Clinton insiders question top aide's approach  —  Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks at a "town hall meeting" in San Francisco December 11.  (McClatchy-Tribune / December 11, 2007)  —  DES MOINES - On the eve of the final Iowa debate before the Jan. 3 caucuses …

Democrats Bow to Bush's Demands in House Spending Bill  —  House Democratic leaders yesterday agreed to meet President Bush's bottom-line spending limit on a sprawling, half-trillion-dollar domestic spending bill, dropping their demands for as much as $22 billion in additional spending …

A Dud From Team Clinton  —  David Axelrod, the seasoned Chicago Democratic operative who is chief strategist for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, was taken by surprise in the last minute of CBS's "Face the Nation" on Dec. 2.  Howard Wolfson, Sen. Hillary Clinton's spokesman, accused Obama of running a "slush fund."

Fred Wins, Iowa Loses  —  Why Carolyn Washburn should keep her day job.  —  HERE WE WERE on Wednesday, a nation of political junkies gathered around our televisions to watch the candidates debate each other one last time, and we had as a moderator one Carolyn Washburn, the editor of the Des Moines Register.

Romney on Huckabee and Faith  —  Appearing on Fox News this morning, Mitt Romney said he accepted Mike Huckabee's apology for the "Jesus and the devil" remark.  Later, Romney was asked whether Huckabee should have to answer questions about his own faith.  Romney's answer: no, and yes.

Subpoenas for Al Sharpton's aides  —  Teams of federal agents swooped down on up to 10 close associates of the Rev. Al Sharpton Wednesday, demanding the flamboyant clergyman's financial records since 2001.  —  Sharpton's former chief of staff said he was roused at his Harlem home about 6:30 …

Misreading the Iran Report  —  The extraordinary spectacle of the president's national security adviser obliged to defend the president's Iran policy against a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) raises two core issues: How are we now to judge the nuclear threat posed by Iran?

The Man From Target  —  Huckabee!  Huckabee!  The man of the hour!  What is it that voters love so much about this guy?  Is it a hitherto inchoate yearning for a president who knows less about international affairs than they do?  Hope that a man who can lose 100 pounds could also get rid of the federal deficit?

December 13, 2007 - Clinton Up, But Giuliani Slips In New Jersey Primaries, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Want A Tough Stand On Illegal Immigrants  —  New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has increased her Democratic presidential primary lead in New Jersey while former …

The Cartoon Mitt Romney Doesn't Want You To See [VIDEO]  —  Posted by Oliver Willis, Oliver Willis.com at 4:32 AM on December 12, 2007.  —  That it's got over 500,000 views on YouTube can't help someone like Mitt Romney  —  I don't know enough about Mormon theology to know if this bit …

Muslim helps Jews attacked on New York subway  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying "Happy Hanukkah," a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday.

Democrats Blaming Each Other For Failures  —  When Democrats took control of Congress in January, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) pledged to jointly push an ambitious agenda to counter 12 years of Republican control.

Secular Europe's Merits  —  The cathedral here, on which work began in the 12th century, was once the largest in Scotland, until a mob of reformers bent on eradicating lavish manifestations of "Popery" ransacked the place in 1559, leaving gulls to swoop through the surviving facade.

Hopes dim for closure of Guantánamo  —  The prospects of closing Guantánamo Bay before the end of the Bush administration are dimming as the Pentagon struggles to find a solution on shutting the controversial prison, according to former and current ­officials.