Top Items:
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Paul maintains his lead — The last week and a half has brought little change in the standings for the Iowa Republican caucus: Ron Paul continues to lead Mitt Romney by a modest margin, 24-20. Newt Gingrich is in 3rd at 13% followed by Michele Bachmann at 11%, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum at 10% …
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The Politico:
Mitt Romney in striking distance of Iowa win — Don't look now, but Mitt Romney suddenly seems like the Iowa front-runner. — The former Massachusetts governor has carefully tempered expectations in Iowa all year, visiting only a handful of times and saving the bulk of his television spending for the final weeks of the race.
Discussion:
The State Column, Washington Monthly, CNN, ABCNEWS, Wall Street Journal, Governors Journal and GOP 12
New York Times:
A New Romney, Seeking to Connect, Reveals Some Quirks — DAVENPORT, Iowa — When Mitt Romney introduces himself to voters, he has a peculiar habit of guessing their age or nationality, often incorrectly. (A regular query: “Are you French Canadian?") — When making small talk with locals …
Discussion:
Guardian, Jezebel, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Hotline On Call, ABCNEWS, Prairie Weather and The Caucus
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
For President in 2012, Mitt Romney — It is time for Republicans to get serious. After flirting with just about every candidate in a large presidential field, is is time to come home to the one candidate who has the demonstrated ability to run the largest organization in the United States …
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Perry changes stance to oppose all abortions — (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry revealed a hardening in his stance on abortion Tuesday, telling a crowd in Iowa that he opposed abortions in all cases, including when a woman had been raped or the victim of incest.
Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
After Watching Citizens United Film, Perry Shifts To Oppose Abortion Even For Victims Of Rape Or Incest — Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) declared that he'd experienced a “transformation” following an anti-abortion film and now no longer supports allowing women to get an abortion if they are victims of rape or incest.
New York Times:
Republican Rivals Unleash Broadside on Paul in Iowa — MASON CITY, Iowa — The Republican presidential candidates sharpened their criticism of Representative Ron Paul on Tuesday in an effort to keep his support from growing among voters who are frustrated with government and may be inclined …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Caucus, Reuters, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Iowa Caucuses, msnbc.com, Taegan Goddard's …, Washington Post and Daily Kos
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Polling Gridlock in Iowa Could Produce Last-Minute Momentum — The most interesting thing about the latest polls in Iowa (which are the basis for our forecasts) is that they essentially show a four-way tie for third place among the Republican presidential contenders, with Newt Gingrich …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, Daily Kos and Outside the Beltway
Jonathan Easley / Ballot Box:
Romney describes health mandate as conservative principle
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
For Romney, stealth campaign brings real hopes of winning Iowa
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Politico, The Page, 2012 Decoded and ABCNEWS
Jonathan Easley / Ballot Box:
Paul holds slim lead over Romney in first post-Christmas Iowa poll
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Washington Examiner
Sarah B. Boxer / NationalJournal.com:
Romney: Gingrich Like ‘Lucille Ball at Chocolate Factory’
Discussion:
American Prospect, The Atlantic Online, 2012 Decoded, Hit & Run, GOP 12, Weasel Zippers, Politisite and Ballot Box
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
Mitt Romney: The Real Austerity Candidate — Over the holidays, Willard Romney has been seeking once again to define himself, a job that is very similar to that undertaken by the people who renovate old country homes. The first thing you have to do is to tear down the accumulated improvements …
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla
Robert / Jihad Watch:
Islamic honor killing in Texas: “Santa” who murdered family on Christmas morning was Muslim who didn't like his daughter dating a non-Muslim — Aziz Yazdanpanah, a Muslim, didn't like his daughter's non-Muslim boyfriend and was exhibiting stalker behavior. “She couldn't date at all until …
Discussion:
Pat Dollard, The Gateway Pundit, Atlas Shrugs, ABCNEWS, UrbanGrounds, msnbc.com and Biased BBC
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Stephen Gordon / speculist.com:
In the Future Everything Will Be A Coffee Shop — Phil and I ended last week's FastForward Radio show discussing how higher education will change in the coming years. My conclusion: — Universities Will Become Coffee Shops — We're faced with an education bubble.
Discussion:
EconLog and Belmont Club
Michelle Hirsch / Business Insider:
America's Dirty Little Housing Secret Is Rocking The Suburbs — For years, the food pantry in Crystal Lake, Ill., a bedroom community 50 miles west of Chicago, has catered to the suburban area's poor, homeless and unemployed. — But Cate Williams, the head of the pantry …
Discussion:
BizzyBlog
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Washington's year of drama leaves little done regarding debt — Reid Ribble, a Wisconsin roofing contractor-turned-Republican lawmaker, has helped change the way Washington talks about the national debt. That's not to say he has done much about the debt itself.
Valerie Richardson / Washington Times:
New laws: No caffeine in beer, shark fins in soup — California bans among laws set to take effect across nation — DENVER — Starting Jan. 1, getting shark fins, caffeinated beer, cough syrup or a tan is going to be tougher than it was in 2011. — The National Conference …
Discussion:
IntoxiNation, Sense of Events and Clayton Cramer's Blog
idf.il:
IDF targets terrorists involved in attempted terror attack — IAF aircraft target two Global Jihad affiliated-terrorists in northern Gaza who prepared attacks on Israel-Egypt border; an additional terrorist squad was targeted earlier — Following the targeting of a Global Jihad affiliated-terrorist …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Long War Journal and The Jawa Report
ABCNEWS:
GOP Rivals Unleash Blistering Attacks on Ron Paul — Ron Paul, who doesn't even return to the campaign trail until Wednesday, is already facing a barrage of attacks from his GOP rivals. — Newt Gingrich told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he could not support Paul if he won the Republican nomination …
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses, Washington Post, GOP 12 and The Huffington Post
Greg Miller / Washington Post:
Under Obama, an emerging global apparatus for drone killing — U.S. Air Force/GETTY IMAGES - A crew chief from the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron completes post-flight inspections of the RQ-1 Predator after one of its sorties in Balad Air Base, Iraq.
Discussion:
White House Dossier and Prairie Weather
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
First family frees 4 turtles — HONOLULU — The first family released four sea turtles into Hanauma Bay on Tuesday afternoon before visiting the park where the reptiles were raised. — The four turtles — each 18 months old — were raised in captivity at Sea Life Park, about five miles away along the Oahu coast.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Jeffrey Gettleman / New York Times:
Somalia Faces Alarming Rise in Rapes of Women and Girls — A rape victim in Mogadishu hid her identity. Aid workers say there has been a free-for-all of armed men preying upon women and girls displaced by famine. More Photos » — MOGADISHU, Somalia — The girl's voice dropped …
Discussion:
Jezebel and Hullabaloo
Choe Sang-Hun / New York Times:
North Korean Mourners Line Streets for Kim Jong-il's Funeral — SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Jong-un, the designated dynastic heir to power in North Korea, walked alongside the hearse of his deceased father, Kim Jong-il, through snow-covered downtown Pyongyang on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Associated Press, BizzyBlog and NewsBusters.org blogs
Robin Hanson / Overcoming Bias:
Why Work Hour Limits? — Many laws discourage and limit work hours. Laws require holidays and vacations, limit hours per day and week, and require extra payment for work over these limits. And of course income taxes discourage work more generally. The standard economic explanation …
Discussion:
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