memeorandum: GOP candidates head to Iowa for a sprint to the caucuses (Jonathan Easley/The Hill)

6:10 PM ET, December 26, 2011

Top Items:

Statement from fmr. Ron Paul staffer on Newsletters, Anti-Semitism — Fmr. Senior Aide, US Cong. Ron Paul, 1997 - 2003 — Campaign Coordinator, Ron Paul for Congress, 1995/96 — National Organizer, Draft Ron Paul for President, 1991/92 — Travel Aide/Personal Asst. Ron Paul, Libertarian for President

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, YID With LID, Israel Matzav, Althouse, Sadly, No!, Daily Kos, Atlas Shrugs, American Power, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Indecision Forever, Verum Serum, Balloon Juice, The PJ Tatler, Betsy's Page and Transterrestrial Musings

New York Times:
Paul Disowns Extremists' Views but Doesn't Disavow the Support

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Slate, National Review, Catholic Bandita, Don Surber, Hit & Run, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, Bob Owens, The Hill and Brad DeLong

BuzzFeed:
In 1995 Video, Ron Paul Takes Credit For The Ron Paul Survival Report

Discussion: Hot Air, Campaign 2012, The PJ Tatler, neo-neocon, Mediaite and Washington Monthly

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Ron Paul, In 1996, ‘Did Not Deny’ Controversial Statement In Newsletter

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:
The Freedom To Oppress: Why Ron Paul's Old Racist Newsletters Matter

Discussion: Box Turtle Bulletin and The Moderate Voice

Richard Winger / Ballot Access News:

Virginia 2011 Independent Candidate for Legislature has Big Impact on 2012 Presidential Primary — There are currently many news stories and blog discussions about the Virginia presidential primary ballot access law. Some large blogs, such as Red State, have over 300 comments about the story.

Discussion: Big Government, M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S …, Indecision Forever, Enik Rising, The Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway, Pundit & Pundette, American Spectator and Bearing Drift

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

GOP candidates head to Iowa for a sprint to the caucuses — With three candidates tangled at the top, and three dark horses looking to make a run, the Republican presidential field will return from the Christmas weekend at full speed for the final push to the Iowa caucuses.

Discussion: CNN

Moe Lane:

Did the VA GOP change the rules on primary ballot access in November 2011? — Apparently, yes. — Richard Winger over at Ballot Access News has an EXTREMELY interesting post (link via here) on the mess that the Virginia Republican party has found itself in over... access to the ballot in Virginia.

Discussion: Big Government, National Review, The PJ Tatler, NewsBusters.org and Bearing Drift

Chris Cassidy / Boston Herald:
GOP hopefuls poised to go ‘back to war’

Discussion: Hot Air and Don Surber

E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Obama: The conservative in 2012 — At a moment when the nation …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Caucus, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Connecting.the.Dots, The Other McCain, Taylor Marsh and Balloon Juice

Chris Wallace / Fox News:
Mike Huckabee Handicaps Iowa Race; Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Meaning of Christmas

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Weasel Zippers and Campaign 2012

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
Many Iowans struggle with political indecision

Discussion: The Impolitic, Booman Tribune and Swampland

Michael Levenson / Boston Globe:
Romney leads, Paul rises in N.H. poll

Discussion: Firedoglake, Hit & Run, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, The Right Sphere, Ron Paul 2012 and Los Angeles Times

Josh Margolin / New York Post:

Schumer bro-in-law judge nod stuns NJ — Sen. Charles Schumer's brother-in-law was quietly nominated this month to a federal judgeship in New Jersey — a move that has some in the Garden State crying political foul, The Post has learned. — Kevin McNulty, who is married to Schumer's sister …

Discussion: The Hill, Michelle Malkin, iOwnTheWorld.com, Scared Monkeys, Moe Lane, The PJ Tatler, Althouse and Instapundit

Tim Mak / The Politico:
Schumer in-law offered judgeship

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Alan Duke / CNN:

Newly recovered court files cast doubt on Gingrich version of first divorce — Editor's note: Alan Duke grew up in Carrollton, Georgia, and began his career covering politics there. He began covering Newt Gingrich during Gingrich's first campaigns for public office.

Discussion: The Raw Story, TBogg, The Politico, Verum Serum and Capital Tonight

Rich Lowry / National Review:

“We Don't Have Our ‘A Team’ on the Field” — Speaking of discontent with the Republican field, I talked the other day to a pretty prominent conservative officeholder who's constantly been discussing with people around the country the possibility of a new entrant or a push to draft someone. But who?

Discussion: Whiskey Fire, Outside the Beltway, Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, American Spectator, neo-neocon and Daily Kos

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:

Fear and Loathing at BWI — BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — They'll call final boarding in less than an hour, so there's no time now for a lot of fancy stuff. I'm scheduled for a three-hour flight to Detroit, a one-hour layover and then a 40-minute hop to Cedar Rapids.

Discussion: Washington Post and Daily Pundit

Oren Yaniv / NY Daily News:

Georgia woman who threatened 2 New York lawmakers is shot to death by cop — Jameela Barnette targeted Rep. Pete King & state Sen. Greg Ball — Cobb County, Ga., police investigate shooting of Jameela Barnette. — A Muslim woman who had been charged with sending fake weapons and a pig's foot …

Discussion: The Politico and Jihad Watch

Tyler Durden / zerohedge.com/fullrss2.xml:

China Insolvency Wave Begins As Nation's Biggest Provincial Borrowers “Defer” Loan Payments — Remember, back in the day, when a bankruptcy was simply called a bankruptcy? Naturally, this was well before ISDA came on the scene and footnoted the living feces out of everything by claiming …

Discussion: Vox Popoli, Outside the Beltway and Daily Pundit

Washington Post:

Solyndra: Politics infused Obama energy programs — Tony Avelar/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST - Linda Sterio, along with 1,100 full-time and temporary employees, were laid off Aug. 31 from Solyndra. The company shut down without paying severance; today Sterio remains out of work and in danger of losing her home.

Discussion: Big Journalism, Scared Monkeys, The Heritage Foundation, The Enterprise Blog, Hot Air, Big Government, Power Line, YID With LID and Pirate's Cove

Adam C. Smith / St. Petersburg Times:

While focus is now Iowa, GOP can't sleep on Florida — The attention may be focused on the Republican presidential contests around the corner in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the candidates ignore what's under way in Florida at their peril. — More Florida Republicans — about 370,000 …

Discussion: 2012 Decoded, Hot Air and The Politico

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Gingrich camp likens Virginia ballot setback to Pearl Harbor

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Wonkette, Ed Driscoll, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Daniel Craig: Pols are ‘sh**heads’ — Actor Daniel Craig put on a display of straight-talk that might have endeared him to voters had he been on the campaign trail, telling Men's Journal that politicians are “sh**heads” who “stab you in the f**king back.” — “Politicians are sh*theads,” …

Steve Clemons / The Atlantic Online:

GW Bush + Six Years = Islamists? — A hat tip to Jim Pinkerton for sending this my way. — Washington Post, 22 December 2011: … President George W. Bush, 20 January 2005: