Top Items:
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Winning Ugly, but Winning — I don't care if you call it a win or a tie. In Iowa on Tuesday, Mitt Romney had a performance that looks ugly on the stat sheet , but which accomplished quite a bit when you consider it in its broader context. — The two most important things that Mr. Romney accomplished are as follows:
RELATED:
BuzzFeed:
McCain To Endorse Romney Tomorrow — The 2008 Republican nominee will endorse his former rival in New Hampshire, a source tells BuzzFeed. The move will give Romney some high-profile good news after a close and ambiguous finish in Iowa. — (Getty Images / Mark Wilson)
Discussion:
Hot Air, Balloon Juice, ABCNEWS, Guardian, News Desk, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, The Daily Dish, Weasel Zippers, CNN, Taylor Marsh, TalkLeft, Saint Petersblog, Yahoo! News and Lynn Sweet
Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:
Everything You Heard Last Night Was Bull, Perry Might Want to Stay In, & a Newtlear Attack — As you wake up this morning, Rick Santorum only lost to Mitt Romney by 8 votes. Santorum spent about a dollar per vote and Romney spent hundreds of dollars for his votes.
Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
Bachmann Ends Presidential Run — Source — Rep. Michele Bachmann is suspending her presidential campaign, said a senior Republican official with direct knowledge of the lawmaker's plans. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Minnesota lawmaker, a favorite …
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Romney Wins Iowa Caucus by 8 Votes — “Onto New Hampshire, let's get that job done!” Mitt Romney told supporters before being declared the winner. More Photos » — DES MOINES — Mitt Romney's quest to swiftly lock down the Republican presidential nomination with a commanding finish …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Caucus, The Politico, Ballot Box, CNN, Washington Post, Reuters, Firedoglake, Campaign 2012, The Atlantic Online, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Iowa Caucuses, ABCNEWS, Pressthink, Capital New York, Scared Monkeys, pandagon.net, Shakesville, Outside the Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, Marbury, Wake up America, Gothamist and The Page, more at Mediagazer »
David Weigel / Slate:
Rickrolled: Three Lessons from Iowa … - Is the Virginia Law Keeping Perry and Gingrich Off the Ballot Constitutional? — The Real Threat to Marriage Isn't Gay Marriage—It's Straight Civil Unions — The App That Keeps You Going to the Gym by Charging You Money When You Don't
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Politico, The Mahablog, TheGazette, Washington Post, FrumForum, The Spectacle Blog, Austin American-Statesman, Wonkette, Balloon Juice, Political Mojo, The Daily Dish, Don Surber, Iowa Caucuses, The New Republic, LifeNews.com, Weekly Standard, RedState, Campaign 2012 and GOP 12, more at Mediagazer »
Paul Begala / The Daily Beast:
Iowa Results Show Romney's Weakness Even Against GOP ‘Unelectables’ — What can you say about an alleged frontrunner who could barely top the Man-on-Dog guy? If Mitt Romney can't beat Rick Santorum, he ought to find another party to run in. — You gotta love a party in which Mitt Romney …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE and Saint Petersblog
Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Bachmann cancels South Carolina trip — Per a tweet from the AP, Michele Bachmann has canceled her planned trip to South Carolina, and has called a press conference for 10 a.m. central time. — I've emailed a campaign spokeswoman and haven't heard back. — But after Bachmann's …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Other McCain, Daily Kos, Weasel Zippers and PoliPundit.com
Kevinliptak / CNN:
BREAKING: Bachmann ends GOP presidential bid — (CNN) - Michele Bachmann ended her bid for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday, hours after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. — The Minnesota congresswoman suspended her campaign, a legal technicality …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Taylor Marsh
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
DNC chairwoman: Romney's Iowa caucus win is ‘a loss’ — The chairwoman for the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sought to slow Mitt Romney's momentum as the winner of the Iowa caucuses, the first vote of the 2012 primary season. — “When is a win a loss?
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN and Weasel Zippers
msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: What we learned from last night — NBC's Chuck Todd and David Gregory assess the results from the Iowa caucuses and discuss where the race goes from here. … By NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower — *** What we learned from last night …
Discussion:
The Politico
Russell Goldman / ABCNEWS:
Michele Bachmann Drops Out of Presidential Race
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
“We have nearly reached the Rubicon when the ‘not Romney’ crowd is pining for Jon Huntsman”
“We have nearly reached the Rubicon when the ‘not Romney’ crowd is pining for Jon Huntsman”
Discussion:
CNN, Erick's blog, CBS News, Brilliant at Breakfast, americanthinker.com, Pirate's Cove and The Daily Dish
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
Santorum Surge in Precinct Numbers Exceeds Poll Projections
Santorum Surge in Precinct Numbers Exceeds Poll Projections
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Datechguy's Blog, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Reaganite Republican, American Prospect, Nice Deb, GayPatriot, Thoughts From A …, Saint Petersblog, Scared Monkeys, CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Catholic Bandita, Weasel Zippers, Doug Ross, The Hinterland Gazette and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
Kasie Hunt / Associated Press:
Bachmann cancels SC trip after poor Iowa finish
Bachmann cancels SC trip after poor Iowa finish
Discussion:
Reuters, Guardian and The Raw Story
Ronald Brownstein / NationalJournal.com:
Why Romney and Santorum Fought to a Draw in Iowa
Why Romney and Santorum Fought to a Draw in Iowa
Discussion:
Betsy's Page and CNN
Brian Bakst / Associated Press:
Campaign manager says Bachmann may drop out
Campaign manager says Bachmann may drop out
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
James Hohmann / The Politico:
Iowa caucus results: Reality check coming for Santorum
Iowa caucus results: Reality check coming for Santorum
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, The Week, Mediaite, New York Times, USA Today, ABCNEWS and Ballot Box
Emily Schultheis / The Politico:
McCain to endorse Romney tomorrow
McCain to endorse Romney tomorrow
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah and The Radio Patriot
NBC's Ali Weinberg / msnbc.com:
After strong Iowa showing, Santorum campaign looks ahead to SC
After strong Iowa showing, Santorum campaign looks ahead to SC
Discussion:
USA Today and The Agonist
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Jon Huntsman: Mitt Romney Would Be An Agent For The Big Banks
Jon Huntsman: Mitt Romney Would Be An Agent For The Big Banks
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Campaign 2012, Taylor Marsh and The Politico
Shannon McCaffrey / Associated Press:
Gingrich hits Romney, says he'll continue to fight
Gingrich hits Romney, says he'll continue to fight
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Indecision Forever, Truthdig and Los Angeles Times
Associated Press:
AP sources: Obama bucks GOP, OKs consumer watchdog — WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defiant display of executive power, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will buck GOP opposition and name Richard Cordray as the nation's chief consumer watchdog even though the Senate contends the move is inappropriate …
RELATED:
Ben White / The Politico:
Romney wins Iowa by 8 votes - Fallout: Perry done; Santorum strong; Gingrich angry - Cordray recess appointment? - Oil surges on Iran fear — By Ben White (bwhite@politico.com; Twitter: @morningmoneyben) — ROMNEY WINS IOWA BY 8 VOTES - With 100 percent of Iowa precincts reporting …
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, The Hill, The Hill, Moe Lane, Wall Street Journal, Outside the Beltway, Questions and Observations and Prairie Weather
Grace Wyler / Business Insider:
Ron Paul May Have Secretly Won The Iowa Caucuses — DES MOINES — Ron Paul may have officially come in third tonight, but if the campaign's caucus strategy went off as planned, then Paul may actually be the real winner of the first Republican voting contest.
Discussion:
NPR, Guardian, A plain blog about politics, Hit & Run, The Politico, americanthinker.com, New York Times and Truthdig
RELATED:
New York Times:
28 delegates The Race in Iowa
28 delegates The Race in Iowa
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Caucus, Freakonomics, FiveThirtyEight, Feministing, Washington Post, Poynter and Prairie Weather
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Why I'd Bet on Santorum (and Against My Model)
Why I'd Bet on Santorum (and Against My Model)
Discussion:
The Reaction, The Moderate Voice, RedState, The Politico and Balloon Juice
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Conservative elites to huddle — A group of movement conservatives has called an emergency meeting in Texas next weekend to find a “consensus” Republican presidential hopeful, POLITICO has learned. — “You and your spouse are cordially invited to a private meeting with national conservative leaders …
Discussion:
GOP 12
RELATED:
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
Stuff in Politico That Makes Me Want to Guzzle Antifreeze, Field of Mediocrity Edition
Stuff in Politico That Makes Me Want to Guzzle Antifreeze, Field of Mediocrity Edition
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Newshoggers.com
Mackenzie Weinger / The Politico:
Ron Paul calls Newt Gingrich a ‘chickenhawk’ — Ron Paul came out swinging Wednesday against Newt Gingrich for calling him a dangerous candidate, dubbing Gingrich a chickenhawk who avoided the Vietnam War. — “I don't want to fight a war that's unconstitutional and I'm the dangerous person?
Discussion:
Hot Air and The Hinterland Gazette
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Gingrich Floats Idea of Anti-Romney Alliance — In an interview with Laura Ingraham, Newt Gingrich raised the possibility of creating an anti-Mitt Romney alliance with Rick Santorum. — Ingraham: Can you see a scenario under which the two of you would align together to try to defeat the establishment candidate, Mitt Romney?