Gingrich Really Believes His Own Anti-Gay Rhetoric … Gay Marriage , Newt Gingrich , Same-Sex Marriage , Video , 2012 Presidential Race , Candace Gingrich-Jones , Candace Gingrich-Jones Gay Marriage , Michelangelo Signorile …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Christopher Sherman / Associated Press:

US proposes unmanned border crossing with Mexico — BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas (AP) — The bloody drug war in Mexico shows no sign of relenting. Neither do calls for tighter border security amid rising fears of spillover violence. — This hardly seems a time the U.S. would be willing …

Discussion: PoliPundit.com and The Lonely Conservative

Washington Examiner:

Why Americans no longer trust Washington — Survey after survey in recent months has shown an alarming decline in public confidence in the nation's chief federal institutions, as well as a deepening pessimism about America's future. Congressional approval is at an all-time low of 13 percent …

Discussion: The Other McCain

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

Professor vs. Professor — IN 2004, the Democrats were furious at what they considered the fraud to end all frauds: the selling of George W. Bush as a decisive military leader and all-American tough guy. So they nominated John Kerry for the presidency, hoping that having a real combat veteran …

Discussion: INSTAPUTZ