The New Republic

In response to my previous item about possible critiques of Hillary, a Democratic strategist writes in to point out that there's a third one, which he suspects will be the most effective: character. The danger of her votes on Iraq and Iran isn't so much ideological as it is the risk they be used to portray her as cynical and calculating. I agree. READ MORE >>

With a $5 million warchest, Ron Paul has the power to wreak havoc in the GOP field. But his spokesman tells the NYT today that the $1.1 million ad blitz he's launching in New Hampshire will be " geared toward introducing Mr. READ MORE >>

   Methinks the economic-conservative establishment may be getting jittery about Mike Huckabee's pluck. The WSJ's John Fund lets it rip today: But I also know he is not the "consistent conservative" he now claims to be. READ MORE >>

Chris Cillizza has a good post up pointing out that the only two times Hillary Clinton has been knocked back on her heels this campaign--over her ties to lobbyists and her support for the Kyl-Lieberman resolution on Iran--John Edwards was behind it. Chris then takes up the question of who stands to benefit from this: READ MORE >>

 I noticed in The New York Times this morning that John McCain's new ad echoes some comments he made at a recent debate. From the ad: A  few days ago,  Senator Clinton tried to spend  $1 million on the Woodstock concert museum.  Now, my friends, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event. I was tied up at the time. No one can be president of the United States that supports projects such as these. READ MORE >>

Slate's John Dickerson says "a door feels like it's closing for Thompson," and I have to agree--but then I recall that everyone was throwing dirt on John McCain's corpse about three months ago and now I wouldn't bet my life against him winning New Hampshire. READ MORE >>

Today's Times has a piece on the starring role of Elizabeth Edwards in her husband's campaign, and I just thought I'd add a dash of anecdotal evidence to a point the story raises: That some people inclined to support Edwards may not be doing so because of Elizabeth's cancer. The Times specifically cites an Iowa woman who told the paper she would support Hillary Clinton for this reason. READ MORE >>

Debating Iran: [Dan Balz, The Washington Post]: "Iran is now the front line in a foreign policy debate that has found Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) defending a vote that her rivals said could embolden President Bush to once again launch unilateral military action against a Middle Eastern nation."   READ MORE >>

Alex Bolton has a great piece in The Hill about today's meeting between Sam Brownback and Rudy Giuliani. It made me think three things: 1.) Notwithstanding the meeting, it would be pretty hard for Brownback to endorse Giuliani. Consider, for example, this passage involving an anti-abortion activist in Iowa: READ MORE >>

  Kerrey Out [Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times]: "After flirting with the idea for months, Bob Kerrey closed the door today on the idea of returning to Nebraska to run for his old seat in the United States Senate. It was an anguishing decision for Mr. Kerrey, according to friends and supporters, who heard him argue both sides of the equation. But in the end, he said the time was not right for him to return to politics." READ MORE >>