Gingrich '06 Memo: “Agree Entirely With Gov. Romney” on Health Care  —  To conservatives, the biggest strike against Mitt Romney is the health care plan he put in place in Massachusetts, but Newt Gingrich lavished praise on Romney's plan after it was passed in 2006.

Iowa Caucus Polls: Ron Paul And Mitt Romney Lead, But Surprises Likely … 2012 Election , Mitt Romney , Newt Gingrich 2012 , Elections 2012 , Newt Gingrich , Ron Paul , Video , Iowa Caucuses , Iowa Polls , Ron Paul 2012 , Iowa Caucus 2012 , Iowa Caucuses 2012 , Mitt Romney 2012 , Pollster Analysis , Politics News

How Can Romney Lose?  —  The conventional wisdom on the Republican nomination race has once again shifted.  In the span of just two weeks, Mitt Romney has gone from seeming quite vulnerable to the near-inevitable Republican nominee.  The odds attributed to Mr. Romney winning the nomination …

Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents  —  BUTLER, Pa. — One day after his shift at the steel mill, Gary Myers drove home in his 10-year-old Pontiac and told his wife he was going to run for Congress.  —  The odds were long.  At 34, Myers was the shift foreman at the “hot mill” of the Armco plant here.

Ben Nelson retiring from Senate  —  Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska will announce today that he is retiring after two terms, a serious blow to Democratic efforts to hold onto their majority in the chamber next November.  —  Nelson is scheduled to hold a press conference back home …

Moving melee causes chaos at packed Mall of America  —  Some stores shut down Monday night as panicked shoppers fled.  At least 10 youths were arrested.  —  A noisy, racing crowd of more than 200 young people created a chaotic scene at the packed Mall of America Monday evening …

Caught On Tape: Clerk Punches, Knocks Out Armed Robber  —  Clerk Then Makes Suspect Clean Up His Own Blood  —  HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — A clerk at a business in Western North Carolina punched a would-be robber and knocked him out cold just minutes after the man barged in with a gun and demanded money.

Republicans With Shotguns  —  You know you're in Iowa when the big story of the day is how many pheasants the candidate killed: … Read the whole thing at the American Spectator.  —  While King didn't give Santorum his endorsement, yesterday's hunting trip and press conference garnered the candidate a huge haul of publicity.

Obama to ask for debt limit hike: Treasury official  —  (Reuters) - The White House plans to ask Congress by the end of the week for an increase in the government's debt ceiling to allow the United States to pay its bills on time, according to a senior Treasury Department official on Tuesday.

Greeks Reeling From Health Care Cutbacks  —  PERAMA, Greece — The free clinic here opened about a year ago to serve illegal immigrants.  But these days, it is mostly caring for Greeks like Vassiliki Ragamb, who was sitting in the waiting room hoping to get insulin for her young diabetic son.

Predictions gone wrong  —  Dave Weigel had a good item yesterday on his “2011 Pundit Audit.”  It's a worthwhile idea, so I thought I'd join the fun. … Weigel points to four flubs: the assumption that Rick Perry would be a competent candidate; the belief that Perry's book and agenda …

The Year in Recalls — 150 Recalls in 2011  —  This year was a great year for recalls, and now we have some numbers to back it up.  There were at least 150 recalls in 2011.  Here's my Los Angeles Times article discussing the totals, and below are some more key facts from the recalls.