Rick Santorum's curious closing argument  —  POLK CITY, Iowa — Nothing fires up a crowd like cloture.  —  Rick Santorum, the man who has improbably become a contender in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, was making his closing argument to a sea of TV cameras here on Monday when he swerved into a thicket of Senate trivia.

Gingrich: Mitt Romney is a liar  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose support in Iowa has withered after riding on top of the polls, today called former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a liar who would lie to the American people if elected to the White House …

Fox News' Alan Colmes Flips Out When Called Out For ‘Cheap Shot’ About Rick Santorum Baby (Updated)  —  In a wild exchange on Fox News' Happening Now, longtime contributor Alan Colmes lost it a little bit when National Review's Rich Lowry pressed him over an attack on Rick Santorum's handling of the 1996 death of his newborn son.

First Thoughts: Caucus Day  —  It's Caucus Day in Iowa... Romney yesterday: “We're going to win this thing”... Gingrich yesterday: “I don't think I'm going to win”... Gingrich also calls Romney a liar... Watch to watch tonight... What happens (process begins at 8:00 pm ET …

DNC chair: No time to meet Occupy  —  The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee said Tuesday morning she probably will not meet with Occupy Wall Street protesters, who have been rallying in Iowa against both Republicans and Democrats ahead of Tuesday's caucuses.

The Next War: Pentagon to Present Vision of Reduced Military  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is set this week to reveal his strategy that will guide the Pentagon in cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from its budget, and with it the Obama administration's vision …

Crackpots Do Not Make Good Messengers  —  So then: Ron Paul.  Should we lefties be happy he's in the presidential race, giving non-interventionism a voice, even if he has other beliefs we find less agreeable?  Should we be happy that his non-mainstream positions are finally getting a public hearing?

Santorum: States Should Have The Right To Outlaw Birth Control  —  Rick Santorum reiterated his belief that states should have the right to outlaw contraception during an interview with ABC News yesterday, saying, “The state has a right to do that, I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that.

L.A. arson suspect is 24-year-old Hollywood man  —  Los Angeles police on Monday afternoon booked a 24-year-old man on suspicion of arson after an L.A. County sheriff's deputy detained him in connection with a string of more than 50 deliberately set fires  —  Booking records identified …

Partisan Trends: Number of Democrats Falls to All-Time Low  —  The number of Republicans in the country increased by a percentage point in December, while the number of Democrats fell back two points to the lowest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports.  —  During December, 35.4% of Americans considered themselves Republicans.

Santorum: “ Ron Paul is Disgusting.”  —  “Ron Paul is disgusting,” presidential candidate Rick Santorum said to a handful of FOX reporters shortly after his FOX and Friends interview Tuesday morning.  —  Santorum blamed his rival for Iowa robo calls that claimed that the former U.S. senator …

Iran threatens action if US carrier returns-IRNA  —  Iran will take action if a U.S. aircraft carrier which left the area because of Iranian naval exercises returns to the Gulf, the state news agency quoted army chief Ataollah Salehi as saying on Tuesday.  —  “Iran will not repeat its warning …

Candidates steer clear of transportation before Iowa  —  Building roads and rails is central to President Barack Obama's economic recovery plans.  Congressional leaders are calling new long-term surface transportation legislation this Congress's “jobs bill.”  —  So in Washington, transportation means jobs.