<><>2008/CONGRESS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

House Sends Energy Bill To Bush for Signature

By Steven Mufson
Washington Post
December 19, 2007

A year of rhetoric, lobbying, veto threats and negotiations ended yesterday as the House of Representatives voted 314 to 100 to pass an energy bill that President Bush is to sign this morning. The bill will raise fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles, order a massive increase in the use of biofuels and phase out sales of the ubiquitous incandescent light bulb popularized by Thomas Edison more than a century ago…

Today's new budget hides nearly 9,000 earmarks

Los Angeles Times Top of the Ticket
December 19, 2007

Thank goodness we had that long debate about earmark reform earlier this year…

By all counts, fewer pet projects in budget

By Richard Wolf
USA Today
December 19, 2007

WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress with the encouragement of President Bush vowed this year to seek a 50% reduction in federal budget "earmarks" — projects and programs inserted into spending bills by members of Congress to benefit their states or districts…

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CLINTON

Clinton Secret Weapon: Organization
In Iowa Campaigning, Teresa Vilmain Is Unrivaled

By Jackie Calmes
Wall Street Journal
December 19, 2007

There has been a lot of attention to Hillary Clinton's recent slippage in this state, but things looked much bleaker for her earlier this year. In May, a top adviser suggested the New York senator give up competing in Iowa. Instead, she doubled down and hired Teresa Vilmain, widely seen as the gold standard among Democratic organizers in the state…

After Delay, Clinton Embarks on a Likability Tour

By Patrick Healy
New York Times
December 19, 2007

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has embarked on a warm-and-fuzzy tour, but now her team faces a big question: Did it wait too long to humanize her?

Bill Clinton’s Stump Speech

By Katharine Q. Seelye
New York Times
December 18, 2007

The former president offers up his own reasons as to why his spouse should be elected…

Laboring for Union Support

By Steven Greenhouse
New York Times
December 18, 2007

Eager to show that their candidate has strong labor support, officials with the Hillary Clinton campaign said that she would receive the endorsement of the nationwide painters’ union on Wednesday…

Clinton Under A Harsher Microscope?
The Candidate's Coverage Is Bemoaned for Being Held To a Tougher Standard

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post
December 19, 2007

DES MOINES, Dec. 18 -- After weeks of bad news, Hillary Clinton and her strategists hoped that winning the endorsement of Iowa's largest newspaper last weekend might produce a modest bump in their media coverage…

Hillary, We Thoroughly Knew Ye

By Dana Milbank
Washington Post
December 19, 2007

DES MOINES It was very nearly a case of Too Much Information…

Supporters describe Clinton's softer side

By Peter Nicholas
Los Angeles Times
December 19, 2007

A Web video, 'The Hillary I Know,' is part of a larger effort to lower the Democratic presidential candidate's unfavorable ratings…

EDWARDS

It’s Edwards the Fighter in the Iowa Homestretch

By Adam Nagourney
New York Times
December 19, 2007

John Edwards’s closing argument may be working in Iowa, but his sharp message has barely a whisper of the optimism he exhibited in 2004…

Edwards Makes the Electability Case

By Chris Cillizza
Washington Post
December 18, 2007

As Iowa draws ever closer, former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) is trying to convince Democratic voters that not only is he the candidate who best represents their interests but is also the best bet in the field to win back the White House for the party in 2008…

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HUCKABEE

Huckabee Now a Candidate With Something to Lose

By Mark Leibovich
New York Times
December 19, 2007

Mike Huckabee is attempting a tough political transition: from also-ran to novelty act to overnight leader, with all the scrutiny that brings…

Huckabee dons the bull's-eye that all contenders wear

By Phil Willon
Los Angeles Times
December 19, 2007

The GOP presidential hopeful draws heightened public scrutiny and assaults from his GOP rivals on a visit to Los Angeles as he rides a recent surge in polls…

McCAIN

McCain Sees a Need for Mortgage Aid

By Marc Santora
New York Times
December 19, 2007

Senator John McCain said that he would consider greater federal intervention to limit the fallout of the mortgage crisis if current measures fail…

McCain tries to turn a corner in N.H.

By Maeve Reston and Robin Abcarian
Los Angeles Times
December 19, 2007

He hopes to get a boost from key endorsements. Romney and Giuliani also step up their efforts in the state…

ROMNEY

A look at Romney's hidden strength in Iowa

Los Angeles Times Top of the Ticket
December 19, 2007

He can count on a bloc of Mormon support…

Quietly excited about Romney

By Phil Willon
Los Angeles Times
December 19, 2007

California Mormons love that he's seeking the presidency, but they're low-key about it…

<><>FIRST CONTESTS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The New New Hampshire Voter

By Alec MacGillis
New York Times
December 18, 2007

CONCORD, N.H. -- As the Jan. 8 primary here nears, the campaigns are studying the recent past for clues to their fate. Will Hillary Clinton be able to capitalize on New Hampshire voters' fondness for her husband in the 1990s? Will John McCain be able to retain the affections of the thousands who flocked to him in 2000?

One Iowa city's mixed views on immigration

By Alexandra Marks
Christian Science Monitor
December 19, 2007

As the caucuses loom, residents of Waterloo want the nation's broken immigration system fixed – but they don't want any one group to become penalized or singled out…

'2nd choice' up for grabs in Iowa race
Obama, Edwards maneuver to win undecided caucus voters, become anti-Clinton candidate

By Rick Pearson and John McCormick
Chicago Tribune
December 19, 2007

DES MOINES—While the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has been the recent focus of the Democratic presidential race, the Illinois senator continues to cast a wary eye toward John Edwards, a veteran of Iowa caucus campaigning…

<><>2008/PRESIDENT<><><><><><><><><

Interest Groups Gain In Election Cash Quest
Analysis Shows Giving To Parties Has Dipped; Beyond 'Swift Boating'

By Brody Mullins
Wall Street Journal
December 19, 2007

WASHINGTON -- One of the defining features of the 2004 presidential campaign was the devastating attack on Sen. John Kerry by an obscure group called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. In the years since, such independent political groups have only grown stronger, and they are poised to play an even bigger role in the 2008 elections…

The Candidates on Climate Change

By Ariel Alexovich
New York Times
December 18, 2007

An independent environmental group has created a Web site where voters can compare and contrast where candidates stand on global warming and energy policies…

Colorado Decertifies Machines for Voting

By Dan Frosch
New York Times
December 19, 2007

A review by the Colorado secretary of state left elections officials scrambling to find viable machines in time for next year’s voting…

Florida state of mind could set tone for U.S.
Economic slump puts voters' focus on pocketbook issues

By Jim Tankersley
Chicago Tribune
December 19, 2007

TAMPA—In typical Floridian fashion, the squat condominiums of Carrollwood Lane encircle a tiny man-made lake. The water is green, cloaked in ducks and lilies, with a fountain in the middle. The condos are white, stucco and quiet on a weekday afternoon…

<><>WAR/TERROR<><><><><>><><><>

Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes

By Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane
New York Times
December 19, 2007

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the C.I.A. about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two Qaeda operatives…

Congress Extends Terrorism Insurance Program

By David Rogers
Wall Street Journal
December 19, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Ending months of House-Senate sparring, Congress approved a seven-year extension of the Treasury Department's terrorism risk insurance program that grew out of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks…

As judge orders CIA tape inquiry, Mukasey faces first test

By Peter Grier
Christian Science Monitor
December 19, 2007

He had asked that the Justice Department handle the probe…

<><>OTHER NEWS AND VIEWS<><><><><><><><><><><><>

War Funds Approved In Senate Budget Bill
Antiwar Democrats Rebuffed in 70-25 Vote

By Paul Kane and Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post
December 19, 2007

The Senate last night approved $70 billion in unrestricted funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a retreat by Democrats who had vowed a month ago to withhold all money for the Iraq war unless strict timelines for the withdrawal of troops were established…

Energy Bill Heads To White House
Measure Tightens Rules on Auto Fuel Economy

Associated Press
December 18, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Congress by a wide margin approved the first increase in automobile fuel economy in 32 years Tuesday, and President Bush has signaled he will accept the mandates on the auto industry.

In Reversal, Fed Approves Plan to Curb Risky Lending

By Edmund L. Andrews
New York Times
December 19, 2007

The new rules would force companies to show that customers can realistically afford their mortgages…

Judge Schedules Hearing On CIA Tape Destruction
Agency Acted Despite Order to Preserve

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post
December 19, 2007

A federal judge in Washington yesterday ordered a court hearing Friday to examine whether the CIA violated a judicial order by destroying videotapes showing harsh interrogation methods, rebuffing pleas from the Bush administration that he stay out of the matter while the executive branch's own probe is underway…

Divided FCC Enacts Rules On Media Ownership

By Frank Ahrens
Washington Post
December 19, 2007

The Federal Communications Commission relaxed one media-ownership rule yesterday and held the line on another. Both decisions are likely to be challenged in federal court…