memeorandum: Laura Bush wanted Jeb to run for president in 2012 (Jeremy Wallace/HT Politics)

6:15 PM ET, January 12, 2012

Top Items:

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

Poll: Romney slipping in South Carolina, holds just 2 point lead over Gingrich — Despite a historic sweep of the first two nominating contests in the GOP field, Mitt Romney holds just a two percentage point lead in South Carolina, his smallest lead of 2012.

Discussion: The Caucus, FiveThirtyEight, msnbc.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Connecting.the.Dots, The Politico, The Reaction, The Mahablog, CNN, The Political Carnival, Indecision Forever, Politics, ThinkProgress and The Moderate Voice

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

‘When Mitt Romney Came to Town’ — We knew the short film from Newt Gingrich's Super PAC, targeting Mitt Romney's private-sector work, was on the way. We didn't know just how devastating it would be. — Probably the easiest-to-see version of “When Mitt Romney Came to Town” …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Political Carnival, The Daily Dish, Washington Post, Rumproast, Opinion L.A., The Moderate Voice, msnbc.com, Feministing, The Other McCain, CNN, Democratic Strategist, News Desk, Smartypants and Applesauce

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Giuliani to Newt: ‘What the hell are you doing?’ — Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has recently called Mitt Romney “a man without a core,” defended the GOP frontrunner's record as an executive at Bain Capital, calling the attacks against him “ignorant and dumb.”

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Riehl World View

Dan Primack / Fortune:

Gingrich's ‘Bain bomb’ fizzles — The “Bain bomb” is full of wet fuses. — We've been keeping regular track of claims made about Mitt Romney's business history over at our Mitt Meter, but today's video “documentary” from the Gingrich-affiliated Winning Our Future PAC requires its own post.

Discussion: Washington Post, Bangor Daily News, The Huffington Post, American Prospect, The Buzz Florida Politics Feed and The Daily Dish

A.Killough / CNN:

Perry donor defects to Romney, citing Bain attacks — Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - One of Rick Perry's leading financial supporters in South Carolina is defecting to Mitt Romney - and he told CNN Thursday that Perry's sharp criticisms of Romney as a “vulture capitalist” were the main factor in his decision.

Discussion: The Political Carnival, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, Shakesville, Don Surber, The Lonely Conservative, The Caucus, Washington Post and The Gateway Pundit

Rasmussen Reports:

Florida GOP Primary: Romney 41%, Gingrich 19%, Santorum 15% — Mitt Romney is now running away with the race in the latest Rasmussen Reports' survey of the end-of-the-month Florida Republican Primary. — Coming off his decisive win in Tuesday's New Hampshire Primary …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Don Surber, Hot Air, LifeNews.com, Guardian, Saint Petersblog, The PJ Tatler, GOP 12, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, The Buzz Florida Politics Feed, Campaign 2012, National Review and CNN

Reid J. Epstein / Reuters:

Mitt Romney readies Bain Capital counterattack — COLUMBIA, S.C. - Mitt Romney's done defending his Bain Capital record. He's going on offense. — The former Massachusetts governor arrived here Wednesday fresh off his New Hampshire primary win armed with a new plan for a multi-pronged response …

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Romney Makes History

Discussion: The Daily, The State, The Politico, New York Times and The PJ Tatler, more at Techmeme »

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Gingrich: ‘So-Called Conservatives’ Are Attacking Me Because I Want an Accounting of Wall Street Bailouts

Discussion: The Caucus, ABCNEWS, Hot Air and National Review

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney's extreme defense of capitalism

Discussion: Washington Monthly, FAIR Blog, Sky Dancing, The Daily Dish and Riehl World View

Kristina Peterson / Washington Wire:
Rick Perry Slams Wall Street, Congress

Discussion: The Other McCain

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Dems Prepare To Hammer Romney With The REAL Bain Onslaught

Discussion: Washington Post, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Campaign 2012, Hot Air, Wonkette, The Moderate Voice and Outside the Beltway

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Newt Gingrich: South Carolina will be ‘Armageddon’

Discussion: The Politico, Guardian, Booman Tribune and Daily Kos

Mj Lee / The Politico:
Sarah Palin on Mitt Romney: Needs Bain show & tell

Discussion: M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S … and Daily Kos

CBS News:
John McCain defends Romney's record at Bain

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, New York Magazine, Slate, Daily Kos, Sky Dancing and Washington Post

Arthur S. Brisbane / The Public Editor's Journal:

Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante? — I'm looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about. — One example mentioned recently by a reader: As cited in an Adam Liptak article on the Supreme Court …

Jay Rosen / Pressthink:

So whaddaya think: should we put truthtelling back up there at number one? — Somewhere along the way, telling truth from falsehood was surpassed by other priorities to which the press felt a stronger duty. Arthur Brisbane, public editor of the New York Times, was unaware of this history …

Discussion: Poynter, Balloon Juice and Brad DeLong, more at Mediagazer »

Jim Romenesko:
NYT public editor on reaction to Truth Vigilante post

Discussion: The Public Editor's Journal and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

3 billionaires who'll drag out the race — Meet the three billionaires who could drag out the GOP presidential primary, bloody up front-runner Mitt Romney and weaken the odds of defeating President Barack Obama: Sheldon Adelson, Foster Friess and Jon Huntsman, Sr.

Discussion: Hot Air, Time, Washington Wire, Christian Science Monitor, Applesauce, Big Journalism, Media Decoder, CNN, ABCNEWS and Taylor Marsh

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:

Santorum Cites a Local Legend — HILTON HEAD, S.C. - Rick Santorum is facing questions about supporting earmarks during his time in Congress. He offered up a decidedly South Carolinian response on Thursday, boiling down his defense to two words: Strom Thurmond.

Dave Levinthaland Anna Palmer / The Politico:
POLITICO Influence: ‘Clean up house’

Discussion: GOP 12 and Reuters

Fox News:

Panetta orders probe of video allegedly showing Marines urinating on dead Taliban — The top commanders of the Marine Corps U.S. forces in Afghanistan are investigating a video that purports to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered …

Steve Clemons / The Atlantic Online:
U.S. Soldiers Give Ammo to Taliban

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Atlas Shrugs

Los Angeles Times:
U.S. intelligence report on Afghanistan sees stalemate

Discussion: Political Mojo

Ali Gharib / ThinkProgress:
While U.S., Afghans, NATO Condemn Marines Urinating On Dead Taliban, Right Wing Says ‘I Could Care Less’

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Washington Post and The Huffington Post

Jeremy Wallace / HT Politics:

Laura Bush wanted Jeb to run for president in 2012 — SARASOTA — Former first lady Laura Bush wishes there were one more candidate in the Republican presidential primary: Jeb Bush. — Speaking to a sold-out Sarasota audience on Wednesday, Bush said she had hoped that her brother-in-law …

Discussion: GOP 12, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Indecision Forever, Guardian, The Daily Caller and Saint Petersblog

Dan Savage / The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper:

Canada's Conservative Government Turns My Husband Back Into My Boyfriend — After issuing thousands of marriage licenses to same-sex couples from United States and other nations where same-sex marriage is not yet legal—marriage licenses that did not come with a disclaimer or an asterisk …

Discussion: Globe and Mail

Kirk Makin / Globe and Mail:
Despite legal about-face, Harper has ‘no intention’ of reopening gay marriage

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Poliglot and Firedoglake

Josh Gerstein / Reuters:

Justice Department approved recess appointments — President Barack Obama's decision last week to snub Congress and make a series of recess appointments while the Senate claimed it was technically in session had the legal blessing of the Justice Department, according to a formal legal opinion released Thursday.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Heritage Foundation, CNN and The New Republic

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Justice Department memo argues Obama recess appointments were legal

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Weasel Zippers, Congressman Diane Black and The Huffington Post

Al Kamen / Washington Post:

President Obama's got sons? — President Obama, speaking last night in Chicago at a fundraiser at a private home, unloaded this bombshell: — Obama, according to the White House transcript, talked about “The first bill I signed — a bill that said that we're going to have equal pay …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller and Jammie Wearing Fools

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Conservatives Remain the Largest Ideological Group in U.S. — Overall, the nation has grown more polarized over the past decade — PRINCETON, NJ — Political ideology in the U.S. held steady in 2011, with 40% of Americans continuing to describe their views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and The Big Picture

Laurieguthmanncnn / In America:

Marine fights for gay brother's right to marry — By Kiran Khalid, CNN — (CNN) - Craig Stowell fought with the U.S. Marines in Iraq in 2004 and now is fighting for the right of gays, like his brother, to marry in New Hampshire. — “My brother and best friend, Calvin …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Towleroad News #gay and Good As You