The Washington Post uses the announcement of Oprah stumping for Obama and Bill Clinton campaigning today in Iowa for wife to pit Oprah versus Bill. "Both are legendary communicators, perhaps the two greatest in their generation. Both helped build an ethic of empathy, turning the public confession into a rite of passage. Both are world-renowned -- one for being a former president, the other for a TV show usually identified just by her first name."

Among the many back-and-forths Clinton and Obama had yesterday was this one: "'If she wants to tout her experience of having visited countries, that's fine,' Obama said. But, he added, 'I don't think that Madeleine Albright would think Hillary Clinton was the face of foreign policy during the Clinton administration. But maybe she'll disagree with that.'"

"Later in the day, Albright released a statement through the Clinton campaign saying the former first lady 'had represented American interests and values during her visits to more than 80 countries" and would 'be ready from the very first day to lead our nation in a dangerous and complicated world, which is why I am supporting her candidacy.'"

Meanwhile, Clinton is really pushing against Obama's health-care plan in Iowa. The campaign called and offered her up for a telephone interview with the Des Moines Register, and she said again railed against Obama's plan. "He is the only Democrat who doesn't cover everyone," she said, "and for a lot of Democrats, that's a very important piece of information as they make up their minds about who to caucus for."

The paper points out that "earlier this month she did not feel the need to attack her Democratic opponents. However, last week she began characterizing Obama as light on foreign policy credentials and more recently accused him of claiming to have a universal health care proposal when his plan would in fact leave 15 million uninsured."

The AP's Mike Glover has a helpful reminder of just how easy it is to participate in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. "Not affiliated with a political party? Not registered? Not even old enough to vote? No problem. Come and help choose the nation's next president."

"In yet another quirk of Iowa's caucus system, all citizens can participate as long as they sign a statement attesting to residency in the precinct and show that they'll be 18 in time for the general election."

NBC/NJ's Anburajan and Dann examine the focus some of the campaigns have put on small-town weekly newspapers. In Iowa, a state that has the highest newspaper readership per capita, that impact is even more profound. There are 39 daily newspapers and 272 weeklies in the state.  Campaigns like Obama's generally attempt to reach a handful of these papers to get local coverage in each county they visit.

An NBC survey of 15 weekly and local daily newspapers found these papers reporting mixed experiences with all the campaigns, Democratic or Republican. Most papers said that their inboxes were flooded by emails from all the campaigns and many received phone calls before an event to remind them to attend. The majority of newspapers reported being able to get a few minutes with a candidate either immediately after the event during the rope line or with a one-on-one interview. Senator Clinton was the exception in this case. Both Edwards' and Obama's staff were praised for their efforts to reach out to reporters and provide access to the candidate.

Surprisingly, second-tier candidates did not appear to be as media friendly. Graham of the Missouri Valley Times said that the paper recently missed an appearance by Chris Dodd because his campaign had not reached out to them. Tim Rowher of the Daily Nonpareil (circ: 16,200) described both Dodd and Sam Brownback (before he dropped out of the race) as aloof in their approach. Biden was seen as accessible, but his outreach efforts did not compare to the first-tier Democrats.

BIDEN: Yesterday, the Delaware senator issued this statement: "Yesterday's attempt by John McCain and Rudy Giuliani to defend the Bush-Cheney troop surge in Iraq totally misses the point -- and is misleading to the American people. Security in Iraq is better, thanks in no small measure to our troops. But there is no evidence -- none -- that the surge is succeeding in achieving its stated objective: to allow Iraqis to come together politically… There's only one possible path to a durable political settlement in Iraq and it's the one I proposed and that 74 other Senators endorsed: decentralize power and give Iraqis local control over their daily lives.

We bet there's nothing the Biden and Dodd campaigns hate more than stories that compare the two candidacies.

CLINTON: The New York Times examines Clinton's focus on wooing older women voters. "Many young women have been enthusiastic supporters, but Mrs. Clinton, of New York, has shown particular pride in the women in their 70s, 80s and 90s at her events. She spends extra time with them on the rope line and repeats their stories to audiences… In interviews with 20 women in their late 70s and 80s, most said they supported Mrs. Clinton based on qualities they saw in her -- intelligence, confidence and capability -- rather than her positions on issues. Many also said that her qualities would help her cope with challenges."

It's profile day at the Los Angeles Times, and its focus is on Clinton's years as first lady. From the subhead: "As first lady, the senator didn't win every battle. But she was known for showing up thoroughly, perhaps obsessively, prepared."

Speaking of first ladies, will New Hampshire First Lady Susan Lynch be to Clinton what former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack was to Kerry in 2004? The Concord Monitor writes that Susan Lynch endorsed Clinton, as her husband "reaffirmed his intention" to stay neutral. Mary Louise Hancock: "He's the state's peacemaker. So why make people unhappy over these choices?"

The Union Leader: The endorsement "was a win for the Clinton campaign, which already had signed another gubernatorial family" -- Billy Shaheen. (Speaking of first ladies, we hear Mari Culver, Iowa's current first lady, might endorse. But as with New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, don't expect Iowa Gov. Chet Culver to endorse.)

NBC/NJ's Memoli has more on Gov. Lynch not endorsing: Just as many folks I talked to were surprised that he's on the sidelines as expected it. And if there is one knock against the man despite his high approval ratings, it's that he is very risk averse and avoids making a tough call. So, then, no surprise he's playing it safe with other Dems (even if his wife endorsing gives a strong hint). It's also worth noting that the one candidate Lynch has most spoken publicly in favor of is a Republican -- John McCain. He turned up at a McCain event that was in his hometown, and praised him. And at a Veterans Day event, he said McCain was "a great American hero who made extraordinary sacrifices for all of us."

Clinton today rolls out her policy proposal on dealing with HIV/AIDS. "Clinton's two main rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards, have already released plans of their own. Taking Mrs. Clinton's into account, the three approaches are similar in terms of spending, goals and differences with President Bush's AIDS policy."

Attention conservative conspiracy theorists! The N.Y. Sun looks into that short stint Clinton spent in 1971 at an Oakland, Calif., law firm run by attorneys with ties to the Communist Party. "She never returned to work there. But she stayed in touch with one of the firm's partners and his wife, and they stayed in touch with her, until they died. The decades-long correspondence illustrates the complicated relationship between Mrs. Clinton and radical activists who were often frustrated by the failure of Mrs. Clinton and her husband to side with them."

Besides Bill Clinton in Iowa, soap opera star and children's advocate Victoria Rowell is in New Hampshire on behalf of Senator Hillary Clinton. She attends a lunch with NH children's advocacy leaders in Concord and participates in salon conversation in Bedford.

EDWARDS: Per the Concord Monitor, Edwards asked his audience to consider two questions: "Who can you trust to tell you what's wrong in Washington?" he said. "And who can you trust to fight like hell to make it right?"

CBN's David Brody has a Q&A with Edwards, which will air in full next week. A quick excerpt:
Brody: What about South Carolina, though, because you're not leading down there and that would be a place you think you could do pretty well.
Edwards: I won the South Carolina primary in 2004, and I was way behind in the polls at this stage in 2004. I think all that has to happen in South Carolina is voters there need to be reminded where I'm from -- that I was born there. That I understand the closing of plants, the loss of jobs, the rural economy. Those are all things that I grew up with, and I understand them in great and intimate detail because I have lived them, and I've seen what it's like with my own family.

OBAMA: The Des Moines Register assesses the impact of Oprah campaigning for Obama on December 8 in Iowa. Even though Clinton supporter and former Gov. Tom Vilsack dismissed her potential impact, the paper notes her show's popularity in the state and that she will at least draw an audience.

Oprah stumping for Obama is the top story in the Columbia State, which predicts thousands will show for Oprah events. But those quoted in the piece are unconvinced she will have a large impact.

But The New York Daily News makes the case for why Oprah matters: "Experts who believe celebrity has its limits in swaying voters aren't ready to discount it this time. As Obama looks to close the gap with front-runner Hillary Clinton in the final month before the first caucuses and primaries, the most powerful woman in politics is about to feel the pressure from the most powerful woman in media."

Responding to the quick attacks from the Clinton campaign on Obama's Hopefund PAC, Obama attorney Bob Bauer said, per the Chicago Sun-Times, "The law on this is quite clear and it has been clear for years: The contributions made by this committee are entirely lawful. Any suggestion to the contrary is not merely novel -- it is wrong." 
 
Another Jesse Jackson slight of Obama? In a weekly column in the Chicago Sun-Times, Jackson writes, "Yet the Democratic candidates -- with the exception of John Edwards, who opened his campaign in New Orleans' Ninth Ward and has made addressing poverty central to his campaign -- have virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country. The catastrophic crisis that engulfs the African-American community goes without mention. No urban agenda is given priority. When thousands of African Americans marched in protest in Jena, La., not one candidate showed up."
 
RICHARDSON: The campaign today unveils a new TV ad in Iowa, which focuses on education.

Also today, per his campaign, Richardson will announce his agriculture agenda in a speech he will give in Council Bluffs, IA. According to excerpts of the speech, Richardson will say: "Our country requires a vision for rural America and the farm sector that will give American agriculture a new direction, one suited to a new era shaped by the global economy. This vision must include an appreciation of the growing demand for renewable energy sources, an urgent need for conservation, a market with true competition and support for family farmers, and an increased emphasis on health and safety. Fairness has been corrupted by campaign financing. President Bush signed away the family farm to big agribusiness. We can do better."

More: "We need a new direction for American agriculture. One that seizes the opportunities presented by renewable fuel possibilities, that makes conservation a real priority, and levels the playing field for family farmers and independent producers. I will begin by listening to the words of President Truman. It's time we put fairness back into our farm policy."

Making a pitch that editorial pages usually LOVE when it comes to endorsement time, Richardson promised yesterday that he'd provide a "new style at the White House" by offering a "positive, bipartisan" administration "closely linked with common people."

Richardson announced Indy car drivers Bobby Unser Sr. and Al Unser Sr. will tour the state this week to support his own presidential bid."

The Washington Post has been combing through the submitted questions for tomorrow's CNN/YouTube debate, and it finds one of the toughest questions could be one of the shortest: "What does the word 'Republican' mean to you?" "The period for submitting questions via YouTube video ended yesterday, and almost 5,000 were offered up as fodder for the debate. The videos are as diverse as the questioners themselves, coming from all ages and backgrounds, and from Republicans and Democrats alike. In one, a black woman from Dallas, soon to be out of college and lamenting that she needs to learn Spanish to secure a job, asks how the candidates feel about non-English-speaking immigrants. In another, a middle-age man from Tucson, sitting in his wheelchair, asks about stem cell research. A gay Republican from Atlanta asks: "How can we make the Republican Party a more large, open tent?"

The New York Times adds that the GOP CNN/YouTube debate was postponed in summer in part because one of the candidates, Mitt Romney, thought the Democratic debate was demeaned when CNN showed a video of an animated snowman asking a question about global warming. Mr. Romney eventually relented. A new snowman video has been submitted for the Republicans. Will it be shown? 'Tune in and see,' said David Bohrman, CNN's Washington bureau chief and executive producer of the debate."

GIULIANI: The former mayor said yesterday he "never had any doubt" that if he were president four years ago, he would have invaded Iraq. He said he is now "even more certain" that it was the correct national security move. "'I actually believe that Democrats are going to agree with me on that by the time we get to the general election,' the Republican former New York City mayor said. Giuliani addressed a wide range of issues in an hour-long meeting with editors of the New Hampshire Union Leader.

HUCKABEE: The New York Sun notes that in the five-way contest on the GOP side, two candidates have avoided "direct conflict, exchanging more compliments than criticism." Those candidates: Giuliani and Huckabee. "The comments only add to the perception that even as he rises in the polls, Mr. Huckabee is angling for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ballot, should Mr. Giuliani win the nomination. As an affable Southerner with a solidly conservative record on social issues, Mr. Huckabee could provide precisely the kind of geographic and political balance needed for a ticket topped by an occasionally abrasive New Yorker who supports abortion rights, analysts say."

MCCAIN: Does this help McCain in New Hampshire? "…Iowa and New Hampshire must make good on their commitments to vet the candidates without fear or favor; they must be motivated by good citizenship alone, serving as unbiased jurors," writes the Boston Globe's Peter Canellos. "This year, only one of the states is living up to the ideal. New Hampshirites are checking out the candidates freely and fairly, without imposing any special-interest agenda of their own. But there is strong evidence that Iowans are using their early-voting status to make the candidates pass a litmus test on ethanol subsidies." More: "There could be other reasons for McCain's low standing in Iowa. But if a presidential candidate can be derailed for taking a stand against a regional sacred cow like ethanol, there's something wrong with the system."

PAUL: Paul picked up the endorsement of the owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a brothel in Nevada. "I'll get all the (working girls) together, and we can raise him some money," Dennis Hof told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I'll put up a collection box outside the door. They can drop in $1, $5 contributions." Hof and two of his prostitutes, Brooke Taylor and a woman who goes by Air Force Amy, attended a Paul news conference.

And check out the AP's video report on the endorsement. The correspondent's lead: "Working the polls have taken on a whole new meaning."

ROMNEY: The Des Moines Register analyzes Romney's newest ad, which focuses on family. "This ad continues one of the main themes of the former governor's campaign for president, attempting to appeal to evangelicals and social conservatives with a focus on traditional Judeo-Christian values."

The San Francisco Chronicle examines recent polling data from the Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner to look at the potential potency of unmarried women for Democrats. "A quarter of all eligible voters - 53 million - are unmarried women, according to an October study by the influential liberal polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, but 20 million did not vote in the most recent presidential election. 'They have the power to reshape American politics further, if they vote,' according to the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner study. 'Unmarried women have the potential to emerge as the 'Democrats' Evangelicals.'"

The New York Sun wonders if Michael Bloomberg has found his Condi -- following up on reports that Bloomberg is being briefed on foreign policy issues by Nancy Soderberg. "Soderberg is considered a centrist who supports using international institutions to further American interests abroad. In television appearances, she has spoken out about the war in Iraq, saying it has been botched from the beginning."

Not surprisingly, many reports this morning use the Lott resignation to reinforce the CW that the Republican chances of winning back either the House or Senate is getting more remote by the day. Just when the Congressional Republican leadership thinks their retirement roll call has come to an end, another sneaks up on them. 

Even before Sen. Trent Lott (R) officially announced his resignation yesterday, speculation abounded over when a special election would take place to replace him. Would it be 90 days, as it seemed to indicate in Mississippi law, or would it be November 2008? Mississippi law reads that the governor sets a special election to replace a resigning member of Congress within 90 days, unless it takes place in the year of a statewide general or congressional election, according to an official in the Mississippi Secretary of State's office. Gov. Haley Barbour (R) interpreted that this way: Since this is a statewide election year (with the gubernatorial election), and Election Day has passed, the election to replace Lott would take place on Election Day 2008 (Nov. 4). 
  
But the Mississippi Democratic Party appears to be girding for a fight over the decision. It disputes Barbour's interpretation. If Lott "does resign this calendar year we expect the governor to uphold the law and call a special election within 100 days," writes Wayne Dowdy Mississippi Democratic Party chairman, in a statement, factoring in the 10 days allotted between an announcement of resignation and 90 days for setting a date for a special election.

The Hill has more on this brewing controversy.

And finally, Dennis Hastert officially submitted his resignation yesterday, allowing Illinois Gov. Blagojevich (D) just enough time to call a special primary election on Feb. 5, the same day as the Illinois primary. Republicans running for the seat include Sen. Chris Lauzen, Jim Oberweis, Kevin Burns, and Michael Dilger. Democrats running for the seat include John Laesch, Bill Foster, Jotham Stein, and Joe Serra.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Radio Iowa reported today that former Gov. Tom Vilsack scoffed at the idea that Oprah would sway Iowans or draw huge crowds in Iowa.  "According to Vilsack, not many Iowa women get to watch daytime television because they're working. Winfrey made her support of Obama public earlier this year and hosted a fundraiser at her home in California, bringing in $3 million for Obama's campaign."

So just how popular is the queen of daytime talk in the Hawkeye State? According to KCCI, the station that airs Oprah in the Des Moines/Ames region which covers central Iowa, about 40,000 people watch her show daily. The Oprah Winfrey Show is more popular than the prime time viewership of either the ABC (39,000) or NBC (38,000) affiliates in the same media market. 

Also, more people watch Oprah than the morning, noon or 5 p.m. newscasts of the NBC affiliate in Des Moines, and more watch her than any of the any of the newscasts on the  ABC affiliate.

Her program is ranked the 12th highest in the country out of the top 100 media markets.

"Hopefully, we can attract some people who might not otherwise be interested in politics, who aren't regular viewers of C-SPAN," Obama said today, per NBC's Abby Livingston, of Oprah's support. "But on the other hand, once they're there, I'm able to talk to them about critical issues like health care, home foreclosures and things that affect their lives on a day-to-day basis. So, I'm very grateful that she's taken the time to do this. I think it'll be fun."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In this weekend's back-and-forth between Romney and Rudy, Giuliani said this: "Violent crime and murder went up while [Romney] was governor, and I think that that is something that talks about not just an isolated mistake, it talks about a series of mistakes."

Was Giuliani right about the crime statistics under Romney? Yes and no.

According to the FBI, murders (and manslaughter) in Massachusetts increased from 175 incidents in 2005 to 186 in 2006. Robberies also rose from 7,615 in 2005 to 8,047 in 2006. *** UPDATE *** As you can see in the chart below, murders and robberies also increased from 2003 to 2006.

But, overall, violent crimes (which include murder and robbery, but also rape, assault, etc.) decreased in the state -- from 30,196 in 2003, which was Romney's first year as governor, to 28,775 in 2006, which was his last year. 

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan and NBC's Mark Murray
First it was meeting with unsavory world leaders, Pakistan, and Iran. Then it was immigration and health care. And now the latest spat between Clinton and Obama is over campaign finances. A Washington Post article reported today that Obama's leadership PAC Hopefund, doled out "more than $180,000 ... to local Democratic groups and candidates in the key early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina." 
 
The Clinton campaign pounced on the article and called foul. "It is our understanding that a candidates' campaign is barred from using the candidate's leadership PAC to benefit his or her campaign, which is why we shut down HillPAC when Senator Clinton announced her run for the White House," Phil Singer a spokesman for the Clinton campaign said. Singer also singled out Obama's calls for campaign finance reform, sending reporters six questions that the Senator should answer on why his campaign is engaging in a practice "that appears to be inconsistent with prevailing election laws." 
 
The Obama campaign fired back at Clinton quoting her from two weeks ago at the Democratic debate when she said that her fellow candidates shouldn't engage in mud slinging. "Whatever happened to the confident front-runner who said she wouldn't attack other Democrats just two weeks ago?" campaign spokesman Bill Burton asks. He went on to contrast the Obama campaign's transparency versus the Clinton campaign's -- when it comes to releasing personal tax returns, disclosing the amount bundlers have raised, and releasing congressional earmark requests. "She's not really in a position to point fingers at other," Burton concluded.
 
According to the campaign, Obama's PAC made $476,500 in donations to candidates and committees in 2007, of which 63% have been made outside of the early states to congressional candidates and committees to help re-elect Democrats.

Singer, however, has tried to get in the last word in this spat. "The Obama campaign's failure to deny that it committed campaign finance violations speaks volumes," he said in a statement. "Instead of launching irrelevant attacks, Senator Obama should answer a simple question: Did Obama campaign officials direct the Hopefund to make contributions to officials and entities in states holding nominating contests? If the answer is no, they should just be direct and say so."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
On the heels of a weekend filled with attacks on Giuliani, the Romney campaign has released a second immigration-focused TV spot. Even though Romney and his campaign have begun to hit Giuliani by name on the trail, he has still declined to do so in advertising.

He instead peppers the 30-second spot -- running in Iowa and New Hampshire --with veiled shots at multiple opponents as an announcer touts Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts. "He said no to driver's licenses for illegals" (one for Clinton and other Dems); "no to in-state tuition; fought for English in the classroom" (there are a couple for Huckabee). "The only candidate with a proven record of fixing the big problems" (zing, Giuliani -- who said 9/11?).

Romney and Giuliani got into a volley in the Granite State this weekend over spending issues and judicial appointments, but they've been bickering even longer over who had the less impressive record fighting illegal immigration during their respective years in office.

Here's the full transcript of the ad:
"Take Charge" (TV:30):

[YouTube:rpBqg6sKYB0]

ANNCR:  "Illegal immigration – we need smart, tough solutions, not just talk.
What will it take to fix it?  Technology, new ideas, guts, values – Mitt Romney.
He said no to driver's licenses for illegals; no to in-state tuition; fought for English in the classroom.
The only candidate with a proven record of fixing the big problems.
From day one: Mitt Romney will do what he does best -- take charge, demand results, no excuses."
ROMNEY:  "I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message."

From NBC's Christina Jamison, Mark Murray and NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
CONCORD, NH -- Arriving nearly an hour late due to weather conditions, Hillary Clinton accepted the endorsement of New Hampshire's first lady, Susan Lynch.

Lynch said with the exception of her husband, she rarely publicly gets into politics. But, she added, "Hillary and I share a lifelong commitment for fighting for a very important goal, and that is health care for children and families. And I believe Hillary is the candidate who can finally succeed in this area."

Clinton cited Lynch's experience as a pediatrician and praised her for her work to promote health care and prevent childhood obesity. "It's really time to promote prevention and that's what Susan has talked about."

Gov. John Lynch (D), who was re-elected last November with a whopping 74% of the vote, will remain neutral in the primary race. "He respects [his wife's] decision to endorse, but the governor will remain neutral," said Colin Manning, the governor's press secretary. "He is focused on being a good host for the primary."

Also today, Clinton picked up the endorsement of Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette (D), who has become the House Democrats' point person on embryonic stem-cell research. "Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience we need in the next president of the United States," DeGette said in a statement. "Under her leadership, we will finally provide quality, affordable health care for every American. These challenging times call for a leader with Hillary Clinton's ability to hit the ground running on her first day in the White House."

From NBC's Andy Merten
Even though he's taking the day off from the campaign trail, Romney had another chance to repeat his criticisms of Giuliani -- during a radio interview today.
 
"I think it's going to be very, very difficult for people to think of Mayor Giuliani representing the Republican Party," Romney told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. "He's the same as Hillary Clinton on most of those social issues."

Romney also defended his decision-making process in choosing judges -- something Giuliani brought into question this weekend, citing the ruling of a Massachusetts judge Kathe Tuttman, who was appointed by Romney and later released a convicted murderer who went on to kill again. "He came after me this weekend on that, which, I frankly thought he'd was the last person who would raise that kind of issue because of course with Bernie Kerik," said Romney. "Now we know this person's been indicted 16 times, has plead guilty to crimes in state court –- that shows such a remarkable lapse in judgment." 

*** Update *** The Giuliani campaign just countered with this statement: "Perhaps Campaign Trail Mitt Romney should take a step back and review what Governor Mitt Romney did on health care before talking about which Republican candidate is most like Hillary. Of course, we're more than happy to let Hillary Clinton's legislative director refresh Campaign Trail Mitt Romney's memory" -- referring to a Clinton aide comparing the New York senator's health-care plan to what Romney enacted in Massachusetts.

From NBC's Carrie Dann

"If I weren't so darned wonderful myself, I'd be supporting Joe." So reads a new Biden print ad in seven papers here in Iowa, including the Des Moines Register and Quad City Times.

The full-page ad (.pdf) features quotes from all six of his Democratic rivals (sans Kucinich) agreeing with the Delaware senator. This is Biden's first print ad in the state. Per his website, the buy required about $50,000 in fundraising to get placed. The web video montage, which birthed the idea, now has 42,000 hits on YouTube.

 

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
LITTLETON, NH -- Even Oprah can only do so much for Barack Obama's candidacy, the candidate himself said today.

"People will certainly come to an event to see Oprah, and that means that I've got access to more people," Obama told reporters after a rally in the local high school this morning. "It helps to create the event. Ultimately, though, I'm going to have to make the sale to the people to support me."
 
Obama's camp announced this morning that the talk show host and international icon will make campaign appearances for Obama in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire early next month. A spokesperson for the campaign here in the Granite State said the format for the event in Manchester event has yet to be determined. "I'm very grateful that she's taking the time to do this and I think it will be a lot of fun," Obama said.

Asked how Oprah compares to Bill Clinton, Obama conceded that he's "a great surrogate for Hillary" as well. "And so, if he wanted to endorse me I'd take it. I don't think he will," he added.
 
Obama also responded to Hillary Clinton's criticism of his health-care plan, which she called confusing. "I presented a health-care plan. It's the same health-care plan now that it was then," he said. "I'm not sure exactly what she meant." He also called the debate over mandate "a manufactured issue." "Senator Clinton says 'I'm gonna make universal health care by mandating that everybody buy it.' But if people can't afford it, it doesn't matter what the mandate is, they're not gonna buy it. And by the way, Sen. Clinton still hasn't explained what exactly this mandate is." He said the problem with her approach "is that she hasn't been straight with the American people about how she would impose this mandate." "Without an enforcement mechanism, there is no mandate. It's just a political talking point," he said.

Finally, Obama said that he, not Clinton, would be "the most effective messenger" for America's interests abroad. "If she wants to out her experience by having visited countries, that's fine," Obama said in response to Clinton touting her travels as first lady. "I don't think that Madeleine Albright would think that Hillary Clinton was the face of foreign policy during the Clinton Administration."

Still, he said he wasn't interested in a "tit for tat" on who has spent more time abroad. "I'm more interested in repairing the damage that's been done by the Bush Administration around the world," he said. "I believe I am the most effective messenger for America's interests in this current climate... I think I can have more credibility, not just as a consequence of the years that I lived overseas, but because I have relatives overseas, because I've traveled overseas, because my mother spent most of her working adult life overseas. And I know not just the leaders of these countries, but I know the people in these countries. I know their hopes and their dreams and their aspirations and their struggles."

During his answer on foreign policy, Obama was interrupted by the Littleton High School public address system announcing a list of students who should go to the principal's office. "I promise you I've heard my name announced like that," he joked afterwards. "I have some memories. Brought back some flashbacks."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Edwards went up today with a double-pronged TV ad effort in South Carolina and Iowa. In the ad in South Carolina, his birth state, he tries to find common ground with working class voters harking on his father's mill-worker experience, corporate greed and Washington corruption. He vows to "fight for people like the ones I grew up with…."

He takes the "fight" out of the Iowa ad and instead stresses family. "What we want to make certain is true is that our children have a better life than we've had," Edwards says at the top of the spot. He talks again of corruption and changing the system. "And if we're not going to do it, we're going to have to be willing to look our children in the eye and say we're going to leave this mess for you," Edwards says as the camera zooms to a close-up on the face of a boy.

Here are the full transcripts for both ads:
"Born" (30 seconds) begins airing today in South Carolina.
[YouTube:DnzSWJWsQak]
My dad worked in the mills.
When I was born, he had to borrow fifty dollars to bring me home here.
When the mills closed, I saw first hand how devastating bad government and corporate greed can be.
I'm running for president to do what I've always done - fight for people like the ones I grew up with against the powerful forces that have corrupted Washington.
Don't tell me it can't be done.
I'm John Edwards. And I approve this message because growing up here, you never stop fighting. And you never forget where you came from.

"Mess" (30 seconds) begins airing today in Iowa.
[YouTube:I4fOJm5EXfY]
What we want to make certain is true is that our children have a better life than we've had. Twenty generations of Americans before us have ensured that that was true.
And if we want to do that, we're going to have to be willing to take on this corrupt system and change it. And if we're not going to do it, we're going to have to be willing to look our children in the eye and say we're going to leave this mess for you.
This is the great moral test of our generation, and we will meet that test.
I'm John Edwards and I approve this message.

From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
BOW, NH -- Edwards put his game face on -- as well as a suit -- for Day Two of a swing through New Hampshire. Instead of his usual jeans and button-down shirt, Edwards showed up today to his first town hall (after an interview with New Hampshire Public Radio) in a black suit and red striped tie.

It was the first day of his "America Belongs to Us" week, and Edwards delivered prepared remarks behind a podium, a move usually reserved for policy speeches. He reiterated that New Hampshire voters should look for a candidate they can trust to tell them the truth and to go after the corporate interests he says have corrupted the federal government. "I will not play by the Washington establishment rules because I believe that they've twisted the rules beyond recognition, and they've rigged the system on behalf of the few at the expense of the many," he said. "I will not compromise with powerful special interests."

Following his 12-minute speech, a woman with shaggy white hair asked Edwards to name a president who had wielded the kind of power he was talking about to rein in corporate interests within the constrains of the government. "Teddy Roosevelt did it -- he did it very clearly. And he did it, I might add, at a time when there was a huge concentration of wealth at the top," Edwards answered. "There are a lot of similarities where we are today and where we were then. And he stood up and fought and brought the American people behind him. They made real changes."

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Today at the off-camera briefing, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said she has discussed Scott McClellan's forthcoming book with the president, and Perino said President Bush "has not and would not knowingly pass false information." 

In the yet-to-be-published book, McClellan's publisher says the former press secretary claims five White House officials -- including the president and vice president -- were responsible for McClellan passing incorrect information on the CIA leak case. As White House press secretary, McClellan had stated that officials including Karl Rove were not involved in leaking the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson.

Evidence at the Libby trial showed that Rove had discussed war critic Joe Wilson's wife and her CIA employment with two reporters. Ari Fleischer did so as well, according to court testimony.

From NBC/National Journal's Matthew E. Berger
BEDFORD, NH -- For weeks, Giuliani has been followed around New Hampshire by a man in a Rudy mask, carrying a sign that said "Free Bernie." But today, outside the Politics and Eggs breakfast here, the masked man was joined by a friend -- a man in a mask closely resembling Bernard Kerik.
 
The Kerik impersonator took the "Free Bernie" sign, while the faux Rudy carried one that said "Best Friends Forever." They waved at passersby, and were quick to hug each other when the cameras started rolling.

When asked to identify themselves, the two men pointed to photos of Giuliani and Kerik.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Julia Steers
*** Another red-hot day: If it's possible to shift into another gear after what was an incredibly contentious run-up to the Turkey Day holiday, then the campaigns did just that beginning on Saturday and Sunday. And today is another red-hot political news day. From the Oprah tour announcement to the Rudy-Romney fight, things are moving fast in the presidential race. NBC News kicked off the busy day with our report about Trent Lott's resignation. Let's get it started…

*** Romney vs. Rudy: Clinton vs. Obama may be the media's glamour fight, but Romney vs. Rudy right now is a pretty good show as well. Romney did a media avail yesterday to take on Giuliani and respond to some recent attacks by his campaign: "He has a real problem with facts. He's now done this time and again, making up facts that just happen to be wrong, and facts are stubborn things. The truth of the matter is that during my administration, the FBI's crime statistics show that violent crime was reduced in Massachusetts by 7%. So he's wrong again on the facts. He needs to go back to school and look at the facts and add the numbers up properly, and the truth of the matter is the in Massachusetts, violent crime went down." Rudy counterpunched on Morning Joe this morning, telling MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that Romney "lives in a glass house" for comparing Giuliani's views on social issues to Hillary Clinton's. "He has had every position Hillary has had." How soon before Giuliani echoes Ted Kennedy's "multiple choice" line when going after Romney?

*** Another week, another debate: Just as this Romney vs. Rudy fight is breaking out -- with Thompson also taking swings at Giuliani over guns -- the CNN/YouTube GOP debate takes place on Wednesday. While the YouTube format was somewhat restrictive when the Democrats debated back in July, it's likely that the pressure Romney, Rudy, Thompson, McCain and Huckabee are all feeling will mean we have a lively debate in store for us come Wednesday.

*** The Dem showdown over health care: The Republicans weren't the only ones trading jabs over the weekend. As they did at the November 15 debate in Las Vegas, both Clinton and Obama fought over the issue of universal health-care coverage. Could the fact that Massachusetts is having a difficult time mandating that all of its citizens have health insurance aid the Obama camp on this issue? Also, Bill Clinton hits the trail for Hillary in Iowa tomorrow…

*** Fighting after Turkey Day: For more on all the candidate jabs and counterpunches over the weekend -- Thompson firing off on guns (and Fox News too!), Romney criticizing Giuliani on New York's budget, Rudy firing back at Mitt, and Obama and Clinton sparring over health care -- be sure to check out First Read's reports on those back-and-forths.

*** No Chuck Norris this time: Meanwhile, welcome to the first tier, Mike Huckabee. Thompson and Romney seem comfortable unloading on the former governor in Iowa. And the Huckabee campaign has a much more serious ad to follow up its Chuck Norris spot that got its share of free media coverage -- but also seemed to cause Huckabee a gravitas problem. The new ad opens with a hat tip to his Christian background, with these first words on the screen: "Christian leader." Huckabee's speech at the Values Voter Summit is excerpted throughout the 30-second spot. It's the most overt attempt ANY Republican has made at social conservatives. Speaking of TV ads, don't miss the latest one from John McCain and ask yourself if the script isn't one either John Edwards or Barack Obama would like to use.

[YouTube:BjtGgfhKIvo]

*** Another Old Bull out the Senate door: Outside the presidential race, the biggest news today is that GOP Sen. Trent Lott plans to resign before the end of the year. NBC News has learned that Lott in the midst of informing close allies that he plans to resign his Senate seat before the end of the year. And a formal announcement is expected to take place in Mississippi today. Getting back into leadership was a vindication of sorts for Lott, after he was forced to step down as the GOP Senate leader a few years ago. This is another GOP old bull -- along with Craig, Domenici, and Warner -- that is leaving the Senate. With rumors that Ted Stevens is leaving (though who knows for sure), that's a lot of experience walking out the GOP Senate door. As for Lott's seat, it's unclear whether Gov. Haley Barbour (R) will appoint a caretaker or someone who can get a leg up for November. Chip Pickering has been considered the heir apparent for sometime, but not every Republican in Mississippi may see things that way. And don't assume Democrats will just rollover on this one. Ex-Attorney General Michael Moore and former US Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy will be the Dem names floated first.

*** On the trail: Biden is in Iowa; Clinton campaigns in New Hampshire; Edwards also stumps in the Granite State, as does Giuliani and Kucinich; McCain travels through South Carolina; Obama, in New Hampshire, attends a roundtable with undecided voters before holding a rally there; Richardson is in Iowa; Romney conducts interviews in Boston; and Tancredo attends a town hall in New Hampshire. Also, in Charleston, WV, Jeri Thompson participates in a West Virginians for Life press conference and later holds a press avail with state legislators there.

Countdown to Iowa: 38 days
Countdown to New Hampshire: 43 days
Countdown to Michigan: 50 days
Countdown to Nevada and SC GOP primary: 54 days
Countdown to SC Dem primary: 61 days
Countdown to Florida: 64 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 71 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 344 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 421 days

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The Washington Post's Balz sets the scene of what we also followed over the weekend. "With Rudolph W. Giuliani looking to spring a surprise against Mitt Romney in the state hosting the nation's first primary, the race for the Republican presidential nomination took a sharply negative turn here Sunday as the two candidates traded accusations about taxes, crime, immigration, abortion and ethical standards. The rhetorical volleys underscored the growing stakes here in New Hampshire, where Romney leads in the polls but Giuliani now believes he has a chance to derail the former Massachusetts governor's campaign before it can build the kind of momentum that could make him unstoppable."

The New York Times also covers the heated post-Turkey day weekend of back-and-forths between Rudy and Romney -- this article with the point of view of Giuliani taking and delivering the heat. "The attacks on Sunday — some of the toughest of the campaign — were the culmination of a back-and-forth that consumed much of the long holiday weekend. First Mr. Thompson questioned Mr. Giuliani's history of support for gun control, which is unpopular with many Republican voters, and Mr. Giuliani shot back that Mr. Thompson was attacking him because he had no record of his own to talk about. Then Mr. Romney questioned Mr. Giuliani's fiscal stewardship of New York, leading Mr. Giuliani to attack Mr. Romney for appointing a judge who this summer freed an inmate who was arrested last week, accused of killing a couple in Washington State. That opened the door for Mr. Romney to bring up Mr. Kerik on Sunday."

"Using some of the toughest language of his campaign, Giuliani, in an interview with Politico, slammed Romney on health care, crime and taxes. At the same time he portrayed the one-time moderate as a hypocrite on a host of social issues who lives 'in a glass house.' It was easily the most sweeping attack Giuliani has delivered against Romney in this campaign."

The New York Post headlines the back and forth as "Rudy & Mitt in New Slamshire."

GIULIANI: The candidate is the cover boy for Newsweek, as the newsmag writes about Rudy's early years under the header, "Growing Up Giuliani." Here's the nut intro graph: "The real Rudy is probably as complex and certainly as passionate as the operatic Rudy who shows up at cop rallies. He can be hero or hypocrite or both at once; he has a ripe sense of his own, and his nation's, magnificence and destiny roughly on par with that of Winston Churchill's, whose works Giuliani recommended to his schoolmates, along with his favorite operas by Verdi. Just as Churchill's character was shaped by the myths of his forebears in his ancestral home, Blenheim Palace, seat of the Duke of Marlborough, Giuliani's was forged by the moral ambiguities of his upbringing and the eternal American melodrama of rising above one's past while honoring, or at least accepting, it."

NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger was on the Giuliani bus trip over the weekend and reports: At several stops, Giuliani made a point of speaking of "Islamic terrorists," and chastising Democratic candidates for not using the same terminology. "I said it," he said, after using the term at a town hall in Hampton, NH. "It's ok to say it. Democrats are afraid to say it."

Earlier, he asked who would be offended by the term, other than the terrorists themselves. Not followers of Islam, he said, only the terrorists. The attack on Democrats seemed unprompted and a bit out of left field, but seemed to have become a focus of his remarks throughout the weekend. And it showed Giuliani still felt free to talk openly about fighting terrorism, despite points some have raised that he is resting too much on his 9/11 legacy. Perhaps it was also a return to the basics amid a slip in the polls in New Hampshire.

Check out this Bloomberg News story, which we're sure is going to get repeated by Giuliani's chief rivals plenty of times this week. "On the campaign trail, Rudy Giuliani rails against congressional spending set aside for lawmakers' pet projects. In Washington, his law firm fights to obtain them. Giuliani, the Republican presidential front-runner, last month pledged to 'get rid of' so-called earmarks, which cost taxpayers about $13 billion this year, saying his party should promote 'fiscal discipline.' Just weeks later, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP won $3 million worth of projects for its clients in defense-spending legislation."

HUCKABEE: The AmSpec's Jennifer Rubin likes Huckabee's new TV ad. "It's a classic 'I'm one of you' ad. It is also obviously a comparative ad making the argument that he doesn't 'have to wake up everyday wondering what do I need to believe' without using the name of the guy ahead of him in Iowa. Will Romney be as skillful in pushing back or will he have to run a tradition negative ad at some point regardless of the risks of a blowback in 'nice' Iowa?"

Is it just us, or is Huckabee adopting Dem rhetoric from '04 and '06 about the Saudis? On CNN on Sunday, Huckabee said the following: "Every time we put our credit card in the gas pump, we're paying so that the Saudis get rich — filthy, obscenely rich, and that money then ends up going to funding madrassas," schools "that train the terrorists," said Huckabee. "America has allowed itself to become enslaved to Saudi oil. It's absurd. It's embarrassing."

MCCAIN: The candidate is up with a new TV ad that will air in New Hampshire. In many ways, it's a fascinating ad; it could be an Edwards or Obama spot: change Washington.

Reason Mag editor Matt Welch obtained an essay McCain wrote while at the National War College and concludes in a Los Angeles Times op-ed: "McCain didn't necessarily attend the National War College to assess the wisdom of Vietnam. But he did reinforce a belief system that he's carried to the present day: If you must fight, fight to win, and keep explaining to the American people all along why the sacrifice is necessary. Come January, we'll begin to find out whether McCain's message is resonating."

PAUL: The financial juggernaut that is the Ron Paul campaign continues. He estimates to Bloomberg News that he'll raise more than $12 million this quarter.

Folks, keep this in mind: Paul has enough money to stay in this race long enough to make sure he's one of the final three or four candidates still participating in debates.

ROMNEY: Although Romney has eased incrementally into attack-mode on Giuliani throughout the primary season, NBC/NJ's Erin McPike reports, he wasted no time on Sunday and began reciting his response to the former New York City mayor's criticisms from the previous day before reporters even started asking him about it. "[I] believe that it's important for the Republican Party to have a person who can distinguish himself on family values with Hillary Clinton and point out the differences between us," he said, naming abortion, marriage, immigration and ethics as the big four."

More: "And I'm afraid on all four of those measures, Mayor Giuliani would be the wrong course for our party." He went on, "If you want to have a contrast with the Republican nominee, you're going to have to have someone like myself."

THOMPSON: The candidate unveiled his tax plan yesterday, the New York Times reports. "Thompson … would allow individuals and families to stay with the existing tax structure or to choose to have their earnings taxed under a system with only two rates — 10 percent on income of up to $100,000 for joint filers and $50,000 for singles, and 25 percent on income above these amounts… An analysis by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, which looked into the kind of plan Mr. Thompson proposed, found that the federal government would stand to lose at least $2.5 trillion in revenue over 10 years. But Mr. Thompson … said in an interview yesterday on 'Fox News Sunday' that such studies 'always overestimate the losses to the government' and that tax cuts would spur the economy, leading eventually to greater revenues."

The release of Thompson's tax plan is a good reminder that, though, he's been in the race the shortest period of time, it does seem as if Thompson has released more detailed policy proposals than the other major GOP candidates. This may be perception and not reality but it's a good perception for Thompson.

The Club for Growth gave the plan it's seal of approval.

By the way, Thompson unveiled his tax plan on Fox News Sunday, though it wasn't the most interesting moment of the program. Check out Thompson's criticism of Fox's coverage of his campaign. Apparently, he and the entire Democratic Party have something in common: a beef with Fox's coverage.

"While Thompson is winning over some conservatives with his embrace of federalism, he has alienated others with the way he chooses to apply the principle."

On Sunday, the New York Times ran a CW-setting piece about the mandatory Massachusetts health-care plan, championed by Mitt Romney. But the piece appears to be geared at comparing the Dem candidates' plans for health-care coverage with how things are playing out in Massachusetts. Namely, the report raises questions on the idea of a "mandate" to force folks to get health care, a key part of Clinton's plan and one of the points of dispute between Clinton and Obama on this issue. From the piece: "But the reluctance of so many to enroll, along with the possible exemption of 60,000 residents who cannot afford premiums, has raised questions about whether even a mandate can guarantee truly universal coverage."

Look for the Obama folks to trumpet this piece and use the above fact as a key rebuttal to Clinton's criticisms.

The Los Angeles Times and the AP chronicle the weekend back-and-forth between Clinton and Obama on health care.

Speaking of Clinton vs. Obama, NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan has a great "voter on the street" interview from someone who attended an Obama rally.  "I remember John Kennedy being elected, and he was a brilliant man. But he had to learn on the job," Obama rally attendee David Bringman said. Like Kennedy, Bringman feels inspired by Obama but in times that are leaving many voters troubled, he feels that he can't take the risk to vote for him. 
 
Those sitting around these two more talkative voters "amen'd" in agreement. These voters are echoing what many are saying as the leave town halls not just in Iowa but also in New Hampshire.  As much as Democrats want to win this election and choose a candidate on the "electability" issue, which Obama has been winning points on, they also appear care just as much about who can do the job well. And in making that argument, Obama's argument in his stump speech "on who plays the game better in Washington" and calling for the need to bring new blood to the nation's capital doesn't appear to be convincing voters.

BIDEN: Here's a touching item from Friday's Des Moines Register, which hits on a subject Biden has a tough time talking about: the day in 1972 when his wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver. "'I just don't ... it's hard to talk about. It's just hard ...' Biden trails off, pauses for several seconds, and clears his throat. His wife, Jill, looks on patiently.'" Biden also bused tables for about an hour at a diner in Iowa on Thanksgiving.

The Biden campaign is asking for money to pay for this newspaper ad, which plays up a theme the campaign has been trumpeting for a few weeks: that his opponents frequently say "Joe is right."

CLINTON: Over the weekend, the New York Times wondered whether running on experience in a change environment is a winning message. History indicates it often isn't. The piece seems to conclude that Obama's challenge is to pass a threshold test. "If Mr. Obama simply needs to clear an experience threshold — rather than exceeding Mrs. Clinton on that benchmark outright — the issue may prove less consequential than the Clinton team is hoping. That's partly why Mr. Obama is always recalling his early opposition to the war in Iraq — probably the biggest foreign policy decision of the last seven years, and one on which many in the party wish Mrs. Clinton had adopted Mr. Obama's position in 2002."

For more on this, NBC's Chuck Todd took a look at polling in '92 and '00 -- modest change election years when the candidate who was scoring highest on the experience front (Bush in '92 and Gore in '00) both lost.

Citing years of experience dealing with hard-willed Republicans, Clinton claims that she is "by far" the most electable candidate within the Democratic Party. "You know people talk about who can be elected and all that. But I believe I am by far the most electable Democrat, because I know exactly what I am getting into. I've got not illusions and there are no surprises and I am 100 percent ready." She then addressed recent criticism from the Republican candidates, saying, "You can't take it personally" and "I drive the Republicans crazy…I don't care."

Meanwhile, the Des Moines Register does the "is Bill Clinton an asset?" story. "The mixed reception of the Clinton White House is a far cry from four years ago, when the Democratic presidential candidates regularly cited the budget surplus, job growth and relative global peace the Clinton administration left behind after eight years in office."

Don't miss this Washington Post profile of major Clinton bundler Alonzo Cantu, who hails from South Texas. "Cantu offers a simple explanation for what he's doing for Clinton. "To me, there's two things that will keep us from being ignored," he said. "Money and votes. I think we've shown we can raise money. That will get us attention, or at least get us a seat at the table, get us in the room."

How potent is the immigration issue in Iowa? Check out what Clinton says about the issue. She could sound like any mainstream Republican on this issue: "'I believe in comprehensive immigration reform, but it starts with homeland security,' she said. 'You cannot move to comprehensive immigration reform until we have tougher, more secure borders.'"

EDWARDS: Per the campaign, Team Edwards today will announce "America Belongs To Us" week -- in which Edwards will spotlight a specific kitchen-table issue each day where he'll shakeup Washington. Today in Bow, NH, he will detail his plan to stand up for the underinsured against health-care companies that are trying to block reforms.

As the temperature drops and the price of oil goes up, it's inevitable that many candidates -- particularly in heating oil-dominant New Hampshire -- will start talking about the price of heating oil. Edwards outlined his plan to help struggling families on Sunday.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register, "Edwards declined to discuss whether he would do anything differently as the party's presidential nominee based on what he saw as Kerry's running mate. He added that he rarely thinks about the four months they spent running together. 'I've made it a practice not to go back and analyze the campaign. I don't think there's anything to be gained from it. I don't,' he said. 'I'm sure you can get lots of other people to do it.'"

OBAMA: OK, let the Oprah craziness countdown begin... She debuts on the trail for Obama on December 8. The Obama campaign announced today that Oprah will join Obama for a tour through three early voting states on December 8th and 9th. Winfrey and Obama will hold two events in Iowa, one in South Carolina, and one in New Hampshire.

The Chicago Tribune notes, "Obama held a rare discussion of racial inequities on the Democratic presidential campaign trail in heavily white Iowa on Sunday… 'On every measure, on income, on health care, on incarceration rates, on the criminal justice system, on housing, on life expectancy, on infant mortality, on almost every single indicator, there is still an enormous gap between black and white,' the senator from Illinois said."

Obama hopes this is something that will happen more often. "Dan Barraford planned to vote for Hillary Clinton, until he listened to Barack Obama," writes the New York Daily News on a trip to New Hampshire. "Now he's undecided. 'Everything I heard about the guy is true: He's a fabulous speaker and he's a very smart man,' said Barraford, 64, moments after hearing Obama deliver a stump speech on a recent snowy afternoon here."

The New York Times runs a front-page profile of a colorful staffer, Rory Steele, who is in charge of Obama's efforts in Western Iowa.

RICHARDSON: "This war is not worth one human life, an American human life, the thousands of Iraqis," Richardson said in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. "It should not be about body counts. It should be about, 'Is political progress being made?' No.'"

More: "The comment sparked the loudest applause of Richardson's hour-long talk, which also hit a high note when Richardson said Congress has been wimpy when it comes to finding withdrawal solutions."

Real Clear Politics' Reid Wilson writes on the official calendar order on the Dem side, and notes the opportunity Nevada has to have a real role in this race.

The New Hampshire Union-Leader breaks down how many times the candidates have been to the Granite State. But the paper writes it's quality not quantity that matters.

The Sunday New York Times: "As violence declines in Baghdad, the leading Democratic presidential candidates are undertaking a new and challenging balancing act on Iraq: acknowledging that success, trying to shift the focus to the lack of political progress there, and highlighting more domestic concerns like health care and the economy… [T]he changing situation suggests for the first time that the politics of the war could shift in the general election next year, particularly if the gains continue. While the Democratic candidates are continuing to assail the war — a popular position with many of the party's primary voters — they run the risk that Republicans will use those critiques to attack the party's nominee in the election as defeatist and lacking faith in the American military."

NBC News has learned that Trent Lott in the midst of informing close allies that he plans to resign his Senate seat before the end of the year. It's possible a formal announcement of his plans could take place as early as today. Lott's office initially denied that he would step down, but subsequent requests for information about his plans went unanswered.

While the exactly reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, NBC's Ken Strickland reports, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress.

VIDEO: NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on Lott's resignation

Also unclear that this point is how Lott's seat would be filled. One Lott supporter in the know said he hoped GOP Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour would appoint Rep. Chip Pickering to the post, keeping the seat in the hands of Republicans, at least in the short term. 

Lott's departure would also leave a vacancy in the Senate GOP Leadership. Lott is currently the Republican Whip, the No. 2 slot behind Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. We're told Lott is backing Arizona Republican Jon Kyl to replace him, but that will be determined by secret ballot within the Republican caucus.

The New York Times front-pages this story today: "Confronting an enormous fund-raising gap with Democrats, Republican Party officials are aggressively recruiting wealthy candidates who can spend large sums of their own money to finance their Congressional races, party officials say."

NBC News has learned that Trent Lott's in the midst of informing close allies that he plans to resign his senate seat before the end of the year. It's possible a formal announcement of his plans could take place as early as today.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
CLINTON WEEKEND CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOK
PERRY, IA, Nov. 25 – Clinton talked about how her experience as First Lady helps qualify her for the job as President, said the troop surge in Iraq had not led to a political solution and bashed Obama's health care plan again today at her first press conference in about two weeks.

She also said she didn't put much faith in polls, in response to a question about the recent Washington Post/ABC poll that put her behind her chief rival, Obama, in Iowa.

When asked how her experience as First Lady made her more experienced than her opponents on matters of foreign policy and economic issues, the senator seemed to dodge the question at first.

"That's for the voters to decide," she said, "but I think that I bring unique experience, 35 years of experience, including the eight years in the White House, where I was very actively involved in issues both here at home and around the world, and I trust the voters to sort out all of these credentials and qualifications, and I'm proud that former Secretary of the Treasury Bob Rubin is supporting me for president."

Clinton answered more directly a follow up about comments supporter and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack made earlier this week that she was the face of foreign policy during her husband's administration.

"I traveled to I think, I don't know, maybe 80, 82 countries," she said, "and I went a lot of places that the president or the vice president or the Secretary of State couldn't go or couldn't get there yet. I was the first person for the administration to go to Bosnia after the Dayton Peace accords. I went to Africa; I went to India, Pakistan, the Indian subcontinent to sort of lay the groundwork for building an American relationship with a visit to come from the president. I went to Latin America, I think every year that I was in the White House, meeting with government officials, first ladies, not for profit organizations on issues like health care and education.

"I think that there are lots of ways in which what I did was the face of America when I was there when I was representing not just my husband but the country."

The senator reiterated a statement made to the New York Times that the troop surge in Iraq may have led to some tactical successes, but had not pushed the Iraqi government to reach a political solution to the country's problems.

"I think the American military, if you put enough forces anywhere, is going to score successes," Clinton said. "That's not really the question. The question is whether there is a military solution, engineered by the American military, for the problems in Iraq, and I don't believe there is a military solution. The whole idea behind adding more American troops was to give the Iraqi government the space and time to start making the political decisions that they have to make for themselves.

"There's nothing we can do to create the circumstances in which the Iraqis make the tough decisions about how they're going to live together as a country and what kind of future they're going to provide for their people. That hasn't happened. Even our military commanders in the last several weeks have remarked that they're disappointed that the Iraqi government hasn't taken advantage of the tactical achievements that the American military has made. So I don't believe if we stay another day, stay five days, stay five years or 10 years that we're going to make a difference militarily. Yes, we can have some tactical successes, but ultimately this is up to the Iraqis and I believe we should start bringing our troops home now."

On the recent Iowa poll showing Obama in the lead, the senator sought to manage expectations.

"There've been a lot of different polls," Clinton said, "and I, frankly, don't pay a lot of attention to any of them, because all that's going to count is who shows up on the night of Jan. 3, and I feel very good about where my campaign is in Iowa.

"It is a much more competitive race here than it is in other parts of the country. I started very far behind when I came into this race, but I feel we've been making progress, and every day that goes by, I feel that we're gaining new supporters, and I'm just going to get up every day and do what I'm doing now, which is to make my case, have my organization reach out to voters and we'll see what happens on Jan. 3, because that's the only count that really matters."

It's worth noting that Clinton or her surrogates -- like Vilsack and Terry McAuliffe -- often mention how many polls show her leading in various states and nationwide.

Clinton also repeated her attacks on Obama's health care plan, saying that by his own admission it did not cover 15 million people. She again stressed her belief that any plan has to start out by trying to cover everyone -- comparing plans that don't cover everyone to saying Medicare should be voluntary and people shouldn't have to pay the payroll tax.

In response to a question on how she would mandate coverage, Clinton said she would have to negotiate with the Congress to figure that out, adding that there were a "number of ways" to get to a mandate.

"Certainly for Democrats trying to choose a standard bearer, it's important to know what each of us would do when it comes to one of the most important issues in this race, namely healthcare," she said, "so I'm going to draw issue distinctions. Then when we choose a nominee, which I expect to be me, we're going to close ranks and we're going to run against the Republicans and win."

The senator also said following Obama's plan had been "confusing."

"It's been kind of confusing following his description of his own plan," Clinton said. "If you go back and look, he said it was universal; he said it was sort of universal; he said it wasn't universal; he said he covered everybody; he said he didn't cover 15 million. He has a mandate for kids, now he's against mandates. I think you're going to have to ask him what his plan actually does."