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USA Today:
Poll: Electability key among Democrats — WASHINGTON — Democratic voters increasingly are focused on nominating the most electable presidential candidate, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama fares better than New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton against prospective Republican rivals.
Discussion:
Reuters, protein wisdom, The Moderate Voice, Nashuatelegraph.com, The Fix, Washington Times, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, Des Moines Register, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NY Daily News, Quad City Times, Associated Press, Pollster.com, Taylor Marsh, Political Machine, Greatscat!, QandO, Washington Post, TPM Election Central, Blue Crab Boulevard, Obama HQ, Drudge Retort, The Ruckus and The Mahatma X Files
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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
The Two Words That Strike Fear Into The GOP — They aren't Hillary Clinton, nor are they Ron Paul. The two words that will haunt the early primary states are "brokered convention", and we may be heading towards it. At Heading Right, I review the McClatchy analysis of what looks to be a Rudy Giuliani slide.
David Yepsen / Des Moines Register:
Don't rule out surges by Edwards, Thompson — There's a lot of buzz about the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for Democratic caucus votes in Iowa. And there's also a lot of talk about the fight between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee on the Republican side.
Matt Lewis / TownHall Blog:
Fred Thompson Making a Major Move in Iowa … ... That's according to Sen. Fred Thompson's Iowa Executive Director, Robert Haus, a self-proclaimed "fossil" of Iowa politics who has worked for candidates like Sen. Chuck Grassley, Bob Dole, and Steve Forbes. — Of course, Haus was referencing …
Alec MacGillis / Washington Post:In N.H., the Swing Voter Is Vanishing
Discussion:
New York Times, Democratic Strategist, The Caucus, Los Angeles Times, AMERICAblog, TIME and USA Today
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Dems consider ousting Byrd as appropriations chair — A group of Senate Democrats has begun quietly exploring ways to replace the venerable Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, believing he's no longer physically up to the job …
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Rsinderbrand / CNN Political Ticker:
Elder Bush nixes Clinton trip idea — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former President George H.W. Bush has shot down his successor Bill Clinton's idea of a diplomatic mission under a Hillary Clinton presidency that would send him and other notables abroad to assure other nations that "America is open for business and cooperation again."
Reuters:
New York Times in Iraq: "Blackwater shot our dog" — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Iraq is investigating another deadly shooting incident involving its Blackwater bodyguards — this time of the New York Times's dog. — Staff at the newspaper's Baghdad bureau …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Sweetness & Light, Wonkette, Gawker, Redstate, JammieWearingFool, On Deadline and Brave New Films blog
Mike Soraghan / The Hill:
Hoyer says Congress may not be able to patch AMT — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hinted Tuesday that Congress may not be able to stop a big tax increase from hitting 23 million Americans. — Hoyer, pressed on whether Congress would resolve disputes over the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), said, "Maybe."
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Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:
Romney Attended Planned Parenthood Fundraiser in 1994 — ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Mitt Romney attended a fund-raising reception for Planned Parenthood in 1994 in conjunction with a $150 donation his wife made to the organization — notwithstanding Romney's contention that he had …
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
New Fred Thompson Video: Kill. Protect. Punch. — If Fred wants to win the election, all he has to do is put this in constant rotation in Iowa and his victory would be guaranteed...or he would actually drop into last place. One or the other.
Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
A Stanton For the Saudis — "A court in country X sentenced a black man who had been severely beaten by white men to six months in jail and 200 lashes." — How would you react if you read that in a newspaper? Shock, horror, anger at the regime in country X, no doubt.
John Scalzi / Whatever:
The Sound of a Million Elves Celebrating — To my surprise, I find I'm on New Line Cinema's PR list, so let me pass on this bit of news: Peter Jackson's gonna make two films from The Hobbitt: … Why did this happen now, after many years of bitterness between Jackson and New Line over the Lord of the Rings payouts?
MBA Announcement / Media Bloggers Association:
Newsweek and MBA create a Ruckus on Newsweek.com — in - MBAMajorNews - MBANewsweek - MBAPressRelease — MEDIA BLOGGERS ASSOCIATION JOINS WITH NEWSWEEK TO LAUNCH 'THE RUCKUS,' A NEW GROUP POLITICS BLOG — THE RUCKUS FEATURES GUEST BLOGGERS FROM THE LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTER-PLUS KEY PRIMARY STATES
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, The Moderate Voice, Beltway Blogroll, Outside The Beltway and The Ruckus
Mary Katharine Ham / TownHall Blog:
The Worst Debate in Western History, Remixed — After Fred Barnes called last week's moderator Nurse Ratched, I threw this together for fun, putting Carolyn Washburn's words in the good nurse's mouth. Creepy isn't she?
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