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.
RELATED:
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” …
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:
Saint Petersblog, Hot Air, LifeNews.com, GOP 12, The PJ Tatler, CNN, Campaign 2012 and National Review
Publius / Big Government:
BREAKING: Palin Urges Romney to Release Tax Returns, Provide Proof of 100,000 Jobs Created at Bain Capital — Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has called for Gov. Mitt Romney to release his tax returns, as well as the data that could substantiate his claim of having created 100,000 jobs as CEO of Bain Capital.
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 …
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.
Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Dems Prepare To Hammer Romney With The REAL Bain Onslaught — Thanks to Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, Bain Capital is all over the news this week, prompting an upset MItt Romney to accuse his rivals of turning to “the bitter politics of envy” in order to halt his momentum.
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Romney Makes History
Discussion:
The Daily, New York Times, The Politico, The State and The PJ Tatler, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Giuliani to Newt: ‘What the hell are you doing?’
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and GOP 12
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Newt Gingrich: South Carolina will be ‘Armageddon’
Discussion:
Guardian, Booman Tribune, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
NBC's Andrew Rafferty / msnbc.com:
Santorum: Attacks on Romney are attacks on capitalism
Discussion:
WFAA-TV, Wonkette, The Lonely Conservative, Hullabaloo and New York Times
Wallacegw / CNN:
Gingrich: South Carolina will be ‘Armageddon’ of attacks
Discussion:
The Politico, The Caucus, Sky Dancing and Washington Post
Mj Lee / The Politico:
Sarah Palin on Mitt Romney: Needs Bain show & tell
Discussion:
Washington Post and Daily Kos
Donald Johnson / The Politico:
Mitt Romney's Bain Capital days: A black box
Discussion:
Fortune, ThinkProgress and Right Wing News
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
Steve Clemons / The Atlantic Online:
US Soldiers Give Ammo to Taliban
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs
BBC:
Afghan leader Karzai condemns ‘US Marines body desecration’ video
Discussion:
FP Passport, Biased BBC and Joe. My. God.
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, Big Journalism, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Wire, Applesauce, Media Decoder, CNN, ABCNEWS and Taylor Marsh, more at Techmeme »
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
The Department of Justice offered a defense Thursday for President Obama's controversial decision to make several recess appointments while Congress was holding pro forma sessions. — In a memo, Justice argued the pro forma sessions held every third day in the Senate do not constitute …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
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:
CNN and The New Republic
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:
CNN, The Politico, Taegan Goddard's …, Saint Petersblog and USA Today
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, Taegan Goddard's … and Jammie Wearing Fools
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Obama Campaign Raises $42 Million in Fourth Quarter — WASHINGTON — President Obama's presidential campaign raised $42 million during the final three months of 2011, giving him what his campaign manager called a “pretty good quarter” going into his re-election bid.
Discussion:
The Loyal Opposition and Outside the Beltway
RELATED:
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Obama's 2011 fundraising haul: Bush's league
Discussion:
Big Journalism, Nice Deb and CNN
Boy / Boy in Bushwick:
N.H. Lawmakers Expected to Vote on Marriage Equality Repeal Bill Next Week — New Hampshire lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill next week that would repeal the state's marriage equality law. — Sources familiar with the legislative calendar indicate that the vote will likely take place on Jan. 18.
Discussion:
In America, ThinkProgress and Towleroad News #gay
Andrew Harmon / Advocate:
The World According to Nancy Pelosi — In her first speech on the House floor, Nancy Pelosi spoke out on AIDS. Many of her colleagues thought she was crazy for doing so. Twenty-five years later, she's not finished pushing the LGBT envelope in Washington.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Good As You
Ben Goad / Press-Enterprise:
2012 ELECTIONS: Veteran Rep. Lewis to retire — Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, has announced he will not seek an 18th term in Congress and will retire. — bgoad@pe.com — U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis, who has represented Inland Southern California in Washington for more than three decades …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and FlashReport
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life:
Mormons in America — Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society — With a Mormon candidate among the front-runners for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, a musical about Mormons playing on Broadway and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) …
Discussion:
Swampland, The Politico and New York Times
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