Special "Iowa Caucus" Saturday Edition

Quick Clips

Obama, Edwards Fight Over 'Change'
Obama moves onto Edwards' turf
An Obama-Clinton tempest brews
Clinton takes 3 whole questions ... at one stop
Edwards backer reports gift of $495K
Kucinich Writing Off His Autobiography, Book's Publisher Says
Obama Stings With Subtle Jabs
A Biracial Candidate Walks His Own Fine Line
U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad backs Obama
Romney Eyes Huckabee Lead
Ad Watch: Romney Rips Into McCain's Senate Record
In N.H., McCain, 25, Romney, 0
Giuliani Returns to a Familiar Theme: 9/11
Huckabee Stirs Immigration Debate
No More Mr. Nice Guy
The Early Word: Huckabee and the Pakistan Test
Remarks on Pakistan Are Tailing Huckabee
On Upswing, Huckabee Attracts Funds, Backers
McCain Begins New Hampshire Blitz
Paul aims outside the Web
Romney at center of GOP ad battle
In Iowa, Weather Forecast Is Now a Top Focus for Candidates
First in Line: An Iowa Caucus Primer
Iowa Forecast: Where Are We, Again?
Caucus or 'Caucus!,' It's the Old Song and Dance
Candidates run into icy conditions
Crisis Overseas Is Sudden Test for Candidates
Edwards Evokes Nation at Risk; McCain and Romney Wage Ad War
Militants, Bhutto Party Officials Deny Government Account of Attack
Bhutto’s Rival Seeks Alliance Against Musharraf
How Bhutto Won Washington
U.S. Fears Greater Turmoil In Region
Taliban leader Mahsud blamed in Bhutto killing
Pakistan, U.S. face the void

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THE FIELD

Obama, Edwards Fight Over 'Change'

By Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post
December 29, 2007

DES MOINES, Dec. 28 -- Less than a week before voting begins, former senator John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama are engaged in an increasingly pointed duel over which man is the true messenger of "change" in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination -- with both drawing heavily from Bill Clinton's themes during his first campaign for the White House…

Obama moves onto Edwards' turf

By Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
December 29, 2007

The two candidates' populist pitches are nearly identical…

An Obama-Clinton tempest brews

By Peter Nicholas
Los Angeles Times
December 29, 2007

How did 'tea' become a fighting word? As the pressure rises, Democrats are loath to attack rivals by name. So they use code…

CLINTON

Clinton takes 3 whole questions ... at one stop

Los Angeles Times Top of the Ticket
December 29, 2007

But after that, no more…

EDWARDS

Edwards backer reports gift of $495K

By Dan Morain
Los Angeles Times
December 29, 2007

An independent group supporting his Iowa campaign received the donation from philanthropist Rachel Mellon, who is in her mid-90s…

KUCINICH

Kucinich Writing Off His Autobiography, Book's Publisher Says

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post
December 29, 2007

Dennis Kucinich has an autobiography out, but very few people know about it…

OBAMA

Obama Stings With Subtle Jabs
Digs at Rivals Are Timed With an Effort to Keep Overall Tone Upbeat

By Christopher Cooper
Wall Street Journal
December 29, 2007

DES MOINES, Iowa -- In the closing days of the Iowa presidential campaign, Barack Obama is walking a strategic tightrope, highlighting his upbeat message of ending political bickering -- while stepping up attacks on his principal rivals…

A Biracial Candidate Walks His Own Fine Line

By Janny Scott
New York Times
December 29, 2007

The 2006 Democratic primary campaign for the presidency of the Cook County Board of Commissioners was vintage Chicago politics…

U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad backs Obama

By Mike Dorning
Chicago Tribune
December 29, 2007

BURLINGTON, Iowa--Sen. Kent Conrad, a moderate Democrat from North Dakota who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, endorsed Barack Obama for president a few minutes ago…

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THE FIELD

Romney Eyes Huckabee Lead
Onetime Favorite Launches 11th-Hour Attacks

By Dan Balz and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post
December 29, 2007

DES MOINES, Dec. 28 -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney launched a fresh attack Friday on rival Mike Huckabee, raising the stakes in the tense two-person contest in Iowa that could prove critical to both candidates' hopes of winning the GOP nomination…

Ad Watch: Romney Rips Into McCain's Senate Record

Washington Post
December 29, 2007

The Ad: John McCain, an honorable man. But is he the right Republican for the future? McCain opposes repeal of the death tax, and voted against the Bush tax cuts twice. McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant stay here permanently. Even voted to allow illegal immigrants to collect Social Security.

In N.H., McCain, 25, Romney, 0

By Jill Zuckman
Chicago Tribune
December 29, 2007

Dover, N.H. – A week after excoriating Mitt Romney, The Concord Monitor endorsed Sen. John McCain today, praising him for his integrity, dignity and bipartisan style…

GIULIANI

Giuliani Returns to a Familiar Theme: 9/11

By Michael Cooper
New York Times
December 29, 2007

With his campaign hitting a rocky patch, Rudolph W. Giuliani is returning to the themes that transformed him from a lame-duck mayor to a popular national figure six years ago…

HUCKABEE

Huckabee Stirs Immigration Debate

By Laura Meckler
Wall Street Journal
December 29, 2007

PELLA, Iowa -- Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee tried to link the crisis in Pakistan to the hot-button issue of immigration in the U.S., as several presidential candidates pounced on the tragedy abroad in making their cases to Iowa voters…

No More Mr. Nice Guy

By David D. Kirkpatrick
New York Times
December 29, 2007

In a stark change of tone just days before the Iowa caucus, Mike Huckabee attacked the credibility of Mitt Romney…

The Early Word: Huckabee and the Pakistan Test

By Sarah Wheaton
New York Times
December 29, 2007

If the situation in Pakistan is indeed a test of candidates’ foreign policy grasp, Mike Huckabee doesn’t seem to be at the top of the class…

Remarks on Pakistan Are Tailing Huckabee

By David D. Kirkpatrick
New York Times
December 29, 2007

Mike Huckabee has made several erroneous or misleading statements about the volatile situation in Pakistan at a time when he has been under increasing scrutiny for a lack of fluency in foreign policy issues…

On Upswing, Huckabee Attracts Funds, Backers
But the Volume Makes Vetting More Difficult

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post
December 29, 2007

Wealthy Texas financier Gene Phillips had thought about getting behind Republican Mike Huckabee's presidential bid for some time, but it was only after the former Arkansas governor surged in the polls that Phillips decided to open his wallet and his sprawling Dallas estate for a fundraiser…

McCAIN

McCain Begins New Hampshire Blitz

By Marc Santora
New York Times
December 29, 2007

John McCain focused his opening remarks on the unique process in this state and, in a not-so-veiled reference to his opponent Mitt Romney, said, “You can’t buy an election in the state of New Hampshire.”

PAUL

Paul aims outside the Web
The Internet brought him millions, but Main Street needed for votes

By Jason George
Chicago Tribune
December 29, 2007

Imagine a pair of Ron Paul supporters and it's doubtful that Carl and Leslie Bockenstedt come to mind: The couple are married, middle-aged and Mormon, and neither knows much about MySpace…

ROMNEY

Romney at center of GOP ad battle

By Michael Finnegan and Joe Mathews
Los Angeles Times
December 29, 2007

He attacks McCain and Huckabee in TV spots in Iowa and N.H. Within hours, his rivals air response ads…

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In Iowa, Weather Forecast Is Now a Top Focus for Candidates

By Amy Chozick
Wall Street Journal
December 29, 2007

Ice and snowstorms have closed Iowa's airports and highways in recent days, stopping even the most determined presidential candidates in their campaign tracks…

First in Line: An Iowa Caucus Primer

By Sarah Nassauer and Nick Timiraos
Wall Street Journal
December 29, 2007

By Friday morning, Iowa will feel a lot quieter. Statewide caucuses the night before in community centers, schools and other public buildings will wrap up more than a year of advertisements, speeches and photo-ops by a stream of presidential candidates who have spent millions of dollars in pursuit of Iowans' support…

Iowa Forecast: Where Are We, Again?

By Cate Doty
New York Times
December 29, 2007

At a middle school in Muscatine, a thought in crayon taped on a wall: “History is like milk – it is the basis of chocolate and cheese.”

Caucus or 'Caucus!,' It's the Old Song and Dance

By Jose Antonio Vargas
Washington Post
December 29, 2007

DES MOINES -- If you ever wanted proof that politics is theater -- that the Iowa caucuses, a mere six days away, have played out on a stage -- look no further than this city's hip East Village neighborhood where "Caucus! The Musical" opens Saturday night…
Candidates run into icy conditions

By Faye Fiore
Los Angeles Times
December 29, 2007

On the final weekend of campaigning in Iowa, Democrats fire off last-minute swipes at each other. Republicans scramble to maintain their standing…

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Crisis Overseas Is Sudden Test for Candidates

By Patrick Healy
New York Times
December 29, 2007

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto provides a rare unscripted test of presidential hopefuls’ geopolitical smarts…

Edwards Evokes Nation at Risk; McCain and Romney Wage Ad War

By Julie Bosman and Michael Luo
New York Times
December 29, 2007

With the skirmishing between the campaigns of John Edwards and Senator Barack Obama intensifying, Mr. Edwards on Friday tried to distinguish himself from his Democratic rivals…

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BHUTTO

Militants, Bhutto Party Officials Deny Government Account of Attack

By Zahid Hussain
Wall Street Journal
December 29, 2007

ISLAMABAD - Supporters of slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto accused the government of covering up exactly how the charismatic former prime minister was killed and by whom…

Bhutto’s Rival Seeks Alliance Against Musharraf

By Somini Sengupta
New York Times
December 29, 2007

Nawaz Sharif said that he hoped Benazir Bhutto’s party would join a boycott of polls in a challenge to the government of President Pervez Musharraf…

How Bhutto Won Washington

By Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times
December 29, 2007

In the end, Benazir Bhutto’s American connections only underscored how little the United States fathomed the feudal politics of South Asia…

U.S. Fears Greater Turmoil In Region
Pakistan's Crisis Could Affect War In Afghanistan

By Thomas E. Ricks and Robin Wright
Washington Post
December 29, 2007

President Bush held an emergency meeting of his top foreign policy aides yesterday to discuss the deepening crisis in Pakistan, as administration officials and others explored whether Thursday's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto marks the beginning of a new Islamic extremist offensive that could spread beyond Pakistan and undermine the U.S. war effort in neighboring Afghanistan…

Taliban leader Mahsud blamed in Bhutto killing

By Laura King
Los Angeles Times
December 29, 2007

Pakistan officials add a stunner: neither bullets nor the blast killed Bhutto. Her supporters scoff…

Pakistan, U.S. face the void
Musharraf, army, opposition warily weigh next moves after BhuttoU.S. reaches out to others

By Kim Barker and Laurie Goering
Chicago Tribune
December 30, 2007

LARKANA, Pakistan — The sudden disappearance of Benazir Bhutto from Pakistan's political scene leaves behind a dangerous period of uncertainty for the country, forcing leaders from Islamabad to Washington into difficult choices about how to protect their interests and keep the nuclear-armed, Islamist-threatened country from descending further into chaos…