The trouble with my uncle, Rick Santorum  —  If you want another big-government politician who supports the status quo to run our country, you should vote for my uncle, Rick Santorum.  America is based on a strong belief in individual liberty.  My uncle's interventionist policies …

Santorum Surge in Precinct Numbers Exceeds Poll Projections  —  UPDATE 8:55 p.m. CT: The latest with 31% of precincts:  —  Mitt Romney ...... 7,844 (23%)  —  Rick Santorum .... 7,726 (23%)  —  Ron Paul ............. 7,655 (23%)  —  Newt Gingrich ..... 4,440 (13%)  —  Rick Perry ........... 3,433 (10%)

Workers of the World, Unite!  —  The Republican Party is the party of the white working class.  This group — whites with high school degrees and maybe some college — is still the largest block in the electorate.  They overwhelmingly favor Republicans.  —  It's a diverse group, obviously …

God Tells Robertson that ‘Radical’ Obama will Bring Down America  —  Last year, Robertson claimed God told him that America's future will be bleak because of debt and divisions, and today on The 700 Club said that God again communicated to him that financial problems and partisan politics are going to bring America into decline.

Release deal for Taliban leaders at Guantánamo  —  US agrees in principle to releasing top officials from Afghanistan insurgent group in exchange for starting process of negotiations  —  The US has agreed in principle to release high-ranking Taliban officials from Guantánamo Bay …

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.

3 In-Laws of Afghan Girl, 15, Are Held in Her Torture  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan girl's nails had been pulled out, her skin on her ear and nose had been twisted with pliers, and she had been kept in a dark, filthy basement bathroom without proper food or water for five months …

The Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman declines to update us on the number of Recall Walker signatures gathered.  —  Hmmm. … Why not tell us the numbers?  Why did they previously announce the number they had for Walker but clam up about Kleefisch?  Could they be reserving the option to say they failed to get enough signatures?

Bad-Faith Journalism  —  PolitiFact tacks right, further illustrating why its approach is wrong.  —  It's not as eagerly awaited as Time's “Man of the Year” was back when people paid attention to Time, but PolitiFact's “Lie of the Year” nonetheless manages to generate a lot of chatter, aimed as it is at those who chatter for a living.

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 …

Iran warns U.S. carrier not to return to Persian Gulf  —  Handout/Reuters - Iranian naval ships take part in a naval parade on the last day of the Velayat-90 war game in the Sea of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.  Iran's army chief has warned an American aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf.

Krugman's response to Alex  —  You'll read it here, see also various (mostly weak) responses in the comments to Alex's original post.  Most of you, including Krugman, are missing Alex's point.  The issue is not that Krugman changed his mind (I've done that plenty, Alex too).

Meteor shower to kick off 2012  —  If you snooze you'll lose Wednesday morning, when a little known but active meteor shower will start 2012 for people stalwart enough to brave the chilly hours before dawn.  —  The Quadrantids, named for a now-extinct constellation, will be visible …

Obama addresses Iowa caucuses, credits them with ‘change’ campaign  —  Four years after winning the Iowa caucuses, President Obama on Tuesday credited his supporters there with helping create the change he touted in his 2008 presidential campaign.  —  “Think about the change that was accomplished …

New York City Police Arrest Suspect in String of Firebomb Attacks  —  Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with the firebombing of an Islamic cultural center and four other New York City area sites.  —  The suspect confessed to five incidents in total, including the attack …

US Closes 2011 With Record $15.22 Trillion In Debt, Officially At 100.3% Debt/GDP, $14 Billion From Breaching Debt Ceiling  —  While not news to Zero Hedge readers who knew about the final debt settlement of US debt about 10 days ahead of schedule, it is now official: according to the US Treasury …

Carter's Advice to Obama: Don't Alienate Voters  —  Former President Jimmy Carter has some advice for Barack Obama as he gears up for the 2012 election: Don't alienate voters with controversial positions.  —  The Georgia Democrat told The Associated Press on Tuesday that just about everything …

Why Iowa gets to go first, and other facts about tonight's caucus  —  (Jessica Reilly) David Redlawsk is a political scientist at Rutgers University and co-author of “Why Iowa?  How Caucuses and Sequential Elections improve the Nominating Process.”  We spoke earlier today …

Three-judge federal panel says W.Va. Congressional redistricting is not constitutional.  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia lawmakers must redraw the state's three congressional districts by Jan. 17 or a federal court will do it for them, a three-judge federal panel said Tuesday.

Michelle Obama's backside is your business how?  —  Can you imagine how the incident would play out if an African American congressman made a crude remark about First Lady Laura Bush's body?  It certainly would have taken more than an insincere apology to wash that sin away.

Observations From 20 Years of Iowa Life  —  Thoughts from a university professor on the Iowa hamlets that will shape the contours of the GOP contest  —  IOWA CITY — On January 3, Iowans will trudge through snow, sleet, sludge, ice, gale-force blizzards — whatever it takes …

RNC: Five states to lose half their delegates  —  The five states that bucked national Republican Party rules by moving up their primary or caucus dates have been penalized with the loss of half their delegates to the August nominating convention in Tampa, Fla. — and there is no chance they're getting them back.

Muslims clash with China police who destroyed mosque  —  Hundreds of Muslims fought with armed police who demolished a mosque in north China, local police and a human rights group said on Monday, with several people injured in the “riot”.  —  The violence between local Muslims …

Forget Iowa: GOP Always Nominates ‘Next in Line’  —  It's a curious thing.  I study Republicans for a living—I've done so for almost 15 years.  I write books about their history; I write articles about their present.  But these days, you probably couldn't find a political junky …

Wasserman Schultz: Clinton ‘absolutely’ won't be on 2012 ticket  —  Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), in no uncertain terms, shot down the possibility that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be on the 2012 Democratic presidential ticket alongside President Obama.

Wonkbook: How Keynes would explain Iowa  —  John Maynard Keynes famously likened playing the stock market to judging a beauty contest where, rather than choosing the most beautiful girl, you had to choose the girl you thought everyone else would choose as most beautiful.

Germany's unemployment rate at record low in December  —  The adjusted jobless rate fell to 6.8% from 6.9% in November, the Federal Labour Office said.  —  This marked a new record low since figures for unified Germany were first published.  —  The seasonally-adjusted total for the number …