Clinton N.H. Official Warns Obama Will Be Attacked on Drug Use  —  Bill Shaheen, Clinton's New Hampshire co-chair.  (AP).  —  DOVER, N.H. — Billy Shaheen, the co-chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire, raised the issue of Sen. Barack Obama's past admissions of drug use …

First Take: The Final Republican Debate  —  The headline is that no one laid a glove on Mike Huckabee.  And that Mitt Romney had a hell of a good afternoon.  He seemed more sinewy than usual, less programmed, quite (dare we say) presidential, and even-tempered.

The Huckabee Factor  —  Mike Huckabee walked into the lobby of the Des Moines Marriott at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, deposited an armful of dirty laundry at the desk and checked to make sure he was being credited with Marriott Rewards points toward his next stay.  Then, accompanied by his wife …

JEWS' SUBWAY HERO A MUSLIM  —  SAVES 'HANUKKAH' RIDERS FROM THUGS  —  A Brooklyn man whose "Happy Hanukkah" greeting landed him in the hospital said he was saved from a gang of Jew-bashing goons aboard a packed Q train by a total stranger - a modest Muslim from Bangladesh.

Pelosi backs down in spending battle  —  In the face of stiff opposition from powerful fellow Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has abandoned a proposal she supported less than 24 hours ago to eliminate lawmakers' earmarks from the omnibus spending package.

Sen. Kit Bond: Waterboarding Is Like 'Swimming'  —  Yesterday on PBS's Newshour, host Gwen Ifill asked Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) whether waterboarding constitutes torture.  Bond replied that the technique is actually more like "swimming": … Watch it:  —  Conservatives have repeatedly tried …

Rep. King Decries 'Assault On Christmas,' Calls On Americans To 'Stand Up' And 'Worship Christ'  —  Rep. Steve King recently (R-IA) introduced legislation recognizing the "importance of Christmas and the Christian faith," despite previously opposing resolutions recognizing the Muslim celebration of Ramadan and the Hindu Diwali.

Boehner admits GOP money situation 'sucks'  —  One of the best things that can be said of Rep. John A. Boehner's leadership is that the head of House Republicans is no Newt Gingrich, no Tom DeLay.  —  The Ohio lawmaker has an affable, understated style and runs a team that has the long knives …

The Can't-Win Kids  —  The dunderheaded public roll-out of the NIE.  —  The National Intelligence Estimate on Iran presents an interesting paradox: Though almost certainly the product of rigorous assessment and questioning, it may actually leave us less secure over time.

Novak's non-scandal  —  So remember all the hubub and rapid-response that ensued when Robert Novak floated a mystery scandal about Obama? … Two sources tell me his column, which runs tomorrow, will report that the "scandalous information" in question arrived in the form of the attack on Obama's PAC as a …

Why Didn't We Endorse Thompson?  —  E-mailers are asking me this, especially in the last half hour.  I'll let the editorial/endorsement speak for itself: … ME: I like a lot of what Fred says.  But he hasn't hit a campaign stride and I could be wrong, but I don't see it happening.

U.S.: Fort Dix Attack Plot Suspects Promoting Terror in Jail  —  HADDONFIELD, New Jersey — Federal authorities say one of the men accused of planning an attack on soldiers at the Fort Dix army base gave another inmate in a federal detention center an Al Qaeda recruitment video and another wrote …