Compiled by Jonathan Helman & Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau
Washington Post: Clinton, Obama Seize On Killing Of Benazir Bhutto
The differing reactions of Clinton and Obama to the assassination crystallized the debate between the two just a week before Iowans will decide the first contest in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Washington Times: Slaying May Boost Giuliani, Mccain
Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. John McCain stand to gain the most politically from the assassination of Benazir Bhutto just days before the crucial Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, political observers said yesterday.
Washington Post: Criticism Aside, 'Fairtax' Boosts Huckabee Campaign
To former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, supporting a national retail sales tax is more than a policy proposal. It has provided much-needed muscle for his campaign, filling rallies and events with fervent supporters hoping to replace the entire income and payroll tax system.
Washington Post: Changes in Platitudes
As the Post's Anne Kornblut has chronicled, Hillary Clinton has had a knack for the slogan at least since her it-takes-a-village days. But these days it sounds as if a mad, computerized sloganator has taken over her campaign headquarters.
Washington Post: Electing a Life on the Run
So far, the 2008 presidential campaigns have employed more than 3,000 paid workers and countless volunteers, who will next year be joined by thousands of others working on congressional campaigns — a legion of operatives living on four hours' sleep, Triple Whoppers and a hefty supply of Red Bull.
NY Times: Iowa Saturated by Political Ads
One week before Iowa kicks off the presidential nomination contest, the campaigns are spending three times as much money flooding the airwaves and the Internet as candidates did in 2004, hoping to sway the huge number of undecided voters after months of on-the-ground appeals.
NY Times: Under Attack, Drug Maker Turned to Giuliani for Help
In 2002, the drug maker, Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Conn., hired Mr. Giuliani and his consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, to help stem the controversy about OxyContin. Among Mr. Giuliani’s missions was the job of convincing public officials that they could trust Purdue because they could trust him.
Washington Times: Pacs Love, Loathe Hillary In Iowa
The majority of funds spent by political action committees to directly sway the outcome of the presidential election in recent weeks have been used to oppose or support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Washington Times: Thompson Eyes 'Strong Showing' In Iowa
Fred Thompson is flooding this state with his best asset — himself — hoping voters are tired of the other Republican presidential candidates and willing to take a second look at his own candidacy before next week's caucuses.
Washington Times: Hillary Dangles Prospect Of First Female President
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's stump speech has several applause lines, but only one provokes an emotional and gender-specific response — when she reminds voters her election would make history.
LA Times: Obama Catches Clinton In N.H.; Iowa Remains A 3-Way Contest
Barack Obama has wiped out Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-commanding lead in New Hampshire and the two remain virtually tied with John Edwards in Iowa, as more and more voters get off the fence and decide whom to support, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
LA Times: Giuliani Appeals To Cuban Exiles
When then-Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani renamed a New York corner for four Cuban Americans killed when their planes were shot down by Fidel Castro's armed forces in 1996, he won over South Florida's most powerful voting bloc.
NY Sun: Chances Of Gore Endorsement Are Said To Be Fading
An endorsement by Vice President Gore in the hard-fought Democratic presidential race could give a huge boost to Senator Obama or allow Senator Clinton to deliver the coup de grace to her rivals, but several campaign operatives and former aides to Mr. Gore now see the chances of such a nod fading.
USA Today: Poll: Voters Still Not Set On Candidates
Dig beneath the surface of the raucous Republican presidential race and you will find even deeper turmoil: Four in 10 GOP voters have switched candidates in the past month alone, and nearly two-thirds say they may change their minds again.
LA Times: Huckabee Speaks Without Speechifying
If Mike Huckabee's campaign has a secret weapon, it could well be the candidate's gifts as a communicator. Using Southern charm and storytelling, Huckabee's stump speech is more entertainment than oratory. Sharp jabs are cloaked by a smile and a joke, and offered in a cadence reminiscent of a warm-talking preacher — which he has been — and a radio host — which he also has been.
LA Times: CAUSE CÉLÈBRE: What Price Will Oprah Pay?
With less than a week until Iowa's first vote is cast in the 2008 presidential election, the politicians aren't the only ones feeling the heat: Celebrities, who have become important players in the political fundraising process, are under increasing pressure to campaign for their favorite candidates in the early caucus and primary states.
Boston Globe: Thompson Doesn't See A Woman As President Yet
Fred Thompson doesn't have a problem with a female heading a government. But he's not ready for it in this country, at least not yet.