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1:25 PM ET, December 21, 2011

Top Items:

The GOP's Payroll Tax Fiasco — How did Republicans manage to lose the tax issue to Obama? — GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously said a year ago that his main task in the 112th Congress was to make sure that President Obama would not be re-elected.

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama's Hawaii Christmas dilemma — President Obama faces a most difficult decision with the payroll tax extension up in the air, and it isn't whether to compromise with Republicans. — The toughest call for the president this holiday season could be whether to join his family for Christmas in Hawaii or stay in lonely Washington.

Discussion: Hawaii Reporter, Outside the Beltway and Pundit & Pundette

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Explaining Obama's Approval Rating Bounce — President Obama has seen improved approval ratings in the past few weeks. His approval rating in the average of six polls tracked by Real Clear Politics now stands at 46.5 percent. That's the highest the figure has been since July …

Discussion: Philly.com, Outside the Beltway, American Prospect and Guardian

Mj Lee / Reuters:

WSJ: GOP a ‘circular firing squad’ — In a devastating blow to congressional Republicans, the Wall Street Journal's editorial board blasted the GOP's leaders on the Hill Wednesday for botching the political battle against President Barack Obama and Democrats on the payroll tax issue …

Discussion: The Hill, Time, The Reaction, Mediaite and Business Insider

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Romney Refuses To Take Position On Payroll Tax Holiday — In two TV interviews today, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney refused to take a stance on the biggest issue in Washington today: the extension of the payroll tax holiday. A huge bipartisan majority in the Senate passed …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
GOP senator says Republicans need to resolve payroll tax fight and ‘move on’

Discussion: Hot Air and Daily Kos

Manu Rajuand John Bresnahan / The Politico:
McConnell leaves Boehner on limb

Discussion: FrumForum, Taegan Goddard's …, The Hill, CNN, The Hill and Hot Air

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

Literally walking away from a fight — It was rather remarkable this morning to watch the proceedings on the House floor. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) wanted to try again to bring up the Senate's bipartisan payroll-tax-break compromise, and instead of debating, Republicans literally walked away from the fight.

Discussion: The Maddow Blog and Washington Post

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

House Republicans stiff attempt from Democrats to call up Senate payroll bill — House Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt Wednesday to call up the Senate payroll tax bill by quickly gaveling the day's pro forma session to a close. — Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) presided over the brief session …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Hullabaloo

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Speaker Cuts Off C-SPAN Cameras When Dems Attempt To Bring Vote On Payroll Tax Cut — During a quick pro-forma session of the House this morning, Republicans rebuffed a Democratic attempt to force an up-or-down vote on the Senate-passed payroll tax holiday extension, which Republicans have thus far refused to allow.

Discussion: The Caucus

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:

Gingrich to House GOP: Give In on Payroll Tax — DES MOINES, Iowa - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who famously lost budget battles to President Bill Clinton amid two government shutdowns, had some advice to House Republicans at loggerheads with another Democratic president: Give in.

Discussion: National Review

Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPMDC — Watch GOPer Literally Walk Out On Dem Attempt To Push Payroll Tax Cut — While Republican leaders gathered in Speaker John Boehner's Capitol office Wednesday morning for a photo op with reporters — hectoring Democrats and making the case that they're on the right side of the payroll tax fight …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Daily Dish

Los Angeles Times:
With payroll tax cut unresolved, Congress packs up

Discussion: New York Times, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Other McCain and Hullabaloo

Marin Cogan / The Politico:
House Republicans who bucked their party

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Washington Post:
Congress leaves town with an uneasy stalemate and looming payroll tax hike

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Politico and CNN

Brian Knowlton / New York Times:
Republicans in House Reject Deal Extending Payroll Tax Cut

Discussion: The Caucus, NewsBusters.org, The Hill, The Reaction, Washington Post, The New Republic, Prairie Weather, Connecting.the.Dots, The Hill and Political Mojo

Benjamin Kang Lim / Reuters:

Exclusive: North Korea's military to share power with Kim's heir — (Reuters) - North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.

Discussion: New York Times, ThinkProgress, Gothamist, Associated Press, New York Magazine and neo-neocon

Scott Whitlock / NewsBusters.org:
Whoopi Goldberg: Communism Is ‘a Great Concept’ That ‘Makes Perfect Sense’ on Paper

Discussion: Doug Ross

New York Times:
North Korean Mourning Blends Emotion and Coercion

Discussion: dallasmorningviewsblog …, Via Meadia, FP Passport, Guardian, UN Dispatch, The Enterprise Blog and City Room

Jordan Weissmann / The Atlantic Online:
How Kim Jong Il Starved North Korea

Discussion: americanthinker.com and Hit & Run

Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:

Newt Gingrich to gay Iowan: Vote for Obama — Gingrich and his wife Callista at tonight's event in Oskaloosa. Oskaloosa, Ia. - Newt Gingrich told a gay man and longtime resident of Oskaloosa here today that he should vote for President Obama. — “I asked him if he's elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice, Gawker, LGBTQ Nation, Towleroad News #gay, Outside the Beltway and Joe. My. God.

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Newt Gingrich Tells Gay Iowan To Vote For Obama

Discussion: Fox News, Feministing and Prairie Weather

news.iastate.edu:

Paul now top pick in new ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll, but voters still uncertain — AMES, Iowa — A new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll of 333 likely Iowa Republican caucus goers finds Ron Paul in the top spot among GOP presidential candidates with 27.5 percent, followed closely by Newt Gingrich with 25.3 percent.

Discussion: Iowa Caucus 2012, CNN and msnbc.com

New York Times:
Remembering '08 Fizzle, Romney Puts Added Emphasis on New Hampshire

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Taegan Goddard's …, The Caucus and The Politico

James Lynch / KCRG-TV:
Vote 2012: Ron Paul Takes Lead in KCRG/Gazette/ISU Poll

Discussion: Wake up America, Unlikely Voter and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

You, sir, are no Teddy Roosevelt — In a speech to be delivered in Bedford, N.H., this evening, Mitt Romney will push back explicitly on Barack Obama's recent invocation of Teddy Roosevelt in a speech the president used to frame the 2012 campaign in terms of “fairness.” Here's what Romney will say:

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Paul Krugman, New York Magazine and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
The point at which Mitt Romney loses his mind

Discussion: The Caucus

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Obama Places Himself on the Continuum of Greatness — There was an initially-overlooked moment in President Obama's recent interview with 60 Minutes. Excerpts from the interview were played on television, and CBS posted the interview in its entirety on its web site.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Betsy's Page, Pundit & Pundette, National Review, Indecision Forever, The Politico and The Gateway Pundit

Neal Pollack / Salon:

I knew Christopher Hitchens better than you — Every writer who had a drink with Hitch has now told his story. But even Rushdie and Amis didn't know him like this — Christopher Hitchens and I were friends for 40 years, plus another five when we were enemies.

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:

Gary Johnson to drop out of GOP primary to run as Libertarian — Gary Johnson will quit the Republican primaries and seek the Libertarian Party nomination instead, POLITICO has learned. — The former two-term New Mexico governor, whose campaign for the GOP nomination never caught fire …