For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.Making news today:

For Huckabee, success means criticism and questions

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new CNN poll out this morning finds the candidates most likely to win the general election are barely clinging to top-tier status as primary season winds down: John McCain is the most successful GOP candidate in many of the hypothetical general election match-ups, and John Edwards far outpaces his Democratic rivals.

The survey is the first to include Mike Huckabee in potential head-to-head pairings, and the news isn’t good for the former Arkansas governor – he’s trounced by the three top Democratic candidates. But CNN Polling Director Keating Holland notes that America’s still getting to know Huckabee. As his name recognition increases, poll numbers may rise in stride. That’s assuming his competitors – who’ve launched a wave of free-and paid-media attacks this week – don’t define him first.  Full Story

The newly-ascendant – and freshly-targeted – Huckabee is campaigning on friendly turf in solidly-red Western Iowa this morning before making his way to Des Moines, where his new trail nemesis, Mitt Romney, will meet with local residents at Kaleidoscope at the Hub.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Warren Buffett link up for a major San Francisco fundraiser. So far, the Nebraska billionaire hasn’t taken sides in the race, throwing his financial support behind both Clinton and Barack Obama. He’s previously paired up with the Illinois senator for a similar event.

Meanwhile, the New Hampshire Union-Leader reports that Obama may be able to boast a major campaign season coup today: an endorsement by New Hampshire Rep. Carol Shea-Porter – who had vowed to stay neutral through the primary. The nod would give him a sweep of the state’s two-member congressional delegation.

- CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.   Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

New York Times: Poll Finds G.O.P. Field Isn’t Touching Voters
Three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Republican voters across the country appear uninspired by their field of presidential candidates, with a vast majority saying they have not made a final decision about whom to support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

New York Times: In New Ad, Romney Attacks Huckabee on Immigration
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign plans to begin running a negative television advertisement today in Iowa highlighting Mike Huckabee’s record on immigration, escalating the warfare between the two Republican candidates as they scramble for support in the nation’s first nominating state.

LA Times: Huckabee Does A Flip-Flop On Cuba
As governor of Arkansas five years ago, Mike Huckabee joined a bipartisan chorus of politicians who concluded that the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba was bad for businesses. Now that he's a top-tier candidate for president, Huckabee has decided he favors the embargo…

Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp: Giuliani TV Ad Questioned
Rudy Giuliani’s newest television ad brims with some of his favorite campaign themes: the threat of Muslim extremism, the brilliance of Ronald Reagan and Rudy's own tough guy approach to fighting terrorism. It also seems to get its history confused.

San Francisco Chronicle: Giuliani Has Advice For S.F. On Dealing With The Homeless
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani – who touts the cleanup of his city's chronic homeless problem as a key accomplishment in his administration – had some tough-love advice for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Monday, saying cities cannot encourage the impression that the homeless "have the right to live on the street."

Boston Globe: Independent Groups Poised To Play Big Role In Election
Threatened by Mike Huckabee's rocket like rise to the top of Iowa polls, a Washington antitax group launched attack ads against him yesterday, the latest onslaught by outside groups hoping to exert outsized influence on the presidential campaign.

New York Times: Obama, Under the Clinton Microscope
Presidential campaigns have unlimited appetites for information about their rivals. They track their whereabouts, they study their records and they obsessively follow nearly every movement. By this point in the race, though, it would seem a candidate’s work history would have already been sufficiently combed through.

LA Times: Hillary Clinton, According To Bill
Many voters see Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as coldly ambitious, a perception that could ultimately doom her presidential campaign. So on Monday her husband made a swing through Iowa in hopes of convincing voters that she is a sympathetic figure who gave up money and power for love and marriage.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Clinton's Office In Rochester Reopens
Sen. Hillary Clinton's local campaign office has reopened following a two-week closure because of the hostage standoff there on Nov. 30.

Des Moines Register: Holidays Could Make Campaign More Positive
Iowans bombarded with presidential campaigns can expect at most a partial break this month during what was once viewed as a political no-man's-land: Christmas week.

ABC News: Dropping Oppo
Circulating among Iowa labor circles, I am told, is this leaflet, which looks to be a standard opposition-research paper against former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC. The shocker? It's from Mr. Positive, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois.

Austin American-Statesman: Paul Turns Down Invitation to Seek Libertarian Party Nomination
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul turned down a Libertarian Party invitation on Sunday that could have kept him in the 2008 presidential race even if his long-shot bid for the GOP nomination fails.

Washington Post: That's Dr. Paul to You
Ron Paul is airing a new TV ad in Iowa and New Hampshire that discusses his idea on health care reform. The ad also reminds viewers that the Texas congressman is also a doctor.

Chicago Tribune: The Ron Paul Revolution: It Has Just Begun To Fight
Cheese pizza powers the Ron Paul revolution. So do Doritos, Cheerios and beer. Junk food in general dominates the menu at this rented house, full of young people who’ve moved in from Seattle, South Florida and points in between to push for the Texas Republican’s long-shot presidential bid in the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Questions Remain About Rapist-Turned-Murderer
As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee had a hand in twice as many pardons and commutations as his three predecessors combined.

Washington Post: Analyzing the Dance of the GOP Debaters
A man of confident gestures and lively demeanor, Huckabee just might be this cycle's Great Communicator in the quadrennial contest that Bradley claims always comes down to the candidate with the greatest "shaping" ability - the subtle body language that conveys warmth, strength, energy, whatever it is that makes people think they like and trust you.

Chicago Tribune: Analysis: Turning Oprah Fans Into Voters
Even before Oprah Winfrey had left the building during the weekend's big campaign rallies for Barack Obama, the candidate's team had begun an intensive follow-up effort - trying to turn tens of thousands of Oprah fans into Obama voters.

Washington Post: Beyond the Run of the Mill
Early in the morning, the young boy would wake up to find his dad bathed in the light from the television, a notepad on the table in front of him. John Edwards's father, Wallace, a small-town millworker with a high school education, would be taking math courses on instructional TV before reporting to work. He was always trying to better himself, to get ahead at a company that did not seem to respect, or advance, anyone without a college degree.

Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp: Edwards: Iowans The 'Guardians' Of The White House
Democratic candidate John Edwards kicked off an eight-day Iowa bus tour today by telling caucus-goers that by living in the nation's leadoff presidential state, they have a great deal of responsibility in choosing a contender.

AP: Edwards Tells Americans To Rise Up To Country's Challenges
Democrat John Edwards on Monday encouraged Americans to rise up to the challenges the country is facing, just as they have in the past.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: It's Iowa, Not NH, For Thompson
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has no plans to return to first-primary state New Hampshire to campaign before the end of the year, a spokesman said yesterday.

Boston Globe: Without Late-Night, Candidates Get A Pass
The news broke in straitlaced political circles last week, but seemed to beg for satire: Rudy Giuliani, as mayor of New York, used taxpayer-funded security for trysts with his girlfriend in the Hamptons. The late-night-TV-monologue jokes could have practically written themselves.

Boston Globe: Path To White House Can Be Humbling
Journalist Richard Ben Cramer's landmark tome about presidential campaigns, "What it Takes," expends 1,097 pages showing what it takes for someone to win the presidency, and the answer is: It takes everything, and then some.

Chicago Tribune: Presidential Hopefuls and First Cars
These days, luxury cars and SUVs carry presidential candidates in their nearly ceaseless travels. Not like the old days. AP asked candidates to name their first cars. Here are their answers, and a look at some of their personal vehicles now:

Iowa Independent: Cynthia McKinney Brings Green Campaign to Iowa City
Strictly speaking, the Green Party doesn't participate in the Iowa caucuses. Nevertheless, their most likely candidate was in Iowa City Sunday, meeting supporters and making the ritual Hamburg Inn visit - where she saw a former congressional colleague.

DC Examiner: Bloomberg: a Bachelor President?
For all of his billions, Mayor Michael Bloomberg lacks one thing all the current presidential candidates proudly display: a spouse.

Roll Call: Allen Contemplating ’09 Gubernatorial Run
Although a recent Roll Call/Survey USA poll showed him to be at least competitive in a hypothetical match-up against the juggernaut that is ex-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D), former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) said last week that he is “definitely not interested” in a Senate run in 2008.

Politico: Mccrery Exit Lightens GOP Coffers
The once-daunting Republican money machine has suffered yet another blow with the stunning retirement announcement by Rep. Jim McCrery of Louisiana.

Roll Call: Ways and Means Battle Kicks Off
Rep. Jim McCrery’s (R-La.) announcement late last week that he will not seek re-election in 2008 immediately touched off a yearlong race for one of the most powerful posts in Congress — the top Republican slot on the Ways and Means Committee.

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Hillary Clinton holds a major fundraiser with Warren Buffett at the Hilton in San Francisco, California.

* Rudy Giuliani meets with local supporters at The Counter in Santa Monica, California.

* John Edwards holds town hall meetings in Clinton and Muscatine, Iowa. Edwards also joins Iowa mothers in Davenport at a "Safe Home Session" sponsored by the United Steelworkers' "Get the Lead Out" campaign to test toys for lead and help draw attention to trade policies that allow dangerous products into the United States.

* Mike Huckabee holds a meet and greet in Council Bluffs, Red Oak, Creston and Osceola, Iowa. Later, he attends a "My Prez" student forum at Drake University in Des Moines.

* John McCain heads to South Carolina, where he eats breakfast at the Skillet Restaurant in Inman and addresses a Rotary luncheon in Greenville. Later, he participates in the Spartanburg Christmas Parade.

* Barack Obama holds a "Generation Barack Obama" fundraiser at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, Washington.

* Mitt Romney meets with local residents at Kaleidoscope at the Hub in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Ron Paul delivers speeches in Sioux Center and Sioux City, Iowa. Later, he attends the grand opening of his Council Bluffs campaign office and holds a rally at the Council Bluffs Holiday Inn.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Romney: President needs prayers of people of all faiths

(CNN) - White House hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday articulated his position on the role of religion in America, but avoided details about his personal faith.   Full Story

***

Edwards: NIE justifies opposition to Bush on Iran

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards Thursday said a new intelligence assessment of Iran's nuclear program validated his opposition to the Bush administration's “saber rattling” against the Islamic republic.   Full Story

***

Obama battles (Bill) Clinton

WASHINGTON (CNN) - He's been battling Hillary Clinton for months, but now Barack Obama is set to face off with her famous husband. Both the Illinois Democrat and former President Clinton were nominated for a Grammy Thursday in the spoken word album category.   Full Story

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.   Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

New York Times: Romney, Eye on Evangelicals, Defends His Faith
Mitt Romney asked the nation on Thursday not to reject his presidential candidacy because of his religion, assuring evangelical Christians and other religious voters that his values matched theirs in a speech that used the word “Mormon” only once.

LA Times: Evangelicals May Never Take Romney On Faith
The glowing reviews began tumbling in at once: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's speech on faith was powerful and convincing, analysts said - sincere, effective, hit all the right notes. But will it help Romney, a Mormon, win over the key voting bloc of conservative Christians?

Boston Globe: Getting Out The College Vote – When Campuses Are Empty
For a presidential campaign trying to mobilize young voters for the first-in-the-nation primary, University of New Hampshire students are typically sitting ducks. They congregate in dorms, dining halls, and the student union. They pack The Bagelry at lunchtime and sip coffee at Breaking New Grounds.

AP: Poll: Huckabee in 2nd Place GOP Race
Mike Huckabee has vaulted from nowhere into second place in the Republican presidential race, riding a burst of support from evangelicals, Southerners and conservatives, a poll showed Friday.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Push Poll Probe In NH Continues
State investigators said yesterday progress is being made in a probe of possible illegal push poll telephone calls made in New Hampshire last month that conveyed negative remarks about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and flattering remarks about rival John McCain.

USA Today: Huckabee Has Fewer Resources To Fuel Momentum
In recent days, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has moved into second place behind Rudy Giuliani in two national polls. What's unclear is whether Huckabee will have the money to advance his candidacy in New Hampshire's primary Jan. 8 or beyond, if he wins or does well in Iowa.

Wall Street Journal: McCain's New Hampshire Glimmer
Campaign volunteer and retired physicist Bill Machell says he sees a change from a few months ago when he began telephoning voters on behalf of John McCain: Fewer people are hanging up on him. Could the Arizona Republican senator, at 71 years old, be this election's comeback kid?

NY Daily News: Judith Nathan Got Security Earlier
Judith Nathan got taxpayer-funded chauffeur services from the NYPD earlier than previously disclosed – even before her affair with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani was revealed, witnesses and sources tell the Daily News.

Washington Post: The Line: For Obama, It Takes a Movement
For months, we've written that the only way for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) - or any other Democrat for that matter - to defeat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is to make the vote about more than just politics.

Boston Globe: Dukakis Says Obama Not Capitalizing On Grass Roots
Michael Dukakis, a former Massachusetts governor, says he's "baffled" why Barack Obama's campaign has not turned his grass-roots following into a more powerful ground organization.

Des Moines Register: Obama School Aid Hinges On Volunteer Programs
Federal assistance to schools would be based upon a district's ability to develop volunteer service programs, according to a plan proposed Wednesday by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during a campaign stop at Cornell College.

LA Times: The Clinton Resisters
On paper, they look an awful lot like Hillary Rodham Clinton. They are professional women of a certain age - politically active Democrats, liberals, unabashed feminists who remember what it was like to be told they could not become firefighters or university department heads, let alone president of the United States of America. You'd think they'd be rushing to support Clinton. But they can't stand her.

AP: Gennifer Flowers May Vote for Clinton
A onetime other woman in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life has said she is considering voting for the former first lady.

USA Today: Edwards Ad Touts Him As People's Champion
Consistent with his populist message, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards blasts business-as-usual in Washington in a TV ad airing in New Hampshire.

Boston Globe: Group Assails Giuliani Comments On AIDS As 'Hypocrisy'
On World AIDS Day last weekend, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani vowed that if he were elected president he would "continue America's life-saving role as a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS until the day humanity can declare victory against this deadly disease."

Chicago Tribune: Huckabee Gets Last Spot On Ballot For GOP Primary
Barring any objections, Illinois' Feb. 5 Republican primary ballot will feature Iowa presidential front-runner Mike Huckabee along with major rivals Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and John McCain, candidacy filings with state elections officials showed Wednesday.

Politico: Ron Paul Blimp Charts Unprecedented Course
If a whimsical publicity stunt goes as planned, a blimp hyping the long-shot Republican presidential campaign of Texas congressman Ron Paul will launch next week.

NY Sun: Bloomberg's Electoral Calculus
States rich in electoral votes, such as New York, California, and Florida, could be Mayor Bloomberg's for the taking if he jumps into the presidential race next year as an independent candidate, political professionals say.

New York Times: Electoral Revision Misses June Ballot
A Republican-sponsored ballot measure that would have changed the way the state apportions its 55 electoral votes will not be eligible for the June primary ballot, its sponsors said on Thursday, in spite of promises a few weeks ago that the initiative would get enough money and signatures to do so.

AP: Schwarzenegger Reveals List of Donors
For the first time, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a list of the millionaires and billionaires who pay to send him on lavish overseas trips, offering a glimpse into the elite business and social circles that critics say have unfair access to his power.

New York Times: Cellphones Challenge Poll Sampling
With more American households giving up their old-fashioned land lines and using cellphones for all calls, public opinion researchers are facing a challenge of how to make sure they are getting representative samples when conducting polls.

AP: Presidential hopefuls seem to dislike veggies
John Edwards has to be a mighty hungry man before he'll touch that mushroom on his plate. Mitt Romney says he's never met an eggplant he'd eat.

LA Times: Bush Loses Ground With Military Families
Families with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime presidents, disapprove of President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth it, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

New York Times: C.I.A. Destroyed 2 Tapes Showing Interrogations
The Central Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two Qaeda operatives in the agency’s custody, a step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about its secret detention program, according to current and former government officials.

New York Times: Senate Backs Freeze on Tax Without Cost Offsets
Trying to find a way out of a sticky tax problem, the Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to prevent the alternative minimum tax from hitting millions of middle-class Americans without replacing the $50 billion that would be lost.

Washington Post: Hill Negotiators Drop Hate-Crime Provision
House and Senate negotiators yesterday nixed a measure to expand hate-crime protections, removing it from a Pentagon policy bill that is now likely to pass both chambers by wide margins.

New York Times: All the Makings of a Carnival, Except the Fun
Here, in the Cirque du Senate, there is trash-talking, whining and finger-pointing, bickering and, occasionally, brief flashes of serious disagreement on policy.

Washington Post: In Twilight of His Career, Warner Now an Environmental Maverick
There are easier ways to retire than this. John W. Warner was flat on his back - his coat was buttoned, his pocket square was perfect, but he was totally horizontal on a leather recliner wedged among his office's antique chairs. Warner had a leg infection that prevented him from sitting down. He was looking at the ceiling and talking about climate change.

AP: 2 Republicans Leave Page Board
Two Republican House members resigned Thursday from the board supervising teenage pages, accusing a Democratic appointee of failing to inform them about sexual and criminal activity by at least four youngsters.

USA Today: One Family, Three Campaigns: Udall Is Latest Political Dynasty
The baby-boomer generation of the West's quietly influential Udall family has reached a milestone: Three relatives are running for the U.S. Senate.
===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards participates in an AARP forum in Manchester, New Hampshire. Later, he attends a house party in Bedford and hosts town hall meetings in Peterborough and Claremont.

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, holds a press conference in Washington, D.C. Later, she heads to Des Moines, Iowa for a "Take Your Buddy to Caucus" event at East High School.

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will give a speech at the Manufacturers' Association annual meeting at the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago. Giuliani will then hold a town hall meeting at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago.

* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee starts the day in Charlotte, North Carolina where he’ll take questions from the press and attend a fundraiser. Huckabee will attend another fundraiser as well as the AARP South Carolina health care and lifetime financial security forum at the Frazier Park Community Center, in Bluffton, South Carolina. Huckabee will then receive an endorsement in the low country part of the state in North Charleston, SC and to end the day, Huckabee will speak at the North Myrtle Beach Republican Club Christmas party at the Barefoot Resort and Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, SC.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, will hold a town hall meeting followed by a media availability at the Atkinson Country Club in Atkinson, New Hampshire. McCain will then attend a community forum to “Commemorate Pearl Harbor and Honor Veterans at Hampstead Middle School.” McCain will visit his campaign's Nashua headquarters and then hold a town hall and press availability in Bedford to wrap up the day.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, holds a "Generation Barack Obama" event with special guests at The Riviera in Chicago, Illinois.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will hold a "Strategy for a Stronger America: Strengthening America's Military" event at Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, IA.

* Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, attends a fundraiser for Iowa state Sen. Herman Quirmbach in Ames. Later, he attends a meet and greet in Boone.

*Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, will hold a meet and greet event at the Ohio Republican Party headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. Thompson will travel to Iowa to give a speech and hold a question and answer session at Thunder Bay Grille in Davenport. Thompson will end the day in Des Moines and attend the Iowa Farm Bureau Annual Meeting "Tastes of Iowa" Dinner at Polk County Convention Complex.

* Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, participates in a town hall meeting with Air America's Ed Schultz Radio Show by phone.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook 

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Romney to deliver faith speech

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will speak about religion and faith in America in an address Thursday that is being viewed as a way for him to discuss his Mormon religion.

The speech comes after several recent polls have suggested that his faith may present a stumbling block in his White House quest. Romney will use the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas as a backdrop.

Earlier this week, Romney told reporters that this speech is not modeled after a similar address given 47 years ago by then-Sen. John F. Kennedy, who spoke about his Catholic faith in his successful White House run. But Romney did say he would talk about being a Mormon.

“I certainly will answer some questions related to how my own faith will inform my presidency,” Romney said.

The speech begins at 10:30 a.m. ET. Tune into CNN throughout the day for coverage of this event.

***

Clinton volunteer's anti-Obama e-mail causes stir

(CNN) - One of the recipients of a controversial anti-Barack Obama email forward that put Hillary Clinton’s Iowa campaign on the defensive Wednesday said the volunteer county coordinator who sent the original message may have been unfairly targeted.  Full Screen

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

New York Times: Crucial Test for Romney in Speech on His Religion
Mitt Romney’s planned speech today at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas to confront suspicions about his Mormon faith is being viewed as the biggest moment of his presidential campaign.

Chicago Tribune: Question Of Faith In '08 Race
The fact that Romney, a Mormon, is coming to Texas on Thursday to articulate his vision of "faith in America" is a measure of just how much sway evangelical Christians still hold in presidential voting, particularly the Republican Party's naming of a nominee.

Washington Post: As N.H. Primary Nears, Clinton Clings to Narrow Lead
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton holds a narrow lead over Sen. Barack Obama among Democratic presidential candidates in New Hampshire, a state whose primary her campaign has viewed as a potential firewall should she stumble in the Iowa caucuses, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

USA Today: Parties Struggle To Control Primaries
For a state that is a key player in presidential politics, the 2008 campaign so far has been strangely lopsided.

Chicago Tribune: Relief In Sight For Besieged Iowa Voters
Pity poor Larry and Phyllis Olson. He's a registered Republican. She's a declared Democrat. Between the two of them, they need to get a bigger mailbox and disconnect their telephone and doorbell.

Wall Street Journal: How Giuliani's Slide in Polls Could Undermine His Plan
The Mike Huckabee boom, combined with a drumbeat of revelations in the media about his personal and business conduct, are threatening to wipe out one of the Republican White House hopeful's most important assets: His lead in the national polls.

New York Times: Pulpit Was the Springboard for Huckabee’s Rise
In August 1980, as the conservative Christian movement was first transforming American politics, Ronald Reagan stood before a Dallas stadium full of 15,000 foot-stomping, hand-clapping evangelicals and pledged his fealty to the Bible. “All the complex and horrendous questions confronting us at home and worldwide have their answer in that single book,” said Mr. Reagan, the Republican presidential nominee.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: NH Educators To Endorse Clinton, Huckabee
The New Hampshire chapter of the National Education Association has endorsed Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee in their parties' primaries, sources said yesterday.

Quad City Times: Clinton, Romney Shift Course in Race
Now, locked in unpredictable, tight races in the leadoff Iowa caucuses, both the Democratic senator from New York and the Republican former governor of Massachusetts are shifting course.

Washington Post: Paul's Quixotic, Chaotic Run May Make Its Push in N.H.
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) has raised more than $10 million for his run for president in the past two months, leaving him well positioned to help swing the outcome of the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire, a state well suited to his libertarian, antiwar platform.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Schilling for McCain
THE SOUND SYSTEM piped out "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" and "Sweet Caroline" as World Series champion Curt Schilling delivered his first campaign pitch for Sen. John McCain for president.

Boston Globe: Mccain Voices Guarded Optimism On Iraq But Says Hurdles Are High
Republican presidential contender John McCain said yesterday he was "guardedly optimistic" about the ability of Iraqis to make political, economic, and social progress, thanks to what he described as the "fundamental of a secure environment" brought about by the US troop increase he championed.

CNN.com: Clinton Volunteer's Sending Of Anti-Obama E-Mail Causes Stir
One of the recipients of a controversial anti-Barack Obama email forward that put Hillary Clinton’s Iowa campaign on the defensive Wednesday said the volunteer county coordinator who sent the original message may have been unfairly targeted.

AP: Clinton Volunteer Quits Over Obama Email
A volunteer Iowa county coordinator for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign has resigned after forwarding a chain e-mail that suggests Barack Obama is a Muslim who wants to destroy the United States by being elected to its highest office.

Des Moines Register: Grassley Makes Presidential Predictions
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa predicted today that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will narrowly win the Jan. 3 Iowa presidential caucuses — and Democratic candidate Barack Obama will as well.

USA Today: Calderón Rebukes U.S. Candidates
Mexican President Felipe Calderón on Wednesday accused U.S. presidential candidates of "anti-Mexican" posturing and asked the U.S. Congress not to impose conditions on a $1.4 billion anti-drug aid package.

LA Times: Clinton, Edwards Up The Ante On Foreclosures
Two leading Democratic presidential contenders raced ahead of the Bush administration Wednesday in calling for more sweeping measures to help struggling homeowners with their mortgages.

New York Times: Lenders Agree to Freeze Rates on Some Loans
The Bush administration reached an agreement with the mortgage industry on Wednesday on a plan to freeze interest rates for up to five years for a portion of the two million homeowners who bought houses in the last few years with subprime loans.

LA Times: 1 In 3 Would Deny Illegal Immigrants Social Services
One-third of Americans want to deny social services, including public schooling and emergency room healthcare, to illegal immigrants, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The Hill: Immigration Roils Dems
House Democratic leaders are being whipsawed on immigration policy by two groups within their caucus — Hispanic lawmakers who want an end to Democratic support of enforcement-only immigration bills and vulnerable Democrats from swing districts who say a “get tough” approach is necessary to keep their seats in 2008.

Boston Globe: In high-tech world, candidates still turn to TV
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama gained early attention and buzz with viral videos, the unsanctioned online ads that seemed to herald a new era for political campaigns.

Quad City Times: Personal Side: Candidates' Worst Jobs
All these years later, Mike Huckabee still avoids touching the glass when he opens a door. He remembers a thankless task at Penney's as a teenager, scrubbing away fingerprints only to have customers smudge the glass all over again. Mitt Romney worked in a sewage pipe on an Idaho ranch when the effluent was still flowing. In Alaska as a post-grad, Hillary Rodham Clinton spooned the guts out of fish.

Politico: Cheney Bashes Top Democrats
Vice President Cheney warned in an interview Wednesday that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would invite “further attacks” against the United States and said he has been surprised by the weakness of the Democratic Congress.

The Hill: Martinez Touts Fla. Gov. As Veep
Florida GOP Sen. Mel Martinez, fresh off his stint as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), is one of the most sought-after endorsements in Florida with its early primary and steady influx of GOP White House hopefuls.

Roll Call: Chairman Race Down to the Wire
While the race continued to narrow Wednesday, Republican Senators still appeared poised to elect Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) over Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) as the next GOP Conference chairman when they meet behind closed doors today to fill holes in their leadership hierarchy.

Washington Post: Larry Craig, Now a Verb in Pop-Culture Lexicon
If they weren't already, sex scandal plagued Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho) are now officially part of the pop-culture mainstream lexicon. The Tuesday night episode of ABC's "Boston Legal" featured the show's leading character, played by William Shatner, getting busted in a men's room sex sting.

Roll Call: Officer Indicted in Fires
A federal grand jury handed down an indictment on Wednesday against a Capitol Police officer for the series of restroom fires that burned in Senate office buildings this fall.

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, will hold an Organizing for Change event at Gunstock Ski Resort in Gilford, New Hampshire. Clinton will then receive an endorsement for her presidential run from the NEA at Manchester's Technical Community College. To wrap up the day, Clinton will attend a "Holidays with Hillary" reception with John Grisham at Union Station in Washington, DC.

* Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, will hold campaign events in Cedar Rapids and Pleasant Hill, Iowa.

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards attends the opening of the Oconee County Democratic Party headquarters in Seneca, South Carolina. He will also stop by his childhood home in Seneca, and take questions from the press. Edwards then meets with the media after a Generation Next Votes 2008 event at Walhalla High School in Walhalla. In the evening, actor Harry Belafonte joins Edwards for a meet and greet and a speech at the Charleston County Democratic Women's Holiday Party at the College of Charleston.

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will hold a press conference at Lido Beach Resort in Sarasota, Florida. The Republican candidate will then attend a local house party in Venice, Florida.

* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will take questions from the press before he attends a fundraising reception in Greensboro, North Carolina.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, will hold a town hall meeting at Timberland Company and take a tour of the Stratham, New Hampshire business. McCain will then address Portsmouth Rotary Club and hold a press availability in Newington. McCain will then hold an Energy Security and Climate Change forum at Seacost Media Group in Portsmouth. Lastly, McCain will hold a town hall meeting at Raymond High School in Raymond.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will deliver a "Faith in America" speech at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Romney fires landscaping firm over illegal immigrants

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign said Tuesday that the former Massachusetts governor had fired a landscaping company working on his property because it employed illegal immigrants.   Full Story

***

Bush Heading to the Mideast in January

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush is heading to the Mideast early next year to try and seal a peace deal during his final year in office, White House officials confirmed Tuesday night. "The President will go to the Mideast region in early January,” said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe, though he would not elaborate on any details of the itinerary.   Full Story

***

Romney calls for investigation into Huckabee push polls

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) - One day after a pro-Mike Huckabee group's 'push polling' efforts were brought to light here in Iowa, fellow Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is calling for an investigation into their tactics.   Full Story

***

Clinton: Edwards' Iran charge goes 'way too far'

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Hillary Clinton's recent vote to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization drew a fresh round of fire Tuesday from her presidential rivals during a debate in Iowa.   Full Story

***

Huckabee won't give thoughts on Mormonism

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) - Mike Huckabee has evangelicals to thank for helping him surge in the Iowa polls. In Iowa, Mitt Romney is his chief rival for those votes.  Full Story

***

Chief of staff to former Rep. Weldon charged in corruption probe

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The one-time chief of staff to then-Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., has been charged in a criminal conspiracy for failing to disclose income his wife made for doing "little work" at a firm with connections to Weldon's family.  Full Story

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

Washington Post: Poll Shows Romney With Wide Lead in New Hampshire
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney holds a wide lead over his Republican rivals in New Hampshire, where he is seen as the strongest leader and most electable presidential candidate in the field, but the GOP race there remains unsettled a month before the nation's first primary, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

LA Times: Huckabee Inches Toward Giuliani
Mike Huckabee, the ascendant Republican presidential candidate in Iowa, is enjoying a surge of support across the country - and Rudolph W. Giuliani seems to be paying the biggest price, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

Chicago Tribune: Huckabee Says He's Unfamiliar With Intel Report
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Tuesday he was unfamiliar with the National Intelligence Estimate that reported that Iran had not had a program to develop nuclear weapons since 2003, and he questioned the intelligence work behind it.

Roll Call: Hill Support For Huckabee Lags
Republican Mike Huckabee’s surging presidential campaign in Iowa has yet to translate into key support in Washington, D.C…

New York Times: Immigration, a Relentless Issue, Confronts Democrats in an Iowa Debate
If there is one issue that has challenged presidential candidates of both parties in Iowa this year, it is immigration, and the Democratic contenders were confronted with it again Tuesday, in a provocative way. Should American citizens, they were asked, turn in someone they know to be an illegal immigrant?

Boston Globe: More Immigrant Woes For Romney
Standing on stage at a Republican debate on the Gulf Coast of Florida last week, Mitt Romney repeatedly lashed out at rival Rudy Giuliani for providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants in New York City. Yet, the next morning, on Thursday, at least two illegal immigrants stepped out of a hulking maroon pickup truck in the driveway of Romney's Belmont house...

Boston Globe: Candidate Provides New Fodder For Rivals
Mitt Romney's Republican rivals wasted little time last night ridiculing him for his second go-round over illegal immigrants working at his home.

Washington Post: Clinton Rivals Hammer Her Iran Vote During Iowa Radio Debate
One day after a new U.S. intelligence report said that Iran had halted work on its nuclear program, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) faced repeated criticism in a debate here Tuesday for supporting a Senate resolution that her rivals said encouraged saber-rattling rhetoric from President Bush toward the Middle Eastern nation.

AP: Clinton's Endorsement List Debatable
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton's support from South Carolina's black religious leaders may not be quite as extensive as her campaign suggests.

LA Times: Clinton Says His Iraq War Remarks Were Misconstrued
A week after causing his wife's presidential campaign a headache by saying he had opposed the Iraq war from the start, former President Clinton accused the news media on Tuesday of misrepresenting his remarks.

Chicago Tribune: Clinton Made An Elementary Error On Obama
It's one thing in politics to cite an opponent's record when criticizing him. But it’s quite another to cite his Permanent Record—the legendary, indelible and largely mythical account of all that we do as schoolchildren.

The Times of London: Hillary Clinton Gets Personal As Barack Obama Inches Ahead
Hillary Clinton has been forced to take the biggest gamble of her presidential campaign by launching personal attacks on her main rival, Barack Obama, in Iowa, a state famous for its dislike of negative tactics.

Des Moines Register: Clinton Calls On Agency To Reveal Names Of Homes
Sen. Hillary Clinton is urging the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to immediately publish its list of all the poor-performing nursing homes in Iowa and other states.

LA Times: It's About Voters' Faith In Romney
With a massive marketing effort, Mitt Romney has tried to introduce himself as a family man with a solid marriage, five wholesome sons and the moral values desired by the Republican Party's most conservative voters. But now that voters have met him, many are ready to offer an opinion: They still do not know who he is.

Politico: As The Speech Looms...
Just as Mitt prepares to make The Speech, three profs have quantified what many have long assumed: bias against Mormons is "signficantly more intense" than prejudice against women or African-Americans.

Des Moines Register: Tancredo's TV Ad Links Immigrants To Violence
The latest television ad from U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo's presidential campaign draws a link between illegal immigration and Central and South American gang violence that has come to the United States.

Washington Post: Nonprofits Become A Force in Primaries
Nonprofit groups created to educate the public and lobby on issues have started inserting themselves into the presidential primaries, adding an unexpected wild card to wide-open elections in both parties.

New York Times: Comedian Says Minnesota Run Is a Serious One
Even as Al Franken stretches out his big doughy hand to another potential voter inside Nina’s Coffee Cafe on a recent morning, it is easy to forget that Mr. Franken, the former “Saturday Night Live” star, the satirist and author, the liberal radio host, is trying to be elected to the United States Senate.

USA Today: Domestic concerns rise in poll
Growing anxiety over the economy, health care and immigration rival Iraq as the central issues in the presidential campaign, shifting an election landscape once dominated by the war.

The Hill: GOP Is Split On The President's Spending Fight
Congressional Republican leaders are split over how much backing they will give to President Bush in his fiscal fight with the Democrats.

Roll Call: Parties Focus on Specials
The seats in Ohio’s 5th district and Virginia’s 1st, which became open when Republican Members died earlier this year, should be slam dunks for the GOP.

AP: Transgender Ga. Politician Loses Runoff
A transgender city council member lost a re-election bid in a runoff Tuesday after a lawsuit that claimed she tried to fool voters by running as a woman.

The Hill: ‘Wicked Witch’ Targeted Over A Dinner In Waikiki
Jack Abramoff called her the Wicked Witch of the West. “WWW” for short in his e-mails. And he wanted to burn her.

New York Times: New Data, New Methods, New Conclusion
How could American intelligence agencies have overstated Iran’s intentions in 2005 so soon after being reprimanded for making similar errors involving Iraq?

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, will deliver what is being billed as a major economic policy speech at the NASDAQ marketsite in New York City.

* Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, will hold town hall meetings at Boone Community College in Boone, Central College in Pella, and William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, will hold a town hall meeting with Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling in Manchester, New Hampshire. McCain will take questions from reporters after the event.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, will give a speech at Cornell College's Small Multi-Sport Center in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Obama will then hold a rally at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. At the end the day, Obama will hold an "Engaging the Students: First in the Nation" town hall meeting at Wartburg College in Waverly.

* Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, will make campaign stops in Jackson, North Conway, Conway, Madison, Ossipee, Center Sandwich, Moultonboro, and Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will hold a breakfast event at the Hearing Room in Washington, D.C.

* Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, will make meet & greet stops at Garren's Restaurant in Pickens, Grady's Great Outdoors and Mama Penn's Restaurant in Anderson, and Flight Deck Restaurant in Lexington, South Carolina.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook 

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Iowa caucuses get more attention than ever

(CNN) - With states moving their caucuses and primaries earlier, what does that mean for Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus?   Full Story

***

No more tickets for Oprah in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - Citing "overwhelming excitement," Barack Obama's campaign in South Carolina is out of free tickets for this weekend's rally with Oprah Winfrey, a signal that Oprah's impact could be significant in this state where Obama is still trying to introduce himself to primary voters.   Full Story

***

Giuliani gets praise from Norquist

WASHINGTON (CNN) - He still won’t sign the pledge – but Republican Rudy Giuliani is on the receiving end of some very kind words from a conservative activist prominent in GOP battles over taxes and spending.   Full Story

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

USA Today: Poll: Giuliani, Clinton Support Slips A Month From First Votes
National support for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani significantly eroded during the past month, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds. The sign of volatility in both parties comes a month before the Iowa caucuses open the presidential primary season. 

CNN: Pro-Huckabee 'push polls' irk GOP field in Iowa
On the stump, Mike Huckabee boasts about running a clean campaign that steers clear of smearing his GOP rivals.  But now a group founded by some of Huckabee's supporters appears to be doing just that. 

New York Times: Huckabee Repudiates Group’s Effort
Mike Huckabee, the Republican presidential candidate, distanced his campaign yesterday from an independent group’s efforts to promote his candidacy through calls to the homes of caucusgoers in Iowa and through mailings.

Chicago Tribune: 'Now The Fun Part Starts' In Iowa
A Democratic presidential contest that had focused on high-minded qualities of leadership, experience and change has whiplashed into sharp attacks between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over courage, character and kindergarten writings amid ever-tightening polls and the ever-closer Iowa caucuses.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Mccain Explains What He Would Have Done
Were John McCain president over the last seven years, Donald Rumsfeld wouldn't have had the president's ear, federal spending wouldn't have mushroomed, and China would be shamed for not doing enough to stop genocide, the Arizona senator said last night.

Quad City Times: McCain: I'm Old, But Best Candidate
Republican Sen. John McCain, his spirits better than his comic timing, told students Monday he's the best presidential candidate for youth despite his age.

New York Times: Vulnerable Democrats See Fates Tied to Clinton
…the possibility that she [Hillary Clinton] will be the nominee is already generating concern among some Democrats in Republican-leaning states and Congressional districts, who fear that sharing the ticket with her could subject them to attack as too liberal and out of step with the values of their constituents.

Washington Post: As Iowa Race Tightens, Clinton Decides the Best Defense Is a Good Offense
Just two months ago, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York appeared to have turned a corner in Iowa. Now, as the race here enters its final month, she is once again fighting to fend off concerns that have dogged her from the start of her campaign in the state.

USA Today: Poll: Clinton Has Edge In Early Contests
Health care and Iraq dominate Democrats' concerns in the three pivotal early voting states of the 2008 presidential race. Advantage: Hillary Rodham Clinton, a poll shows.

Boston Globe: Obama Says Democrats Need Decisive Win To Make Wide Changes
The Democratic presidential nominee will have to earn a decisive victory next November to bring about the sweeping change America needs, Senator Barack Obama said yesterday.

Quad City Times: Richardson Won't Settle For VP In Caucus Campaign
The conventional thinking is that Bill Richardson is running a great campaign — for vice president. So during a quick phone interview while he was on the campaign trail in Iowa, I asked the New Mexico governor if he was really auditioning for the No. 2 spot.

LA Times: Mormonism Not Focus Of Romney Speech
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Monday that he would not focus on his Mormon beliefs in a major speech on religion this week and instead would discuss his concern that "faith has disappeared from the public square."

Washington Post: Huckabee Chafes at 'Front-Runner' Label
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, for months cast as a "second-tier" candidate, now finds himself with another label he is not eager to have: "front-runner."

Boston Globe: Clinton Scandals' Effects Still Unfolding
The death last week of former Illinois representative Henry Hyde, the patriarchal Republican who led the impeachment of President Clinton, brought back memories of what Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama calls "the battles of the '90s."

New York Times: Giuliani’s Firm Lobbied for Bill Considered Threat
Although Rudolph W. Giuliani is campaigning as President Bush’s staunch ally in the war on terror, his law office has lobbied Congress on behalf of legislation that the Bush administration calls a threat to antiterrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa.

NY Daily News: Mike Huckabee Rise In Iowa Great News For...Rudy Giuliani?
Rudy Giuliani could use some good news, and Mike Huckabee's amazing surge in Iowa from long shot to first place this week could be an early Christmas gift.

Chicago Tribune: An Urgent Agenda
Every two weeks from November 2004 to February 2005, John Edwards kept a chemotherapy vigil that stretched from morning to late afternoon. His wife says his job was to be there when she woke. He says her slumbering hours gave him what a frantic national campaign had not: "a lot of time to reflect on what I wanted to do as president."

Boston Globe: Citizens Become Part Of Campaign Narratives
The presidential candidates meet dozens of voters every day, hundreds every month. Only a few of their stories hold special appeal to the campaigns, and become part of the candidates' carefully crafted narratives…

Wall Street Journal: Economy Moves To Fore as Issue For 2008 Voters
With the parties just weeks away from the first presidential nominating contests, economic concerns are seizing a top spot in many voters' minds. Falling housing prices, rising gasoline prices and health-insurance worries are supplanting the war in Iraq and concern over terrorism.

Washington Times: Bush Still A Factor, Rove Warns
President Bush, down and all but counted out by friend and foe alike just three months ago, is rising like a bloodied but unbowed prizefighter, and Karl Rove predicts peril for Republicans and their presidential nominee if they shun the lame-duck president on the campaign trail.

New York Times: Magazine Voices Doubt Over ‘Diary’ From Iraq
After months of accusations that reports written in The New Republic by “The Baghdad Diarist,” an American Army private, about the cruelty of ordinary soldiers in Iraq were false, the magazine says that as a result of its own investigation it can no longer stand by the articles.

Washington Post: New Allegations Test Craig's New Boldness
Three months after Senator Larry Craig told the nation he would resign after the uproar over his arrest in a sex sting in an airport men's room, Craig returns to Congress in the wake of the most lurid allegations about his conduct to date, vowing yet again to finish out his term, having long since abandoned his promise to step down quietly for the good of his constituents and his party.

Roll Call: Hutchison May Drop From Race
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) is expected to decide today whether to remain in the three-way race for GOP Conference chairman, with sources speculating she will opt to forgo the candidacy and keep her job as head of the Republican Policy Committee.

The Hill: Sens. Cochran, Stevens Lead In Earmark Tally
Senior Republican appropriators in the Senate have collected more money in earmarks than any other members of Congress, even though President Bush and GOP leaders have forcefully criticized “pork-barrel spending.”

Roll Call: Missouri Gubernatorial Race Still Cash-Rich
A state Supreme Court decision requiring incumbent Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R) and attorney general Jay Nixon, his Democratic challenger, to return $5.8 million in now-banned campaign gifts largely is expected to become a symbolic gesture, as party insiders already are scheming to dust off tried-and-true end runs around state campaign finance laws.

LA Times: Rogan May Be Denied Seat On Federal Bench
Former Rep. James E. Rogan, a Republican from Glendale, CA, lost his House seat not long after he helped lead the GOP's drive to impeach President Clinton. Now Rogan faces the prospect of being denied a coveted seat as a federal judge in Los Angeles.

New York Times: Phoenix Mayor Shifts on Officers’ Asking for Immigration Status
Under pressure from advocates for stricter immigration laws, the mayor of Phoenix said on Monday that he no longer backed a Police Department order barring officers from routinely asking the immigration status of people it arrested and announced a panel to study a policy change.

Roll Call: CODEPINK: Upping the Protest Ante
The mostly women’s anti-war group has moved from a fringe protest group into the mainstream, getting noticed by the White House and others as a political force du jour. ===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* The Democratic presidential candidates participate in a debate sponsored by NPR and Iowa Public Radio at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson meets with local voters in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Later, he stops by Blue Ridge Shooting Sport Store in Greer.

* Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, attends a town hall meeting at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with local voters in Windham, New Hampshire. Later, he holds town hall meetings in Raymond and Concord and meets with local residents in Meredith.

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards holds a town hall meeting at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee calls into Don Imus' radio show. Later, Huckabee meets with local residents and hosts an open house at his campaign headquarters, holds a press conference and speaks at a media dinner in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, meets with local residents at the Union Street Grille Milford, New Hampshire and at the Peterborough Diner in Peterborough. Later, he holds town hall meetings in Keene and Hooksett.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, holds rallies at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa and the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson calls into the Don Imus' radio show. Later, he attends the funeral of Corporal Clem Boody in Independence, Iowa and holds a "Call Back Job Interview" event in Waterloo.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Romney to give Mormon Speech

WASHINGTON (CNN) – GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will make a much anticipated speech on his Mormon faith this week. Romney's campaign says that the address, entitled "Faith In America," will take place Thursday, December 6 at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station Texas at 10:30 a.m. ET. Full Story

***

Obama denies new Clinton attack, calls her 'stressed' by polls

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama denied allegations from rival Hillary Clinton's campaign Sunday that his political action committee Hopefund was used to bribe public officials in early voting states. "Everything that we've done is in exact accordance with the law," said the Illinois senator at a press conference. "Unless they can show that it hasn't been, I suggest they focus on trying to get their supporters to caucus in Iowa." Full Story

***

McCain receives major New Hampshire endorsement

(CNN) – GOP presidential hopeful John McCain received a major endorsement of his candidacy Sunday, from the New Hampshire Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest and most influential newspaper. Full Story

***

Presidential primary calendar set

VIENNA, Virginia (CNN) – The presidential primary calendar was finalized Saturday, after months of uncertainty and just 33 days before the first votes are cast in Iowa. (31 days as of Monday)

The Democratic National Committee approved requests by Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to reschedule their nominating contests to earlier dates in January, while denying Michigan the right to hold its primary January 15. Michigan Democratic leaders vowed to move forward with the primary, even though none of its delegates will count towards the nominating convention and several Democratic contenders will not appear on the state ballot.

The votes by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee were the final dominos to drop in what has been a contentious battle pitting state political parties against national party leaders over control of the presidential nominating calendar. Full Story

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

NY Daily News: John Mccain, James Carville To Appear On 1st Don Imus Show
Shock jock Don Imus returns to the airwaves Monday morning – and he already has heavyweight GOP presidential hopefuls lining up to chat.

AP: ANALYSIS: Both Iowa Contests Tight
Call it a brave new world in Iowa presidential politics. The races for both the Republican and Democratic nominations here are toss ups as voting approaches, a double-dose of fluidity unseen in decades. At the same time, the effect of winning - or losing - the leadoff Iowa caucuses in 2008 is anyone's guess.

LA Times’ Top of the Ticket: Hey, Iowa and New Hampshire! Read this!
Thanks to quiet changes in how busy Americans choose to vote - namely the explosion of early absentee voting as a convenience, not a necessity caused by travel - Florida's absentee voters will actually be the first Americans to start voting in the primary process for the 2008 election.

Wall Street Journal: Obama's Gains Show Volatility Of Iowa Contest
A month before Iowa holds the first contest of the 2008 presidential campaign, a newly energized Sen. Barack Obama has opened a narrow lead here, but many Iowans in both parties say they could change their minds in the next 30 days about which candidate to support.

New York Times: Lonely No More, Huckabee Faces Hurdles
Mike Huckabee spent the weekend in New Hampshire, where he saw something he had rarely seen in his two years as a Republican candidate for president: People. Lots of them.

USA Today: In Unsettled GOP Field, Huckabee Finds Footing
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, the Republican long shot who in a new Des Moines Register poll has surged to the lead for the Iowa caucuses, could hardly be more different from the candidate who has led the GOP field nationally all year.

San Francisco Chronicle: Ads Paint Huckabee As Taxer, But Record More Complicated
As Mike Huckabee rises in the Republican presidential polls, fiscal conservatives have been raising alarms about a series of tax increases he spearheaded while governor of Arkansas – new taxes on gasoline, nursing home beds and even pet groomers.

Boston Globe: Money Keeps Almost All Hopes Alive In 2008
Campaign strategists in both parties say the unprecedented amount of money flowing to presidential candidates – and their ability to raise more cash quickly via the Internet – could give longer life to those contenders who lose the early contests, and would in past elections have been too strapped for money to continue their campaigns.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Giuliani Takes Aim At Dems' Tax Plans
Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is trying to make up for lost time in New Hampshire by cutting to the chase with low-tax talk likely to resonate in a state whose lack of income tax speaks to the political leanings of its GOP primary voters.

LA Times: Romney, Clinton Shake Up Tactics
Facing fresh polls showing their leads in Iowa disappearing, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Mitt Romney rolled out new campaign tactics Sunday in an aggressive push to regain lost momentum.

NY Daily News: N.H., Iowa Republicans Care More About Terror Than Rudy Giuliani's Trysts
Many voters shrugged off the renewed spotlight on Rudy Giuliani's extramarital affair – but one of his campaign officials Saturday warned the issue could "haunt" his presidential bid. h

USA Today: Clinton Urges Foreclosures Moratorium
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday will call for a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures on homes with subprime mortgages and a five-year freeze on the interest rates those borrowers must pay.

LA Times: Hsu Associates Touted His Connections
Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu reveled in his role as friend to Bill and Hillary Clinton. As Hsu raised more than $800,000 for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, the couple praised him at star-studded events and showered him with thank-you notes.

Washington Post: Stung by Politico Report, Giuliani Puts Up His Dukes
Rudy Giuliani, who made his name prosecuting bad guys, has always taken a two-fisted approach toward what he brands "the liberal media." That pugilistic style was on display last week when the Politico got under Hizzoner's skin.

Des Moines Register: Illegal-Immigration Answer Starts In Mexico, Biden Says
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden passionately declared Sunday that the key solution to illegal immigration begins with Mexican government officials who must expand their economies to provide good jobs for those living south of the border.

LA Times: Heavy Doubt For Edwards' Big Promises
John Edwards, who has pledged that as president he would strip health coverage from congressional members if they did not adopt universal healthcare, faced sharp voter skepticism Sunday over whether he could achieve that and other campaign goals.

Des Moines Register: Edwards: Democrats Can Attract Christians
Committed Christians can be attracted to the Democratic side if the party's presidential nominee projects an honest interest in tackling moral issues, candidate John Edwards said here Sunday.

Washington Times: Presidential Race Revives Painful Workplace Debate
A Democratic victory in the 2008 presidential election would reignite the fight between big labor and big business over a contentious workplace-safety issue.

DC Examiner: Paul Expects Over $12M in 4th Quarter
Republican Ron Paul said Sunday his upstart presidential campaign is on track to raise more than $12 million this quarter, boldly predicting the Iowa polls "are going to continue to shift" once he's finished spending it all.

Politico: DCCC spends money for ad in Ohio special election
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has purchased over $148,000 in television air time in Ohio for a negative campaign advertisement in next week’s special election to replace the late Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), indicating the cash-flush committee is eyeing its sights on scoring an upset in a conservative northwest Ohio district.

Washington Post: Campaign Soldiers on the 'Front Lines'
They are the foot soldiers of the presidential race, the young field workers who toil long hours for little pay to man the storefront outposts in small cities and towns like this one, far from the state headquarters where the campaign colonels sit.

LA Times: A Voter Walks Into A Bar . . .
Long neglected by political campaigns, young professionals are being wooed through such groups as "Generation Obama," Hillary Rodham Clinton's "Hillblazers" and John McCain's "YP4McCain" - that's Young Professionals for McCain, in the abbreviated style favored by text messagers.

Des Moines Register: Iowa Students Cram For Caucuses
High school teachers in Iowa are pulling out all the stops to encourage – and in some cases, require – students to cast their votes in the upcoming caucuses.

Roll Call: December Subpoena Fight Possible
Facing a crowded December calendar, House Democratic leaders say they are “hopeful” that the full House will consider a motion of contempt against senior Bush administration officials before the end of the year.

Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp: Webb, Back From Iraq, Questions Impact Of 'Surge'
One day after returning from his first visit to Iraq, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb called again for "robust regional diplomacy” and suggested the impact of President Bush’s troop surge has been overstated.

Roll Call: Lott Move Will Leave GOP Void
While Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott’s (R-Miss.) impending departure will remove one of the chamber’s few bipartisan dealmakers, his resignation also will leave a gaping hole within the often fractious Republican Conference.

The Hill: Dems Plan To Focus On The Economy This Week
House Democrats will host an economic forum on Friday, signaling their intent to refocus the political debate on President Bush’s handling of the economy and away from the situation in Iraq.

CNN: Idaho Senator Denies New Sex Allegations
Embattled Idaho Sen. Larry Craig emphatically denied new allegations of homosexual encounters published in his home state's largest newspaper Sunday, calling the statements of four new accusers "completely false."

===============================================================

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making news today:

CNN/YouTube debate draws record-breaking audience

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Nearly 5 million viewers tuned in to watch the CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate Wednesday night, making it the highest rated primary debate in cable news history. Full Story

===============================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

New York Times: Citing Statistics, Giuliani Misses Time and Again
In almost every appearance as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination, Rudolph W. Giuliani cites a fusillade of statistics and facts to make his arguments about his successes in running New York City and the merits of his views.

USA Today: Immigration Is GOP Hot Button
A long-running dispute between Republican presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani centers on a term without a clear meaning: sanctuary city.

Washington Times: Immigration Groups Slam Huckabee As A 'Disaster'
Groups that support a crackdown on illegal aliens haven't settled on their champion in the race for the White House, but there's little doubt which Republican scares them most — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Iowa's 'Hot Ticket' Headed Here
How is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee playing in New Hampshire? Can he emerge from the single-digit morass in which he has polled here all year?

LA Times: A Surprise Turn In Iowa's Republican Race
With 34 days remaining, the Republican presidential race in Iowa has broken wide open, as Mike Huckabee surges into contention with the longtime front-runner, Mitt Romney.

Iowa Independent: Rumors and Accusations Cast Shadows on Brown and Black Presidential Forum
The [Brown and Black] forum, which is the oldest minority-focused presidential debate in the country, is one of the great traditions of the Iowa Caucuses, but local activists and campaigns have been frustrated by this year's planning and execution.

Des Moines Register: Iowa Ear: Happy Holidays, But Don't Tell Anyone
Iowa's political movers and shakers are hosting a number of holiday celebrations open to invited media, but with one caveat: They're off the record.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Presidential Debates In NH Set Just Days Before Voting
Competing presidential debates the weekend before the New Hampshire Primary on Jan. 8 are infusing more drama into the final hours of the campaigns.

Boston Globe: With Iowa Tight, N.H. Becoming Clinton's Firewall
With Hillary Clinton faltering in polls leading up to the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary is looming as a possible make-or-break moment for her – in a place where she has most of the party's key endorsements and a sizable lead in the polls, but where a defeat could be devastating.

San Francisco Chronicle: Clinton, Democrats Find Religion, Court Evangelical Voters
A wise man once said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven – and it used to be nearly as tough for a Democratic candidate to take a presidential campaign to a conservative evangelical church.

Washington Post: The Candidate's 'Catch Me if You Can'
ABC correspondent Kate Snow was ready to push through the crowd and ask Hillary Clinton a question until an aide blocked the path of Snow's sound man as he aimed his boom mike in the senator's direction.

Washington Post: Obama Campaign Worker Discussed PAC Donations
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign helped recommend several of the donations his political action committee made in recent months to politicians in key primary states as the campaign was working to secure endorsements, campaign officials said yesterday.

New York Times: Obama Takes His Campaign to Harlem
Senator Barack Obama held a fund-raiser in Harlem last night, his first event in the historic seat of black cultural and political power since he announced his Democratic presidential candidacy and a place where Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton enjoys wide popularity.

Chicago Tribune's The Swamp: No. 37 In Iowa For Obama Offices
Armed with a large pair of garden sheers, Michelle Obama cut the blue ribbon Thursday to open the 37th Iowa office for her husband's president campaign.

USA Today: Douglas Wilder Cools on Obama
Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, is backing off plans for a quick endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama and is remaining neutral for now.

Boston Globe: Clinton, Romney Capture Notable Endorsements
Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney each picked up high-profile endorsements yesterday.

DC Examiner: GOP Gay Group Slams Romney in New Ad
A Republican gay rights advocacy group accuses Mitt Romney of "Mitt-flops" in a new radio ad that criticizes the former Massachusetts governor on his tax record.

USA Today: Watchdog Group: Most Lobbyists Giving To Clinton Don't Represent 'Real People'
The Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics, today investigates what it calls the "lobbyist lobs" among Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

Wall Street Journal: Host Indicted, Clinton Fund-Raiser Canceled
A Dec. 15 fund-raising event for Hillary Clinton at the home of prominent Mississippi trial laywer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs is off, now that Scruggs has been indicted for bribery.

Politico: Clinton Says Wife's Schedules Out Soon
Former President Bill Clinton told C-SPAN this week that he believes the long-inaccessible first lady schedules of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will be released in January — in the heat of the first presidential nomination contests.

Seacoastonline: Biden: Impeachment If Bush Bombs Iran
Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach President Bush if he bombs Iran without Congressional approval.

DC Examiner: Biden Won't Serve As Secretary of State
Joe Biden is complaining that his foes keep saying he'd be a great secretary of state. Nothing wrong with that job, he says, but he's running for president.

LA Times: CAUSE CÉLÈBRE: Is Chuck Norris Huckabee's Secret Weapon?
AN A-list celebrity endorsement can lift a presidential campaign. But Chuck Norris' seal of approval can kick-start the Airbus.

DC Examiner: Can Oprah Win Women For Obama?
She’s universally recognized, enormously popular and, as one entertainment Web site put it, “has more power over women than George Clooney.” But is Oprah Winfrey influential enough to help Barack Obama close the widening gender gap with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton?

The Times of London: Maybe Ron Paul Will Do For The Democrats What Ralph Nader Did For The Republicans
As an independent libertarian candidate (something he has been before but without his new national profile or money) Ron Paul would shave a few votes from the Democrats, as well as attracting others out of the woods, but the main losers would be the Republicans.

USA Today: Grass roots 'big ace' in Ron Paul's White House bid
Ron Paul joked during Wednesday's Republican debate that so much money is pouring into his campaign from the Internet that he's "struggling to figure out how to spend" it all.

Washington Post's The Trail: Macaca's New Gig: Richardson Staffer
Remember Macaca? The young man whose handheld video brought down former Virginia Sen. George Allen, has resurfaced in the presidential contest that Allen once hoped to be part of himself. S.R. Sidarth, the Fairfax student of Indian descent, is now a paid staffer in the communications office of Democratic Presidential hopeful Bill Richardson.

The Hill: Hunter Asks Bush For China Policy Meeting
Presidential hopeful Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is pressing President Bush to call a meeting with several congressional committees to discuss policy towards China in the aftermath of Beijing’s refusal to allow a Navy aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships to dock in Hong Kong last week.

Washington Post: Virginia GOP Gets Strict on Voting
The loyalty pledge to the Republican Party that Virginia voters will be required to sign if they vote in the state's GOP presidential primary on Feb. 12 is another attempt by the party to police the open primary system.

Roll Call: House GOP Aiding Wittman in Virginia Special Election
Less than two weeks before voters select a successor for the late Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.), the National Republican Congressional Committee has begun sinking a modest amount of money into the race and House GOP leaders have set up a campaign committee to help the party’s nominee, state Del. Rob Wittman.

The Hill: Louisiana Treasurer Announces Landrieu Challenge
Louisiana GOP state Treasurer John Kennedy announced Thursday he will challenge Sen. Mary Landrieu, who is considered the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for reelection in 2008.

===============================================================
On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton address the Democratic National Committee's annual winter meeting in Vienna, Virginia.

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and his wife, Jeri, are guests on Larry King Live.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds an "Ask Mitt Anything" town hall meeting focusing on lowering taxes at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Later, Romney meets with Loras College students and attends a house party hosted by the Iowa Christian Alliance in Dubuque.

* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee delivers remarks at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce 2008 Presidential Forum Series in Concord, New Hampshire. Later, Huckabee plays guitar with the Tilton school rock band in Tilton and meets with local residents in Bow.

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd attend the First Annual Culver-Judge Holiday Party in West Des Moines, Iowa.

* Senator Barack Obama, D-Illinois, has a photo op with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Manhattan.

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivers remarks at town hall meetings at Sun City Pavilion in Okatie, South Carolina and at the Boca Raton Marriott in Boca Raton, Florida.

* Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, campaigns in South Carolina.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, goes door-to-door with campaign volunteers in Tilghman Forest Neighborhood stops by Rick's Kitchen in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Later, McCain holds a town hall meeting in Seabrook.

* Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, attends a Fire Fighters for Dodd campaign event with Iowa State Rep. Patrick Kenned in Ames, Iowa.

* Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, attends the Republican College Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making News Today…

Campaign trail rancor carries into GOP debate

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (CNN) - The acrimony from the Republican campaign trail carried over quickly into the CNN/YouTube GOP presidential debate Wednesday.  Full Story 

***

Thompson launches first negative ad amid GOP street fight

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (CNN) - Fred Thompson aired the first negative television ad in the 2008 Republican presidential campaign race, using the CNN/YouTube debate Wednesday to deliver a double broadside against Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

Fred Thompson's ad attacked Mitt Romney on abortion and Mike Huckabee on taxes.

With five weeks remaining before the Iowa caucuses, Thompson's video took aim at Romney for changing his position on abortion rights and Huckabee for his past statements on taxes.

Each of the eight GOP candidates was allowed to air a 30-second, YouTube-style campaign commercial during the two-hour debate.

The candidates' criticism of one another is not new - they have been hammering each other for months on the campaign trail. But Thompson took it to a new level by doing so in this nationally televised debate.

The fireworks began well before the ad from the actor and former Tennessee senator was shown, as the pleasantries between the candidates quickly dissolved into a good old-fashioned street fight.   Full Story

– By CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

***

Highlights and videos from the debate

***

Debate Scorecard

===========================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

New York Times: G.O.P. Rivals Exchange Jabs in Testy Debate
The Republican presidential candidates engaged in a slashing debate last night over immigration and other issues, confronting one another in testy exchanges that reflected the wide-open nature of the race in the final sprint toward the Iowa caucuses.

Washington Post: In Debate, Romney and Giuliani Clash on Immigration Issues
The Republican candidates for president engaged in a two-hour free-for-all Wednesday night, repeatedly confronting one another directly even as they fielded video questions submitted by Internet users in the most spirited debate of the 2008 presidential campaign.

USA Today: GOP Candidates Spar Over Immigration Issue
Eight Republican presidential contenders clashed Wednesday over immigration, interrogation techniques for prisoners and the Iraq war in a sharp-elbowed debate filled with pointed and personal attacks.

LA Times: Public Questions Inspire Combative Republican Debate
In an animated, fast-paced debate marked by personal attacks between the candidates, Republican presidential hopefuls Wednesday night sparred over illegal immigration, torture, gun control, abortion - and even whether the Bible should be taken literally.

AP: Giuliani Dismisses Report About Expenses
Rudy Giuliani dismissed a report Wednesday that he expensed the cost of his security detail to obscure city offices for trips to a Long Island resort as the then-mayor began an extramarital affair with current wife Judith Nathan. 

Des Moines Register: Biden: One Of Top 3 Dems Will Fall
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden expressed confidence today that at least one of the second-tier Democratic candidates — himself included — will finish near the top in the upcoming Iowa caucuses.

Des Moines Register: Romney And Obama Win Mock St. Anselm Primary
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney won a mock presidential primary at St. Anselm College yesterday.

Washington Post: Foes Use Obama's Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him
Since declaring his candidacy for president in February, Obama, a member of a congregation of the United Church of Christ in Chicago, has had to address assertions that he is a Muslim or that he had received training in Islam in Indonesia, where he lived from ages 6 to 10.

DC Examiner: Obama First To File For Primaries In Virginia Scheduled For Feb. 12
Democrat Barack Obama became the first candidate to formally file for Virginia’s presidential primaries Wednesday, but the contests are likely scheduled too late to influence the parties’ nominees, political analysts said.

WSJ: Huckabee's Surge Stirs the Pot in Iowa
The Republican presidential race is becoming even more unstable, as a surging Mike Huckabee has caught up in Iowa with Mitt Romney, long seen as the front-runner in the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

AP: GOP Abortion Rights Group Raps Romney
A Republican group that backs abortion rights will start an ad campaign this weekend in Iowa and New Hampshire portraying Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper and drawing attention to a questionnaire he filled out in 2002 endorsing legal abortions.

WSJ: Romney Sons Break a Sweat for Campaign
Mitt Romney's five sons are all involved in his presidential campaign, but having them on the trail is a double-edged sword. They lack their father's polish and occasionally their privileged upbringing inadvertently distances them from the voters they're courting.

Boston Globe: Clinton Denounces Obama's Healthcare Proposal
Hillary Clinton yesterday launched one of her most pointed attacks yet against chief rival Barack Obama, charging that his healthcare plan would leave millions of uninsured Americans "virtually invisible."

USA Today: Bill Clinton Stumbles On Stump For Wife
It was a partial clause in a sentence uttered in Muscatine, Iowa. But Bill Clinton's assertion Monday that he'd opposed the Iraq war "from the beginning" triggered outbursts across the political spectrum.

Chicago Tribune: Clinton: Most famous. Least known?
Despite her fame and power, Clinton keeps in regular touch with the circle of close high school girlfriends she made growing up in Park Ridge back when the Beatles were a new act.

NY Sun: Pastor's Invitation to Clinton Draws Fire From Some Christians
A speaking invitation extended to Senator Clinton by one of the nation's most prominent evangelical preachers and authors, Rick Warren, is drawing fire from conservative Christian groups critical of the Democratic presidential candidate's views on abortion and other social issues.

DC Examiner: Edwards' 'Ticket Wishlist' Kept Secret
When John Edwards returned to his alma mater in 2005 to found a poverty think tank, the multimillionaire attorney sought more than just a salary: He also wanted tickets to University of North Carolina sporting events. But the exact details of what Edwards asked of the Tar Heels remain a secret.

The Plain Dealer: If Kucinich Wins Nomination, Ron Paul Could Be His Veep
Call it the liberal-libertarian ticket, where left meets right and Democrat Dennis Kucinich picks Republican Ron Paul to be his vice president.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: College Convention 2008 Looks At Primary Candidates
Starting yesterday and running through Saturday, nearly every candidate - Democrat, Republican, household name, unknown - will make an appearance, and the young delegates are an eager audience.

New York Times' The Caucus: Democrats Supply Video, You Make the Ad
Here’s yet another example of how the Internet is changing politics: The Democratic National Committee is putting online all the digital video that its “trackers” are recording of the major Republican candidates.

Washington Post: Pulling Their Punch Lines
The great national strategic political comedy reserve has been depleted. Thanks to the TV writers' strike, millions of citizens have been deprived (for 24 days now!) of their late-night dose of sarcasm and slashing wit, of irony and smart-aleck quips. No Letterman, no Leno, no Stewart or Colbert.

New York Times: A Fund-Raising Rainmaker Arises Online
They may not inhabit the traditional world of high-dollar campaign fund-raising, but two youthful computer whizzes are quietly and behind the scenes trying to change how campaigns raise money, netting millions of dollars for Democrats in the process.

New York Times: Senator Turned Lobbyist Sees Job for Pal
Former Senator John B. Breaux of Louisiana, a centrist Democrat, announced on Wednesday that he was leaving the law firm Patton Boggs, where he has worked as a lobbyist since 2005, to form his own firm with a son, John Breaux Jr.

===============================================================
On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, attends a global summit on AIDS and the church at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, meets with the press in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* Former North Carolina John Edwards addresses the Iowa State Association of Counties Fall School of Instruction in Des Moines, Iowa. Later, Edwards delivers remarks to the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council in Iowa City.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, attends a Late Night with Obama event at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson holds a press conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

* Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, meets with local residents in Concord and Hampton, New Hampshire. Biden also speaks at a town hall forum focusing on Iraq at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth.

* Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, campaigns in South Carolina.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson holds an interactive dialogue with the media and special guests at the International Immigrants Foundation in New York City.

* Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, attends a house party in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making News Today…

* Live Tonight: CNN/YouTube/Republican Party of Florida Presidential Debate

The top Republican presidential candidates square off at 8 p.m. ET for the CNN/YouTube/Republican Party of Florida Presidential Debate in St. Petersburg. With the Iowa caucuses just around the corner, this event is sure to be a defining moment in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. CNN’s Anderson Cooper will moderate the debate that will feature questions directly from the voters. Tune into CNN and keep an eye on the CNN Political Ticker where the Best Political Team will be live-blogging this historic event.

See the questions that were submitted

***

Poll: Florida Republicans oppose making abortion illegal, gay marriage legal

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Likely Republican primary voters in Florida oppose making same-sex marriage legal but say abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Tuesday evening.  Full Story

***

Against the odds, Bush moves peace process forward

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland - Mere minutes before President Bush delivered his speech to the Mideast peace conference here Tuesday, it appeared any hopes of getting a written agreement signed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders had slipped away.   Full Story

===========================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

WSJ: YouTube Debate Raises Stakes
With six weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, the stakes in the CNN YouTube debate are higher… The eight men haven't debated in a month.

Des Moines Register: Giuliani Joins Lineup For Register Debate
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's campaign said today the former New York mayor has decided to participate in The Des Moines Register's debate next month.

New York Times: Senate Race That Fizzled Honed Skills for ’08 Stage
The 2000 New York senate race was a year in which both Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton gained many of the political skills the nation is seeing now as they campaign for president.

The Hill: Rudy Giuliani Striking Gold On Gold Coast
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has dominated his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in fundraising along Florida’s Gold Coast, an affluent strip of beach extending 80 miles north of Miami that is home to tens of thousands of New York and New Jersey natives.

New York Times: A Battle-Scarred Edwards, Emerging a Fighter
He has beat his Diet Coke addiction — “too much caffeine.” He no longer shrinks from foreign policy talk and salts his speeches with lines like, “I saw a piece recently in the Guardian newspaper, a British newspaper.” And where he once meandered from topic to topic, the John Edwards of today tries to keep it concise.

LA Times: No Buildup In Support For Mccain
More than any other candidate for president, John McCain has tied his fortunes to support for sending more U.S. troops into the unpopular war. Now that violence in Iraq has waned after a troop buildup, McCain wants some credit.

USA Today: Hatch: Romney Should Say He's His Own Man
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney probably should give a speech to declare he's not a captive of the Mormon church, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said Tuesday.

Boston Globe: New Romney Brochure Rips Rivals' Stance On Marriage
The colorful brochure from Mitt Romney's presidential campaign looks like many of the political fliers flooding Iowa mailboxes this time of year.

ABC News: Gingrich Predicts Obama in Iowa
Newt Gingrich predicts Barack Obama will win the hotly contested vote in Iowa, saying the junior Senator from Illinois will motivate more energized supported than the former First Lady.

Washington Post: Her Heart's in the Race
Michelle Obama might be standing in a back yard in Waterloo or on a stage in Harlem, but as she carries the audience along from phrase to well-turned phrase, she makes clear that "this running for president thing," as she calls it, has become nearly as much her quest as her husband's.

Washington Post's The Trail: Obama 'The Man for the Moment'
Amid stepped-up attacks by Hillary Clinton claiming that Barack Obama lacks the experience to face a dangerous world, the Obama camp turned loose a half dozen of the foreign policy experts in his fold to show the world the kind of high-caliber minds that are advising the first-term senator…

Chicago Tribune: Clinton Stands By Tough Campaigning
Sen. Hillary Clinton defended her increasingly aggressive approach on the campaign trail Tuesday and stepped up her criticism of Sen. Barack Obama, taking him to task by pointing to an Illinois health-care initiative he backed as a state lawmaker.

Politico: Clinton Tops Obama Among African-Americans
Six weeks out from the first round of presidential voting, Hillary Rodham Clinton gets better reviews than Barack Obama among African-American voters, a crucial voting bloc in Democratic politics, a new poll shows.

USA Today: Deceased Still Lining Political Coffers, To Tune Of Half-Million
Harold Schooler died in 2003, but his political activism lives on.
The former piano salesman and musician is among more than 160 dead people who have given more than $540,000 to political committees and candidates for the White House and Congress over the past eight years, an analysis of political donations shows.

Chicago Tribune: Clinton Interview: Not First To Throw Stones
Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York defended her increasingly aggressive approach on the campaign trail, declaring in a Tribune interview today that she was not the first to throw a stone in the Democratic presidential race. 

Des Moines Register: Bill Clinton: Hillary Has Best Vision For America
If I had to go into a blizzard of adversaries, all alone without a chance in a thousand — but I thought I was doing the right thing and I could only ask one person I’ve ever met in my entire life to go with me, one person I knew who would stay until the last dog died, never wilt, never break, never quit — I would ask her [Hillary],” Bill Clinton said, speaking in his soft drawl, his voice hushed as the crowd of about 600 at a YMCA in Muscatine, Iowa listened intently.

New York Times: In New Hampshire, Some Fret About Too Little, Too Early
At the Merrimack Restaurant on Elm Street, where a mural of past presidential candidates adorns the red brick facade, Maria Saitas is worried. Not only will New Hampshire’s primary be over earlier than ever next year, but the window between the Iowa and New Hampshire contests — a mere five days in early January — will be wincingly brief.

New York Times: In Iowa, Mormon Issue Is Benefiting Huckabee
The religious divide over Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith that his supporters had long feared would occur is emerging in Iowa as he is being challenged in state polls by Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor who has played up his faith in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Boston Globe: As GOP Hopefuls Duel, Fact-Checkers Work Overtime
In the wide-open race for the GOP presidential nomination, with five-plus weeks until the first nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, the campaigns of the top candidates are scattering accusations and snippets of "opposition research" like birdshot in the hopes of winging an opponent. Facts are sometimes among the casualties.

DC Examiner: Huckabee Tries to Gloss Over Ark. Record
Mike Huckabee's presidential rivals are pointing to chinks in his record as Arkansas' governor – from ethics complaints to tax increases to illegal immigration and his support for releasing a rapist who was later convicted of killing a Missouri woman.

LA Times' Top of the Ticket: Coming soon: a Ron Paul office near you?
Ron Paul opened a campaign office this afternoon in Charleston, S.C. - his third in a state that traditionally has been crucial to deciding who Republicans nominate for president.

Wall Street Journal: Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself
The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call.

Politico: Actors Not Buying Into Actor's Campaign
GOP presidential aspirant Fred Thompson has acted in nearly 40 film and TV projects, from a major part in “Die Hard 2” to an episode of “Roseanne” and a recurring role on “Law & Order.”

New York Times: When Fuel and Politics Mix
As oil prices flirt with record highs, hovering around $95 a barrel on Tuesday, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are offering few quick fixes but profoundly different long-term approaches to energy policy.

New York Times: Bill Clinton Flatly Asserts He Opposed War at Start
During a campaign swing for his wife, former President Bill Clinton said flatly yesterday that he opposed the war in Iraq “from the beginning” — a statement that is more absolute than his comments before the invasion in March 2003.

NY Sun: On Iraq, Clinton Tries a New Tack
Responding to news that negotiations with the Iraq government will start in January on the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq, Senator Clinton is trying to distance herself from the White House position on whether America should leave behind a permanent military presence.

The Hill: Sen. Kyl has No. 2 slot in the bag, it seems
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) is poised to become minority whip as other senators scramble for position in lower-tier leadership races.

Roll Call: GOP Leadership Elections Scheduled for Dec. 6
Republican Senators will gather in a special Conference meeting to conduct their leadership elections on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 9:30 a.m., according to an e-mail sent to members Tuesday night.

The Hill: Democrats Switch Tack, Seize On Economic Woes
Congressional Democrats will focus on the economy next week in an effort to win political advantage from public fears about an approaching recession.

DC Examiner: Kaine: Anti-Illegal Immigrant Rhetoric May Send Local Businesses Elsewhere
The aggressive push by some politicians to make Virginia inhospitable to illegal immigrants has the potential to hurt the state’s economy, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said Tuesday.

===============================================================
On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, California Rep. Duncan Hunter, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson participate in the CNN/YouTube/Republican Party of Florida Presidential Debate in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, discusses health care issues at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa.

* Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, address the Iowa Association of Counties in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, holds a town hall meeting at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. Later, he attends a party with supporters at The Parkshore Grill in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, speak at College Convention 2008 at the Center of New Hampshire in Manchester, New Hampshire.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making News Today…

CNN/YouTube/Republican Party of Florida Presidential Debate

The top Republican White House hopefuls head to St. Petersburg, Florida this week for the much anticipated CNN/YouTube/Republican Party of Florida Presidential Debate. With the Iowa caucuses just around the corner, this event is sure to be a defining moment in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. CNN’s Anderson Cooper will moderate the debate that will feature questions directly from the voters. Keep an eye on the CNN Political Ticker and CNN Politics for the latest news about the debate, and tune in at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday to watch this historic event live.

***

Cheney treated for irregular heartbeat

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Vice President Dick Cheney is expected back at work Tuesday after doctors used an electrical current to correct an irregular heartbeat they discovered Monday morning, the White House reported.

Doctors described the procedure - intended to shock the heart back into normal rhythm - as routine, and Cheney left George Washington University Hospital after about two and a half hours. The 66-year-old vice president has had a history of heart ailments - including four heart attacks dating back to 1978 - and was briefly hospitalized in January 2006 after suffering shortness of breath.

Cheney saw a doctor Monday morning after complaining of a lingering cough from a cold, his office reported. During the appointment, doctors diagnosed him with atrial fibrillation - an irregular beating of the heart's upper chambers that has been linked to an increased risk of stroke. His limousine arrived at the hospital shortly after 5 p.m., a few minutes behind his wife, Lynne. He left about 7:30 p.m.

- CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry

***

YouTube effect felt beyond debates

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (CNN) - It was one of the most talked about moments in last year's congressional campaign.

"Let's give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia."   Full Story

- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

***

Awkward? Bush meets Gore at White House

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Vice President Al Gore's visit back to the Oval Office Monday could have been an awkward one. Gore and the White House’s current occupant, President Bush, had fought a bitter presidential contest in 2000 from the ballot box to the courthouse.   Full Story

- CNN's Tom Foreman and Alexander Mooney

===========================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

Washington Post: Web Videos Aim Questions At GOP Field
Among the thousands of videos uploaded on YouTube for tomorrow's GOP debate in St. Petersburg, Fla., a question lasting no more than three seconds may prove to be one of the toughest: "What does the word 'Republican' mean to you?"

USA Today: Students Join GOP Debate Via Youtube
When eight Republican presidential candidates meet Wednesday to answer questions coming from citizen videos, the audience will include political activists, local VIPS and Ray Keller, a Nebraska teacher.

New York Times: In Elderly Women, Clinton Sees an Electoral Edge
The many elderly women who turn out for Clinton campaign events have become welcome set pieces, visibly demonstrating the candidate’s effort to highlight her sex and her overtures to female voters, whom the campaign is counting on to propel her to the Democratic presidential nomination.

San Francisco Chronicle: No Rings, 53 Million Strong: Unmarried Women Could Change Election
The "unmarried" bloc is emerging as this year's trendy political moniker… A quarter of all eligible voters – 53 million – are unmarried women, according to an October study by the influential liberal polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, but 20 million did not vote in the most recent presidential election.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Gov. Lynch's Wife Endorses Clinton Run
Dr. Susan Lynch, pediatrician and wife of New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, yesterday endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton for president.

New York Times: Clinton to Offer an AIDS Policy, Joining Her Main Rivals
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will propose steps today to strengthen the government’s strategy to battle H.I.V. and AIDS in the United States and the rest of the world, becoming the latest Democratic presidential candidate to commit to a significant expansion of federal efforts to combat the epidemic.

Des Moines Register: Richardson Pledges A Bipartisan Cabinet
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson promised today to provide a new style at the White House with a positive, bipartisan administration closely linked with common people.

Washington Times: Political Pinata
Six weeks out from the Iowa caucuses, the presidential race looks more uncertain than ever.

USA Today: Rivals Switch Roles In Iowa
In a reversal of fortune, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is barnstorming Iowa with a front-runner's swagger while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., scrambles like an underdog.

Boston Globe: Iowans Bring A Special-Interest Agenda To Caucuses
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner's decision last week to schedule the state's primary for Jan. 8, five days after the Iowa caucuses but well before the primaries of Michigan and Florida, signaled that New Hampshire and Iowa have succeeded in maintaining their special roles in choosing presidential nominees for yet another election cycle.

Quad City Times: Focusing on Who Can Vote in Iowa, N.H.
In yet another quirk of Iowa's caucus system, all citizens can participate as long as they sign a statement attesting to residency in the precinct and show that they'll be 18 in time for the general election.

Des Moines Register: Biden And Dodd Face Long Odds Together
Obviously, this is a little awkward, says presidential candidate Chris Dodd. He’s talking about the fact he’s competing against one of his friends, Joe Biden, for the Democratic nomination for president.

Washington Post: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton Bring Star Power to Iowa
Both are legendary communicators, perhaps the two greatest in their generation. Both helped build an ethic of empathy, turning the public confession into a rite of passage. Both are world-renowned - one for being a former president, the other for a TV show usually identified just by her first name. And now, Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey are set to square off, in Iowa, campaigning for their favorite candidates.

LA Times: Clinton The Organized
She always came prepared. From the first planning sessions for her husband's victorious 1992 presidential run through the final 1994 White House meetings she chaired as the Clinton administration's ill-fated healthcare initiative collapsed, Hillary Rodham Clinton was a force to be reckoned with as a decision-maker.

Chicago Tribune: Obama to Clinton: You're no Albright
Barack Obama has often questioned Hillary Clinton's use of her husband's presidency to assert to policy experience.

DC Examiner: Giuliani: Promote Benefits of Democracy
Republican Rudy Giuliani said Monday the reputation of the United States has suffered globally not so much because of arrogant actions but for lack of salesmanship about benefits of democracy.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Invading Iraq Gets A Nod, But Illegal Aliens Are Out
Rudy Giuliani said yesterday he "never had any doubt" that if he were president four years ago, he would have invaded Iraq. He said he is now "even more certain" that it was the correct national security move.

NY Daily News: Mitt Romney Criticizes Rudy Giuliani For Attacking Personnel Appointments
Rudy Giuliani should be the last guy to talk about appointing a screwup to public office, rival Mitt Romney sniped Sunday as the Republicans continued to attack each other during a weekend of campaigning in New Hampshire.

NY Sun: Giuliani, Huckabee Emerge as Strange GOP Bedfellows
As the Republican presidential race devolves into a five-man free-for-all of sustained attacks and sharp rejoinders, one pair of candidates, Mayor Giuliani and Michael Huckabee, has avoided direct conflict, exchanging more compliments than criticism.

Politico: Politics Still Playing On Big Screen In '08
Dismal returns for politically themed films in 2007 won’t stop the genre from continuing well into next year. Expect to see (or not see, as the case may be) more flicks about the Middle East, more Nixon-era biopics and more spy thrillers ripped from today’s headlines.

New York Times: Seeking a Mideast Path, Bush Offers a Nudge
It might seem, after nearly seven years of deliberate detachment from Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, that President Bush has plunged into Middle Eastern diplomacy with Clintonesque energy.

San Francisco Chronicle: President Has Democrats Crying Uncle In Budget Showdown
President Bush seems to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a full nelson.

Washington Post: Politics Creates Odd Pair: Sanchez and Democrats
It may be among the strangest of political alliances: a former commanding general in Iraq, blocked from a fourth star and forced into retirement partly for his role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, and the speaker of the House, desperate to end a war that the general helped start.

Washington Post: GOP Comeback Climb Is Increasingly Steep
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott's resignation announcement on Monday was the latest in a wave of retirements to hit congressional Republicans, making an already difficult 2008 electoral landscape even more complicated for the minority party.

The Hill: Mississippi Dems Threaten Battle Over Special Election Date
The timing of Sen. Trent Lott’s (R-Miss.) resignation has opened legal questions about the date of the ensuing special election, and state Democrats might fight for a date earlier than what the Republican governor is proposing.

Roll Call: Alexander to Run for Conference Chair, Clearing Whip Race for Kyl
Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) announced Monday evening that he would seek the Republican Conference chairmanship and support Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) in his bid to become the next Minority Whip, a move that all but cements Kyl’s ascent into the No. 2 Republican leadership post.

USA Today: Iraq War Veteran Announces Bid For Congress
Kieran Michael Lalor says he wants to send Rep. John Hall "back to Woodstock" come 2008.

New York Times: Kennedy Memoirs Said to Fetch $8 Million
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the most prominent surviving member of the Kennedy family, has agreed to sell his memoirs for an advance of more than $8 million, people with knowledge of the negotiations say.

AP: Filner Enters Plea in Airport Incident
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., has entered a plea days before he was set for trial on assault and battery charges over allegations he pushed a United Airlines baggage employee at Dulles International Airport. As part of the deal he will write a letter of apology to the baggage worker.

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On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, participates in a foreign policy summit in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a health care forum at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, receives an endorsement in Spartanburg, South Carolina and attends an "Organizing for Change" event in Aiken. Later, she visits with teachers and parents and hosts a discussion on education at Bennettsville Middle School in Bennettsville.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, attends an event to honor war veterans and first responders at Chick Fil-A Restaurant in Seneca, South Carolina. Later, McCain holds a town hall meeting in Anderson.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson talks about "A New Direction for American Agriculture" at a farm in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

* Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, participates in a presidential lecture series at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards speaks at a rally in support of striking Writers Guild of America and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees workers in Washington Square Park in New York City.

* Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, holds town hall meetings in Plymouth, New Hampton and Exeter, New Hampshire. He also attends a Carbon/Nuclear Free Symposium in Concord.

* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee meets with the press in Orlando, Florida.

* Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, hosts a discussion at the College of Charleston, and attends the grand opening of his campaign headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina. Later, Paul holds a rally at the Omar Shrine Convention Center in Mt. Pleasant.

* Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, campaigns in Allison and Butler, Iowa. Biden also participates in the University of Northern Iowa's Presidential Forum "Back to School: Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities in American Education" in Cedar Falls.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook