South Carolina Primary: Romney 27%, Santorum 24%, Gingrich 18%  —  What a difference a caucus makes.  Rick Santorum who two months ago had one percent (1%) support among likely South Carolina Republican Primary voters now is running a close second there with 24% of the vote.

New Hampshire: Romney 42%, Paul 18%, Santorum 13%, Huntsman 12%  —  Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is pulling away from the pack in New Hampshire as Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary nears.  His nearest rival now trails him by more than 20 points.

Unemployment Rate Drop Is for Real  —  The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 8.5% in December, while a broader measure dropped even further to 15.2% from 15.6% the prior month, both at their lowest levels since February 2009.  —  While the unemployment rate has been falling in part due …

Unemployment Falls to 8.5%; 200,000 New Jobs Created  —  The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 8.5 percent last month as job creation was more robust than expected, providing continued signs that the nation's labor market is improving gradually.  —  Growth in manufacturing jobs helped offset …

A New Social Agenda  —  I'm to Rick Santorum's left on most social issues, like same-sex marriage and abortion.  I'm also put off by his Manichaean political rhetoric.  He seems to imagine America's problems can best be described as the result of a culture war between the God-fearing conservatives and the narcissistic liberals.

Was Santorum ‘Weird’ For Bringing Home His Stillborn Baby?  (UPDATED)  —  There is much I don't like about Rick Santorum's ideas, but the story of how he and his wife dealt with the tragic death of their baby is not something that bothers me.  Pete Wehner has an appropriately indignant post …