FIRST ON CNN: Obama, Dems drop millionaire surtax to pay for payroll tax cut  —  (CNN) - In what would be a major concession, President Obama and Senate Democrats will drop their insistence that a surtax on millionaires pay for extending the payroll tax cut, a Democratic source tells CNN.

NBC News Brass Reportedly Furious Over Handling Of Romney KKK Slogan Story  —  As if former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney didn't have enough problems already, a story that connects him to the Ku Klux Klan has now entered the cable news bloodstream.  AmericaBlog noticed that a phrase Romney has used …

Romney is GOP's best choice  —  Mitt Romney participates in a wide-ranging interview with members of The Washington Examiner editorial board on Dec. 7.  (Graeme Jennings/Examiner)  —  The only Republican who can beat Obama  —  The headlines Wednesday morning brought the stunning news …

Winnowing the Field  —  A hard-fought presidential primary campaign is obscuring the uncharacteristic degree of unity within the Republican party.  It has reached a conservative consensus on most of the pressing issues of the day.  All of the leading candidates, and almost all of the lagging ones, support the right to life.

Romney Warns of Nominating ‘Zany’ Gingrich  —  Mitt Romney is sharpening his warning to Republicans about the consequences of nominating Newt Gingrich as the party's presidential candidate, declaring in an interview on Wednesday: “Zany is not what we need in a president.”  —  “Zany is great in a campaign.

Paul reacts to positive poll fortunes, nagging questions about electability  —  Amherst, New Hampshire (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is currently confronted by two political realities: promising poll numbers in the states that hold the first two presidential contests …

Tom Friedman, hitting rock bottom  —  Today's Tom Friedman's column has set off a firestorm.  Now, he says and writes many wrong-headed things, about China and other dictatorial regimes, primarily.  But today he hits rock bottom: … You see, in Friedman's eyes, the entire U.S. Congress is bought and paid for by a cabal of Jews.

IPR Exclusive: Gary Johnson to Announce Libertarian Switch Tomorrow  —  UPDATE: Johnson has told a reporter that this is something he's looking at and that he will be in New York tomorrow to do “as many media appearances as they can wind me up and send me in that direction.”

Marines' Haditha Interviews Found in Iraqi Junkyard  —  BAGHDAD — One by one, the Marines sat down, swore to tell the truth and began to give secret interviews discussing one of the most horrific episodes of America's time in Iraq: the 2005 massacre by Marines of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha.

Woman Fatally Crushed in Midtown Elevator Accident  —  A 41-year-old woman was crushed to death when she entered an elevator at the Madison Avenue headquarters of the advertising giant Y&R and it suddenly rose before the doors had closed, pinning her between the floor of the elevator and ceiling …

GOP Sen. Coburn: My ‘Most Liberal’ Colleagues Are ‘More Intellectually Honest’ Regarding The Deficit  —  As Senate Republicans continue to stand against raising taxes on millionaires — even if it means the current payroll tax cut that's benefiting every working American expires …

Gary Busey withdraws Gingrich endorsement  —  Actor Gary Busey is withdrawing his endorsement of Newt Gingrich for president.  —  “It is not time for me to be endorsing anyone at this time!  When there are the two final candidates, then I will endorse,” Busey said Wednesday in a statement released through his representative.

Lawyer asks judge to endorse Blagojevich for rehab  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Rod Blagojevich's attorneys have asked to have him placed in a drug abuse program when he starts his 14-year prison sentence for corruption, though they aren't saying if the former Illinois governor has a problem or if it's a legal move.

Ron Paul For The GOP Nomination  —  [Re-posted from earlier today.]  —  The Dish goes through the process of endorsing candidates in a primary season, not because I'm under any illusions that my endorsement counts.  It probably hurts an insignificant amount, if anything.

With Candidates Like This ...  David Brooks: Gail, I'm on vacation this week, and in my absence the entire political world seems to have come to bipartisan agreement: Newt Gingrich would be a terrible president.  I believe this.  George Will believes this.  Michael Savage, the über …

We Handled This Poorly  —  We would like to apologize to anyone who was offended by how we handled our decision not to continue advertising on All-American Muslim when it returns in January.  We decided to advertise on it in the first place because we adamantly support tolerance and diversity.

Paul Ryan to announce new approach to preserving Medicare  —  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who has been castigated by Democrats and hailed by Republicans for his plan to privatize Medicare, will on Thursday unveil a new approach that would preserve the 46-year-old federal health program.

New Haven Asks State to Allow Non-Citizens to Vote  —  New Haven's mayor wants illegal immigrants to be able vote in municipal elections.  —  New Haven Mayor John DeStefano plans to ask the state Legislature to allow illegal immigrants who live in the city to be able vote in municipal elections.

Newt Staffer Fired for Mormon ‘Cult’ Comment Got a Raw Deal, Source Says  —  When I blogged about this controversy last night, I realized the story would cut at least three ways:  — Gingrich would be hurt by association with a “controversy.”  Most people would just hear a blurb …

Carrier IQ faces federal probe into allegations software tracks cellphone data  —  View Photo Gallery —  In recent years, lawmakers and advocacy groups have made increased efforts to protects users' privacy online.  Here are some cases that helped stoke the debate about tracking and privacy on the Web.