memeorandum: Romney Learns That ‘Facts Are Stubborn Things’ (Michael Luo/New York Times)

11:15 PM ET, December 21, 2007

Top Items:

Rush Limbaugh's First Shots at Huckabee — So everybody and their brother is listening to Rush today, wondering if he'll take a shot at Huckabee after an unnamed Huckabee aide in DC criticized Limbaugh... The first comment, moments into the show: “You want to whine like Mike Huckabee's whining …

Discussion: Chuck Adkins, QandO, Right Voices, RADAMISTO, Daily Pundit, Riehl World View and PoliGazette

The Corner:

RE: Bye, Bye Mike — Regarding that Huckabee advisor's soon-to-be-regretted comments about Limbaugh, Huckabee actually encourages people in his book From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPs to Restoring America's Greatness to “listen to less talk radio” as part of his “12 Action Steps to STOP Being Cynical.”

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Rush goes nuclear on Huckabee? Update: Audio added — Bryan's headline yesterday said it all. Geraghty has a list of choice quotes from today's tirade — “McCain's starting to look better to than this guy, and that's saying something” jumps out — but the partial transcript suggests …

Discussion: Stop The ACLU, The Corner, Macsmind, Doug Ross and TIME

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Bringing A Water Pistol To A Firefight — The title has the most apt analogy, because while going after Rush Limbaugh makes sense for the Democratic presidential candidates, “bringing a knife to a gunfight” doesn't begin to describe the foolishness of a Republican candidate trying the same strategy.

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:

The impact of Rush's attack on Huck — I sadly didn't catch it, but apparently El Rushbo unloaded on Huck today. — Jim Geraghty has lots of the highlights here. (My favorite line: “I'm part of the Cape Girardeau-Middle America Axis.") — The bad news for Huck:

RushLimbaugh.com:

Huckabee Forces Attack El Rushbo — BEGIN TRANSCRIPT — RUSH: Huckabee forces are attacking me, ladies and gentlemen. Yes siree, Bob, the Hucksters are on the warpath! From the Atlantic magazine, this is from their blog. The author is Marc Ambinder.

Discussion: The Campaign Spot

Marc Ambinder:
Huckabee, Limbaugh, Saltsman, York And I

Discussion: Daily Pundit

Michelle Malkin:
Mike Huckabee: The anti-Limbaugh candidate

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, The Radio Equalizer and Marc Ambinder

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Witnesses recall Romney-MLK march — Shirley Basore, 72, says she was sitting in the hairdresser's chair in wealthy Grosse Pointe, Mich., back in 1963 when a rumpus started and she discovered that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and her governor, George Romney, were marching for civil rights — right past the window.

Discussion: Detroit Free Press, The Daily Dish, Talking Politics, Stop The ACLU, Big Lizards, Instapundit.com, Hot Air, Mitt Romney For President News and The Huffington Post

Michael Luo / New York Times:

Romney Learns That ‘Facts Are Stubborn Things’ — FORT DODGE, Iowa — There was the period last spring when Mitt Romney claimed while campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire that he had been a hunter “pretty much all my life,” only to have to admit later he had seriously hunted on only two occasions.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Boston Globe, Weekly Standard, The Daily Dish and BAGnewsNotes

Deacon / Power Line:

THE “SCANDAL” THAT'S RIDICULOUS … That claim is incontestable. … The AP story is titled: Romney backpedals on statements — again. … Via Hugh Hewitt.

Discussion: Associated Press, Townhall.com, Riehl World View, Flopping Aces and Vox Popoli

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
It Gets Better — Here's the latest on Mitt and MLK.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Redstate, Tammy Bruce, Alas, a blog, MSNBC, Dick Polman's American Debate, Balloon Juice, Chuck Adkins, Talking Points Memo and The Heretik

Andy McCarthy / The Corner:
Re: Romney's Explanation

Discussion: Macsmind, Hot Air, MoJoBlog, Hotline On Call, Stop The ACLU and Vox Popoli

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:

Two Polls: Obama Tied In New Hampshire And Would Outpoll Clinton Nationally — Is it a sign that direct and apparent “surrogate” attacks from New York Senator Hillary Clinton's camp have backfired? Perhaps... Two new polls bring continued good news for Illinois Senator Barack Obama …

Discussion: USA Today, The Carpetbagger Report and The Ruckus

USA Today:
USA TODAY / Gallup poll

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Publius Endures, Real Clear Politics, Redstate, Pollster.com, TalkLeft, The Glittering Eye, QandO, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, MyDD, Wake up America, race42008.com, Blue Crab Boulevard, TPM Election Central, AMERICAblog and MSNBC

Zogby:
Zogby Poll: Obama Leads Top Republicans

Discussion: New York Observer, Donklephant, CNN Political Ticker and race42008.com

Steven Taylor / Outside The Beltway: Three-Way Tie in GOP National Poll

Steve Chaggaris / CBS News:

Huckabee: Gitmo Is “Too Nice” — From CBS News' Joy Lin and Mary Hood: — DAVENPORT, IA - Asked about Guantanamo, Mike Huckabee said he had visited the facility and said it was “disappointing” that military personnel were eating meals that averaged $1.60 while the detainees were eating Halal meals that cost over $4 each.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Wonkette, The Carpetbagger Report, Riehl World View, The Heretik and Weasel Zippers

Matt / Think Progress: Huckabee: ‘If Anything,’ We Treat Inmates At Guantanamo Bay ‘Too Nice’

Tucker Carlson / The New Republic:

Pimp My Ride — On the road with Ron Paul's merry band of misfits and his hooker fan club. — The first thing I learned from driving around Nevada with Ron Paul for a couple of days: People really hate the Federal Reserve. This became clear midway through a speech Paul was giving …

Discussion: Wonkette, The American Scene, The Daily Dish and TVNewser

Wall Street Journal:

Banks Abandon Effort to Set Up Big Rescue Fund — Treasury Backed Idea As Response to Crisis; Boost From Foreigners — One of the federal government's signature efforts to ease financial instability caused by the subprime-mortgage crisis collapsed as the nation's three biggest banks gave …

Discussion: Angry Bear

Kevin Naff / Washington Blade:

Gay voters are right to feel reluctant about Clinton's bid, but she represents best chance to rid White House of GOP's anti-gay agenda — ANY GAY VOTERS, this one included, are reluctant to trust Bill and Hillary Clinton's promises on our issues after the euphoria of 1993 turned …

Discussion: HillaryClinton.com