memeorandum: The Great Divide — Yesterday The Times published … (Paul Krugman/New York Times)

11:05 AM ET, December 31, 2007

Top Items:

Stuart Rothenberg / Real Clear Politics:

In Iowa, Will Edwards Divide and Conquer? — While the Democratic race has often, and quite accurately, been described as a choice between change (Barack Obama and John Edwards) and experience (Hillary Rodham Clinton), it has, in the final days before Iowa, become another kind of choice as well.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Betsy's Page and Blue Crab Boulevard

John Fund / Opinion Journal:

What's the Matter With Iowa? — The caucuses are anything but a Norman Rockwell exercise in small-town democracy. — The trouble with the Iowa caucuses isn't that there's anything wrong with Iowans. It's the bizarre rules of the process. Caucuses are touted as authentic neighborhood meetings …

Discussion: Betsy's Page and Blue Crab Boulevard

Peter Robinson / The Corner:

Thompson Makes His Move — On the Internet as of sometime this afternoon, Fred Thompson's closing argument to the people of Iowa. — Whereas Romney is saturating the airwaves with attack ads, Thompson pays the voters the courtesy of speaking calmly, and in detail—the video runs to just over 15 minutes.

Discussion: Pirate's Cove, Bill Hobbs, Jay Currie, Wizbang, Macsmind, The Democratic Daily and Stop The ACLU

Ben Smith / The Politico:
In Iowa, Bubba is back — CHEROKEE, IA — Before he was a …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Swamp and New York Times

Washington Post:
Obama Tries New Tactics To Get Out Vote in Iowa

Discussion: MSNBC

Peter Robinson / The Corner:
Re: Thompson Makes His Move

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House and Instapundit.com

New York Times:
With New Poll Results, Candidates Scramble for Edge in Caucuses

Discussion: truthout and Baltimore Sun

Jane Perlez / New York Times:

New Questions Arise in Killing of Ex-Premier — LAHORE, Pakistan — New details of Benazir Bhutto's final moments, including indications that her doctors felt pressured to conform to government accounts of her death, fueled the arguments over her assassination on Sunday and added to the pressure …

Discussion: Agence France Presse, The Swamp, Captain's Quarters, The Newshoggers, Wonkette, Voice of America, CNN, PBD, Hot Air, Macsmind, Jules Crittenden, Sky News, A Blog For All and Newsweek

Tariq Ali / The Independent:

My heart bleeds for Pakistan. It deserves better than this grotesque feudal charade — Six hours before she was executed, Mary, Queen of Scots wrote to her brother-in-law, Henry III of France: “...As for my son, I commend him to you in so far as he deserves, for I cannot answer for him.”

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, AMERICAblog, Crooked Timber and Telegraph

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:

What Bhutto Was Worried About — The assassination of Benazir Bhutto followed two months of urgent pleas to the State Department by her representatives for better protection. The U.S. reaction was that she was worried over nothing, expressing assurance that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would not let anything happen to her.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Philip Sherwell / Telegraph:
Bhutto ‘blocked from hiring US bodyguards’

Discussion: The Belmont Club, Secular Blasphemy and Media Blog

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Great Divide — Yesterday The Times published a highly informative chart laying out the positions of the presidential candidates on major issues. It was, I'd argue, a useful reality check for those who believe that the next president can somehow usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, TalkLeft, Crooks and Liars, The Mahablog, Norwegianity, Prairie Weather and Liberal Values

New York Times:

Looking at America — There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators …

Discussion: Firedoglake, TBogg, Jules Crittenden, Hullabaloo and Prairie Weather

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:

Chelsea Clinton Guards Her Words — VINTON, Iowa (AP) - It's one thing for Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign to turn down interview requests for the candidate's daughter, Chelsea. But can't a 9-year-old reporter catch a break? — Sydney Rieckhoff, a Cedar Rapids fourth grader and …

Elizabeth Drew / The Politico:
First what? — In all the excitement over the prospect …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:
Democrats Try Various Styles, and Pronouns

Discussion: SFGate, protein wisdom and Prairie Weather

Pundit Review Radio / BLACKFIVE:

ANTI-MILITARY LAWYER DAMAGES MARINE'S CAR ON EVE OF DEPLOYMENT — This ought to make your blood boil. And this Marine should receive a commendation for not kicking the living crap out of the guy...seriously. — Marine Sgt Mike McNulty is on activation orders to Iraq (second tour).

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, Classical Values, Flopping Aces, Fausta's blog, The Sundries Shack, protein wisdom, UrbanGrounds, Bill Hobbs and Riehl World View

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:

Romney Claws Back in Iowa Polls — Huckabee Plans TV Ads To Attack His Chief Rival; 3 Democrats in Tight Race — DES MOINES, Iowa — Mike Huckabee's surge in Iowa showed signs of retreat as three new polls found rival Mitt Romney, who has attacked Mr. Huckabee by land and by air, climbing back.

Discussion: USA Today, TIME and All Spin Zone

Washington Post:
Huckabee, Romney Make Sunday Push for Evangelicals

Discussion: Boston Globe, NY Daily News, MSNBC, Cliff Schecter and The Politico

E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Thunder in the Heartland — PERRY, Iowa — In the state …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Los Angeles Times:

U.S. lawmakers visit Syria — Specter and Kennedy travel to Damascus from Israel on a peacemaking trip. — DAMASCUS, Syria — A pair of U.S. lawmakers visited the Syrian capital on Sunday in an attempt to persuade the Arab state to make peace with Israel and woo it from the Iranian sphere of influence.

Discussion: Hot Air

Associated Press:
Sarkozy severs ties with Syria

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Matthew Yglesias:

If You've Got Nothing Nice to Say — I just hope The New York Times Book Review is as kind to my book when the time comes as they were to Jonah Goldberg (of course, realistically we're all just desperately hoping to be reviewed at all): “Yet the title of his book aside …

Discussion: TalkLeft

WorldNetDaily:
'Liberal Fascism' — “Liberal Fascism: The Secret History …

Discussion: The Corner and INSTAPUTZ

Sam Roberts / New York Times:

Bloomberg Moves Closer to Running for President — Buoyed by the still unsettled field, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City is growing increasingly enchanted with the idea of making an independent presidential bid, and his aides are aggressively laying the groundwork for him to run.

Mary Jacoby / Wall Street Journal:

Ron Paul's War Chest Swelled in 4th Quarter — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul may lag behind in public-opinion polls. But after raising about $19 million for the final three months of the year, he is now among his party's front-runners in the race for campaign cash.

Discussion: The Caucus and The Swamp

New York Post:

SPITZER-PROBE BOSS IN VACATION UPROAR — THE man supposedly leading a key state probe of Gov. Spitzer and the Dirty Tricks Scandal has abruptly taken a 21/2-week vacation in South America - after secretly receiving a $15,000 pay raise, The Post has learned.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

Glenn R. Simpson / Wall Street Journal:

Lender Lobbying Blitz Abetted Mortgage Mess — Ameriquest Pressed — For Changes in Laws; A Battle in New Jersey — During the housing boom, the subprime industry succeeded at more than just writing mortgages. It also shot down efforts by some states to curtail risky lending to borrowers with spotty credit.