ROMNEY, STAYING ALIVE

So Mitt Romney averts political death by winning the Michigan primary last night. It was a decisive victory over John McCain (and Mike Huckabee wasn't even in the running). This creates even more fluidity in the GOP race. Odd not having a frontrunner.

Hillary Clinton also won in Michigan tonight, too. She must be thrilled she could come out ahead of Uncommitted, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and former candidate Chris Dodd. Clinton's two main rivals (though in reality one, for now) Barack Obama and John Edwards pulled their names off the ballots after the national party stripped Michigan of their delegates for violating party rules.

Quick Clips

Democratic Presidential Rivals Discuss Race in Debate
Nevada Supreme Court Rules In Kucinich Debate Dispute
Clinton and Obama Call for Truce Over Dr. King Dispute
Race enters the Democratic fray
Clinton, Obama address race issue
Bill Clinton paints Obama as 'establishment' candidate
Why they want to be president
Court Puts Ad Limits on ‘Hillary: The Movie’
In Obama’s Pursuit of Latinos, Race Plays Role
Obama’s Wife Evokes Dangers of Campaign
Peace Through Strength, the Giuliani Doctrine
Romney Wins Michigan Primary After Tough Contest With McCain
How Romney Won Michigan
Romney Beats McCain in Michigan Vote
No G.O.P. Anchor in Sight
Romney Scores Much-Needed Victory
Romney wins GOP primary in Michigan
Romney wins Michigan vote; Clinton victory hollow
Rancor runs deep among Michigan Democrats
For Democrats, Nevada Is a Throw of the Dice
In South Carolina, a Bid for Black Women’s Votes
Executives Display Diverse Electoral Loyalties
As Talk of Recession Grows, Republicans and Democrats Differ on Response
For election 08, youth voter turnout swells
In California, it's Clinton and McCain
In '08, a curtailed agenda for Congress
Stimulus Deal May Be Possible
Baker to Leave Congress For Hedge-Fund Group
Bridge Safety Stirs Funding Debate
Justice Dept. Briefed Congress on Blackwater Case Obstacles
Adman to Pitch Immigrants' Story
Citigroup Loss Raises Anxiety Over Economy


<><>DEMOCRATS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

THE FIELD

Democratic Presidential Rivals Discuss Race in Debate

Associated Press
January 15, 2008

LAS VEGAS -- Democratic presidential rivals Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama jointly pledged to bury a rancorous debate over race Tuesday night, each agreeing in a nationally televised debate that the other had long favored civil rights…

Nevada Supreme Court Rules In Kucinich Debate Dispute

Associated Press
January 15, 2008

LAS VEGAS -- A lower court order that Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich be included in a MSNBC candidate debate Tuesday was tossed out a few hours before the debate by the Nevada Supreme Court…

Clinton and Obama Call for Truce Over Dr. King Dispute

By Patrick Healy
New York Times
January 15, 2008

Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to quell a debate over race and the Democratic nomination fight by praising the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr…

Race enters the Democratic fray

By Richard Fausset and Janet Hook
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2008

Voters disagree over whether Clinton meant to target Obama with racially charged comments, but say the matter was bound to come up sometime…

Clinton, Obama address race issue

By Jill Lawrence
USA Today
January 16, 2008

LAS VEGAS — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday attributed recent racially tinged remarks to her own and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's "exuberant and sometimes uncontrollable supporters" and said she's glad the two of them want to move on…

Bill Clinton paints Obama as 'establishment' candidate

Associated Press
January 15, 2008

Bill Clinton, who carried Nevada in two general elections, urged voters Tuesday to buck labor endorsements for Sen. Barack Obama and support his wife in Saturday's hotly contested presidential caucuses as the only Democratic candidate with the experience necessary to change the country…

Why they want to be president

USA Today
January 16, 2008

Tonight's Democratic president debate ended with the questions "when" and "why?" When did the three contenders -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama -- decide to get into the race and why did they do it?

CLINTON

Court Puts Ad Limits on ‘Hillary: The Movie’

Associated Press
January 15, 2008

A conservative group must abide by campaign finance laws if it wants to run advertisements promoting its anti-Hillary Rodham Clinton movie, a federal court ruled…

OBAMA

In Obama’s Pursuit of Latinos, Race Plays Role

By Adam Nagourney and Jennifer Steinhauer
New York Times
January 16, 2008

Barack Obama confronts a history of often uneasy and competitive relations between blacks and Latinos…

Obama’s Wife Evokes Dangers of Campaign

By Shaila Dewan
New York Times
January 15, 2008

Michelle Obama, in Atlanta on Sunday, obliquely addressed fears that her husband’s presidential run might put him in danger…

<><>REPUBLICANS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

GIULIANI

Peace Through Strength, the Giuliani Doctrine

By Joel Achenbach
Washington Post
January 15, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., 5:50 p.m. -- A black marble wall, etched with the names of the fallen, is the candidate's backdrop. After he thanks the local dignitaries and muckety-mucks, he points out that several people in the audience lost loved ones in Iraq. He invites them to the rostrum. What happens next proves immensely more powerful than anything a politician could ever say…

<><> PRIMARY CONTESTS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

MICHIGAN

Romney Wins Michigan Primary After Tough Contest With McCain

By Elizabeth Holmes
Wall Street Journal
January 15, 2008

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Mitt Romney won his first major contest of the primary season Tuesday night, carrying his native state of Michigan with a 10-point lead in the early count over opponent John McCain…

How Romney Won Michigan
Focus on fixing economy puts him ahead of McCain

Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was projected to win the Republican primary in Michigan on Tuesday, giving his campaign its first major primary win and a new lease on life…

Romney Beats McCain in Michigan Vote
Focus Was on the Economy

By John M. Broder
New York Times
January 16, 2008

Mitt Romney defeated his principal rival, Senator John McCain of Arizona, by winning a clear plurality of Republicans and conservatives…

No G.O.P. Anchor in Sight

By Adam Nagourney
New York Times
January 16, 2008

Mitt Romney’s victory means that three very different states have embraced three candidates…

Romney Scores Much-Needed Victory

By Chris Cillizza
Washington Post
January 15, 2008

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney claimed a much-needed victory over Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in Michigan's presidential primary tonight, a win that seems to ensure the most wide-open fight for the Republican nominaton in the last three decades…

Romney wins GOP primary in Michigan

Los Angeles Times
January 15, 2008

Three different Republicans have now triumphed in early contests for the party's presidential nomination…

Romney wins Michigan vote; Clinton victory hollow

By David Jackson
USA Today
January 16, 2008

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Mitt Romney slipped past John McCain and won the Michigan primary Tuesday, scrambling the Republican presidential race as it heads toward a critical contest in South Carolina…

Rancor runs deep among Michigan Democrats

By Scott Martelle
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2008

The state party is criticized by some black voters who are incensed that they won't be able to cast primary ballots for Obama…

NEVADA

For Democrats, Nevada Is a Throw of the Dice
A Win Would Provide a Boost, but Candidates Must Gamble That Voters Know the Caucus Game

By June Kronholz
Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

LAS VEGAS -- The voter-registration office here in Clark County says it received 4,025 new-voter registrations last week and 2,240 the week before that. In a presidential race where new voters are trending toward Barack Obama, and in a state where Saturday's Democratic caucus may attract no more than 50,000 people, those new voters could tip the balance…

SOUTH CAROLINA

In South Carolina, a Bid for Black Women’s Votes

By Katharine Q. Seelye
New York Times
January 15, 2008

Interviews with about 50 black women in the state suggest split views but some growing support for Barack Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton…

<><>RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE<><><><><><><><><><><>

Executives Display Diverse Electoral Loyalties

By George Anders
Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

Political-campaign financing is supposed to pit rival interest groups against one another. But in this year's wide-open presidential race, some interesting tugs-of-war are going on within individual companies…

As Talk of Recession Grows, Republicans and Democrats Differ on Response

By Edmund L. Andrews
New York Times
January 15, 2008

For Democratic candidates, the growing risk of a recession is an opportunity for action. For Republicans, it presents a dilemma…

For election 08, youth voter turnout swells

By Alexandra Marks
Christian Science Monitor
January 16, 2008

Their numbers surged in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests. Will the trend continue?

<><> POLLS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

In California, it's Clinton and McCain

By Cathleen Decker
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2008

New poll gives the New York senator a strong lead among Democrats and the Arizona senator a slim margin over GOP rivals…

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

In '08, a curtailed agenda for Congress

By Gail Russell Chaddock
Christian Science Monitor
January 16, 2008

The economy and education are areas where lawmakers may break partisan gridlock…

Stimulus Deal May Be Possible
Democrat Says Odds Hinge On Republicans Not Trying To Tie Plan to Tax Agenda

By Sarah Lueck and Michael M. Phillips
Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

WASHINGTON -- A top House Democrat said Congress and the White House can come to an agreement on an economic-stimulus package -- provided Republicans don't insist the plan includes making President Bush's signature tax cuts permanent…

Baker to Leave Congress For Hedge-Fund Group

By Sarah Lueck
Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The hedge-fund industry, under siege in Congress, snagged a high-profile advocate: Rep. Richard Baker, a top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee…

Bridge Safety Stirs Funding Debate

By Christopher Conkey
Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The deteriorating state of roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure is coming under heightened scrutiny on Capitol Hill, and a rancorous debate has emerged over how to solve the problem…

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

Justice Dept. Briefed Congress on Blackwater Case Obstacles

By James Risen and David Johnston
New York Times
January 16, 2008

Legal gaps and a limited form of immunity granted by the State Department may prevent Blackwater employees involved in a deadly shooting in Iraq from being tried…

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

Adman to Pitch Immigrants' Story

By Miriam Jordan
Wall Street Journal
January 16, 2008

The nation's heated debate over immigration is headed to television advertising, in the form of a business-funded campaign that will tout the benefits of legalizing illegal workers and try to counter hardening rhetoric on immigration…

Citigroup Loss Raises Anxiety Over Economy

By Jenny Anderson and Eric Dash
New York Times
January 16, 2008

Reporting a staggering fourth-quarter loss of $9.83 billion, Citigroup also issued a sobering forecast that the housing market and economy have not yet bottomed out…