"South Carolina Democrats refused yesterday to let [Stephen Colbert] on the January

primary ballot, and he didn't file by yesterday's deadline for the Republican primary, after having hinted that the $35,000 fee might be a deterrent."

The Politico's Harris and Vandehei look at the possibility that an angry electorate in '08 could hurt the Democrats as much as it hurt the GOP in '06.

Thanks to the final back-and-forth over immigration at the end of Tuesday's debate, Democrats are learning that they to need to start paying attention to the immigration issue. "Immigration, chief Clinton strategist Mark Penn said, is emerging as 'a new wedge issue' for Republicans, who will attempt to use it to paint Democrats as weak on border security."

A new Winthrop Univ./ETV South Carolina poll has VERY high undecided results, either proving the electorate is very fluid or the pollster didn't push for leaners. Thompson narrowly led with 18%, Giuliani and Romney were tied at 17%. On the Dem side, Clinton had a more formidable lead with 33% to Obama's 23%. Edwards barely received double-digits, 10%. 

What will Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) do regarding Mukasey? "Schumer, who has remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the furor, said in an interview yesterday that he is now 'wrestling' with whether to vote against a nomination that he was instrumental in bringing about. He compared the controversy to the 2005 nomination battle over Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. 'From this administration, we will never get somebody who agrees with us on issues like torture and wiretapping,' Schumer said at one point, suggesting an argument in favor of Mukasey, who faces a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Tuesday. 'The best thing we can hope for is someone who will depoliticize the Justice Department and put rule of law first.'" 

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
LAS VEGAS -- On a stage flanked by a mechanical bull on one side and the "Cowgirl's Restroom" on the other, Fred Thompson addressed a fundraiser for the Nevada GOP this morning and joined in the fray attacking Hillary for waffling on immigration issues in Tuesday night's debate.

"I never thought I'd see Hillary Clinton get pinned down and have to answer a controversial question," Thompson said to laughter and applause. "She finally came around and said that in fact it was a good idea to give illegals driver's licenses. If you can imagine that…We might as well, uh, give driver's licenses, which along with a motor voter law that we have now that says when you register to vote you get an opportunity to uh, I mean when you get your driver's license you get an opportunity to register to vote. So, you know what that's going to lead to.

"But I must say, she scrambled around during the debate and then she came out with a statement the next day, and it took her 12 hours to get the wrong answer for America this time. She usually doesn't take that long to come up with the wrong answer for America, so maybe things are improving a little bit." 

As he has been doing for most of his campaign, Thompson also tried to show this morning that his campaign is about more than just Clinton. But in doing so he made remarks that could be interpreted as feeding the Democratic frontrunner's claims that she is being targeted as the only woman in "the all boy's club of presidential politics."

"Yes [this campaign is] about Hillary," Thompson said, "and we have our fun, but it's also about something else. When our worst enemy sits down at the negotiating table and looks across the table and is trying to size up the United States of America, how much can they get away with? How much, how much of what they're hearing is really true or is it just bluster? Does the guy mean what he says on the other side of the table? The question is who do we want on the other side of that table facing that guy."

At first, it seemed Thompson was saying that if a woman were to sit down across from America's greatest enemies, then they might feel that they can get away with more. Then he clarified his statement, saying that someone who waffles on the issues might give our enemies the impression that America is not serious.

Once again positioning himself as the only "consistent conservative" in the race, Thompson also took shots at some of his GOP opponents from arriving late to Ronald Regan's party. Commenting on the numerous references to Reagan at the recent GOP presidential debates, Thompson said, "count the number of times a guy invokes the name of Ronald Reagan name, and he's probably the guy most removed from Ronald Reagan for his entire career."

Then Thompson invoked Reagan's name, drawing a comparison between America's only actor-turned-president and America's only current actor-turned-presidential candidate.

"[Reagan's] greatness was not because he was a great actor," said Thompson, who often makes references to his own poor acting skills on the stump. "Just like a lot of other people I know he never was given credit for being a very good actor until he got into politics and then they said aw he's just an actor."

Speaking at Stoney's Rockin' Country Night Club south of the Las Vegas strip, Thompson joined the relatively unpopulated club of GOP presidential candidates who are paying attention to Nevada's early caucuses. Maybe it's because Nevada's most populous city is rife with unpresidential venues like this one. The venue chosen by the state's GOP chairwoman for this morning's breakfast was complete with waitresses in tight jeans and low-cut tank tops serving drinks and Wild West wall decorations that included storefront facades like "Doc Lowden's Pistol Repair" shop -- whose motto is "We Shoot Blanks" -- and "Wayng's Chinese Laundry" -- whose motto is "You Cream'em, We Clean'em."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Set your calendar, a federal judge set Dec. 5 hearing date in Tallahassee for Florida Sen. Bill Nelson's and Rep. Alcee Hastings' lawsuit against the DNC for stripping the state of all of its delegates.

"Rather than a sham, our laws and democratic values demand that voting be meaningful,'' Nelson and Hastings wrote in a motion to be filed tomorrow.

Nelson's Senate office wrote in a release, "Earlier this week, the DNC asked Judge Robert Hinkle to dismiss Nelson's lawsuit.  DNC attorneys argued that the state party could have held a caucus after the Jan. 29 primary to choose delegates to the national convention. But Nelson and others have said a caucus in a state as populated and geographically large as Florida also would disenfranchise voters, and cost millions more on top of the primary."

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
"What does he have to show for his presidency?" Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked today, with her hands outstretched. She said that the president is talking about his library, but all he will have to put in it is "tax cuts for the wealthy" and "a war with no end that is a failure."

"He stoops to a level that is beneath the office" of the president, she concluded.

Pelosi was responding the the red meat dished up by President Bush in a speech today at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

On the war supplemental monies, she said that the president has "wasted billions" and that the request will be the subject of "harsh scrutiny." Democrats are likely to approve a small portion of the $196 billion now and wait until next year to send the rest.

Yet Pelosi said that she, too, doesn't approve of the job that Congress is doing. She was asked why, despite recent efforts by Democrats to tout their accomplishments this year, Congress has such a low approval rating. You might say her answer was counterintuitive.

"I don't approve of Congress, because we haven't been effective in ending the war in Iraq," she said, adding that "if you asked me in a phone call" from a pollster, she would herself be counted in the disapproval column.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
CONCORD, NH -- Joe Biden officially joined the field on the New Hampshire ballot today, saying he is "far and away" the most qualified candidate when it comes to foreign policy.

Entering the Secretary of State's office here, Biden was told about the historic filing desk, the only piece of furniture that remains from when the State House originally opened. Secretary Bill Gardner added that there was a "Delaware connection," since the state reclaimed the item after many years from a Delaware source. "Well, I tell you what, I hope it brings me luck," Biden said.

Speaking with reporters, Biden (of course) praised the state's first-in-the-nation status. "It is a literal fact, it is not an exaggeration, it is not fiction, it is not hyperbole, to suggest that without the New Hampshire primary and the Iowa caucus, there is no level playing field," he said.

Biden also discounted his standing in the polls, saying voters here will not begin making up their minds for another month. "I'm ahead of where John Kerry was at this point in the process," he said. "Can you name me a front-runner other than an incumbent who has been ahead so far at this point who's ended up being the nominee?" And the Senate Foreign Relations chairman said Iraq remains the top issue among primary voters. "As long as that's the case, I'm by far and away the most qualified person to deal with those issues based on my track record, not just what I've said," he said.

Biden was asked about his comments about Rudy Giuliani at Tuesday night's debate. "Rudy was saying that Clinton and Obama weren't qualified on foreign policy. And here's a man who several months ago said, in a public statement reported in the New York Times, 'I don't know who's further ahead on nuclear weapons, Iran or Korea.'" Biden then smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

Biden had to cut his availability short and canceled the rest of his schedule here today because he was called back to Washington for an SCHIP vote.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Former Chrysler head Lee Iacocca -- who endorsed Bush in 2000 and then switched to Kerry in 2004 -- is now backing Bill Richardson, according to the campaign.

"Richardson's been a successful governor," Iacocca writes on his blog. "He's been a successful CEO. He's demonstrated that he knows how to negotiate with foreign leaders and lead on issues like global warming. Unlike others on the stump, he's offering bold plans, not just pandering talk. I like his job plan, his health care plan, his energy plan, his education plan and his plan to get us out of Iraq. I also just plain like the guy."

The Richardson campaign also has released a video of Iacocca endorsing the New Mexico governor.

From NBC/National Journal's Athena Jones
WELLESLEY, MA -- Clinton was here at Wellesley College, her alma mater, to launch 120 groups of "Hillblazers" on college campuses, who she said would work to organize students and young voters.

She reminisced about her life at Wellesley and afterwards and delivered a women-centered version of her usual stump speech to an exhilarated crowd of students from Wellesley, other nearby colleges, and members of the community. "I realize this is an ambitious agenda. Would you expect anything less from a Wellesley woman?" Clinton said to rousing applause.
 
Clinton said America was ready to shatter that highest glass ceiling and told the audience "together we can make history."

The only reference Clinton made of Tuesday's debate -- or of her campaign against her Democratic male rivals -- was this line:  "In so many ways, this all women's college prepared me to compete in the all boy's club of presidential politics."

The context of the remark came when she was talking about Wellesley, reminiscing about her days as a student there, and how it taught her leadership and camaraderie.

[YouTube:L7WbBuukrzo]

From NBC/National Journal's Tricia Miller
As we noted earlier, Edwards is up with a new ad in Iowa. The campaign held a conference call with reporters to discuss the ad push.

"What this ad does is begin to build on the argument John made the other night that … right now we face the moral test of our generation," said Jonathan Prince, Edwards' deputy campaign manager.

The campaign declined to release the amount of money being spent on the ad. They emphasized that while Clinton and Obama have both spent millions of dollars (actual number was disputed but millions is safely vague) on ads in Iowa and Edwards has spent only $23,000, polls there remain very close.

Iowa director Jen O'Malley Dillon said that this week's University of Iowa poll, which showed Edwards falling farther behind Clinton and Obama, also showed that Edwards supporters were the most likely to show up at the caucus.
 
Prince said this should be considered the kick-off to their fall advertising campaign and declined to talk about the possibility of more ads in other early primary states.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro

The Ron Paul Revolution is apparently translating to book sales today. Paul's book, "A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship," has moved to No. 22 on Amazon's Movers and Shakers list. His book sales have jumped from No. 594 to No. 294 -- a 102% increase -- in the past 24 hours.

Paul did get some more national exposure Tuesday night as a guest on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

[YouTube:cUHH0_YJepo]

From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd

Well, it looks like Dodd's confrontation with Clinton at Tuesday's debate -- over the drivers' license issue -- wasn't an isolated event. His campaign is up with two new TV ads in Iowa that take subtle jabs at Clinton and Edwards.

In in the first ad, two barbers -- whom the Dodd campaign has used in a previous advertisement -- are watching a Clinton ad hailing her health-care plan. "Is that a new plan?" one of the barbers asks. "The only way you're gonna get health care passed is to bring Democrats and Republicans together," the other says. Then: "Why not Dodd? After all, Dodd brought both parties together to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act."

Dodd then adds, "I'm Chris Dodd and I approved this message. I'll bring Republicans and Democrats together to give every American affordable health care."

In the other ad, the same two barbers are watching Edwards, who's saying, "I have been fighting them my entire life" (obviously referring to special interests). You know there's a lot of talk about fighting out there," one says. "Yeah, but we need a president who's about results," the other replies. "Why not Dodd?" they both exclaim.

Of course, profiling barbers could be seen as an additional dig at Edwards over his infamous $400 haircut.

A Dodd spokeswoman tells First Read, "These ads present the fundamental choice that people have in this election. Folks in the early states and across the country are going to be asked to choose which candidate they believe has the record of proven results about issues that matter most to them. Certainly Sen. Dodd has a substantial record of his own to run on, and that's what these ads focus on."

From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro

Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) endorsed Romney today. Per the campaign, Cannon will also join a "Congressional Whip Team" led by Reps. Jim McCrery (R-LA), Dave Camp (R-MI) and Buck McKeon (R-CA).

Since the topic of immigration is back in the news -- after Tuesday's Democratic debate and Romney upping the ante on the issue -- we wonder if Cannon's past support for comprehensive immigration reform will be something his rivals (especially Thompson) draw attention to.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell

President Bush just wrapped up his first-ever pen-and-pad session with reporters ("pen and pad" means on the record, but no cameras). Bush said he got the idea form seeing photos of Eisenhower with reporters gathered around his desk and thought it would be worthwhile.

No breaking headlines form the president's comments, as he previewed the speech he will give today:
-- He will challenge that inaction from Congress suggests that it does not believe the country is at war.

-- On Mukasey's confirmation, the president will say the judge deserves an up or down vote; that there has been enough discussion; and that he has been asked unfair questions and treated unfairly by Congress. Bush will call Mukasey a smart and competent nominee, and he will emphasize that Mukasey has not been read-in on specific interrogation techniques and therefore should be asked to make judgments about them. He argued that techniques used are legal.

-- He will talk about the funding for the war, the war supplemental, Defense Department appropriations, and he will press Congress on FISA.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Hillary's Philly aftermath: A little less than 48 hours after the Philly Phracas, the Clinton campaign is in the midst of giving up denying they lost the debate. Instead, they're trying to define how they lost. Strategy One: blame the media. She's the front-runner, everyone saw her as the target, and the campaign appears intent on crediting the moderators for her problems -- since it's easier to blame the media (a trick usually reserved for the Republican side) than see one of her opponents get any credit. Indeed, Mark Penn yesterday held a conference call with key campaign fundraisers and repeatedly talked about the moderators. Our response: what part of front-runner doesn't the campaign understand? We are two months and two days from the first round of voting, the tests are supposed to get harder -- not easier.

VIDEO: NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on the democratic debates, how the Clinton campaign is handling her performance by defining how she lost the debate.

*** Strategy two: Don't get caught in a back-and-forth with any one foe. Lump Obama and Edwards together so that Obama, in particular, doesn't get to look like he's rising above it all. (Camp Clinton loves that Obama's negatives have been rising; they'd like to see that trend continue.) For example, the campaign yesterday released a video entitled "The Politics of Pile-On," a take off on Obama's "politics of Hope," even though it was Edwards who led the charge on Tuesday. And, of course, engaging Edwards directly can breathe life into him and benefit Obama at the same time. Just ask veterans of the '04 Edwards campaign.

*** Strategy three: use the debate to galvanize women so that it looks like a bunch of men ganged up on a woman, rather than simply a bunch of opponents ganging up on a front-runner. Coincidentally or not, Clinton today returns to her alma mater, Wellesley College, a liberal arts college for women. Think she'll bring up Tuesday's debate at the school?
 

*** Did she answer the question? By the way, we still have to ask: Does Clinton support Spitzer's driver's license plan or not? The campaign yesterday issued this statement: "Senator Clinton supports governors like Governor Spitzer who believe they need such a measure to deal with the crisis caused by this administration's failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform." The Clinton campaign says this statement makes it clear that she does support Spitzer's plan. But the statement appears more supportive of governors who attempt to do this and not an endorsement of the policy itself. Also, check out Giuliani's aggressiveness to remind voters he's against giving driver's licenses to immigrants. Rudy is not exactly the toughest-on-immigration Republican in the field, but being able to contrast his position with the Democrats allows him to look tougher than if he compares some of his stances with his primary foes.

*** It's the economy, stupid? So far, the economy has been a so-called sleeper issue in the presidential race. In fact, it's remarkable how little attention the 2008 candidates have put on the economy, even as a day doesn't go by without a major headline about it. We've noted this before, but if the economy becomes one of the major issues of 2008, the Republicans are going to long for the days when they had to hold town halls defending the Iraq war.

*** On the trail: Elsewhere today, Clinton, after visiting Wellesley, heads to an event at the University of New Hampshire; Giuliani attends a rally supporting GOP candidates running for the New Jersey state Senate and Assembly; Huckabee does another round of media interviews, including Fox & Friends and Charlie Rose; McCain stumps in South Carolina; Obama holds a campaign event in Durham, NC; and Thompson, in Nevada, stops by a state GOP breakfast.

Countdown to Election Day 2007: 5 days
Countdown to Iowa: 63 days
Countdown to New Hampshire: 68 days
Countdown to Michigan: 75 days
Countdown to Nevada and SC GOP primary: 79 days
Countdown to SC Dem primary: 86 days
Countdown to Florida: 89 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 96 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 369 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 446 days

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The Los Angeles Times writes, "After searching for ways to rattle Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and stem her momentum in the Democratic presidential race, her chief rivals believe they have found an opening: what they cast as her evasiveness on several key issues... On at least five issues raised in the debate, Clinton replied in ways that left it unclear what she meant or what action she might take. That practice has worked for her in the past, permitting her to avoid positions that might antagonize voters, particularly the less partisan ones important to victory in the general election. But the limitations and potential perils of her approach were driven home at the debate in Philadelphia."

Here's the AP's Fouhy: It could be a long two months for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton if she continues to sidestep questions on big issues… [B]y avoiding questions on important issues -- from Social Security overhaul to driver's licenses for illegal immigrants -- Clinton risks playing into a narrative her rivals are eager to establish: that she is slippery, evasive and overly political."

The Washington Post's Kornblut and Balz add: "Clinton strategists grudgingly acknowledged that the performance in Tuesday's debate in Philadelphia was not her finest and they sought to contain the fallout. They worked to clarify her muddled response to a question about whether she supports giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants -- she backs it, they said  -- and quickly produced a video, titled 'The Politics of Pile-On,' splicing together in rapid-fire fashion her rivals' attacks from the event."

The Wall Street Journal editorial page jumps on what it sees as the return of "Clintonesque" and writes under the header: Hilliam Clinton.

The New York Times looks at the power of the immigration issue here: "Like the debate over Iraq, the exchanges over granting licenses to illegal immigrants underscored the tensions for Mrs. Clinton as she seeks to court various interest groups who are the building blocks of winning the Democratic nomination. She has recently intensified her efforts to win the caucuses in Iowa, where an influx of illegal immigrants has raised concerns among many of the state's long-term residents. But she must also court Hispanic voters who are expected to wield greater clout this election season through early primaries in New York and California."

"[A] closer look reveals one thing Clinton has been quite explicit about -- that as she campaigns, she is being careful to preserve her options as president if she goes on to win," the Boston Globe writes in a front-page story on the candidate. "While her speeches, debate performances, and policy prescriptions often feature hedging, Clinton has been startlingly straightforward about her refusal to be pinned down."

The Globe, in fact, outlines her stances on various major issues in which she "has declined to make specific promises."

The Washington Post fact-checks Clinton's answer on the Clinton Library records, as well as the GOP attacks on her over the issue. "Republicans lack credibility when they criticize the Clintons for dragging their feet on the release of presidential records. The 2001 Bush executive order reversed many of the gains made during the Clinton years on access to government archives and release of secret information. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton should not pretend she is an entirely innocent bystander. It is clear that former presidents have considerable say in deciding which of their records get released, and that influence is increasing all the time."

The Biden-versus-Giuliani sidebar from the Philly debate is still percolating. "It was a rare case of a candidate who is leading in national opinion polls firing back at a candidate who is trailing far behind. Many campaigns are reluctant to do such a thing, for fear that it would simply serve to elevate the lesser-known candidate. But Mr. Biden may have touched a nerve by questioning the crime-fighting credentials of Mr. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor."

More: "The contretemps was notable for two more things. Mr. Biden was effectively taking a page from the Giuliani playbook by training his fire on one of the other party's leading candidates. Mr. Giuliani usually takes aim at Mrs. Clinton; Mr. Biden singled out Mr. Giuliani. And in its response, the Giuliani campaign took a page from the Clinton campaign, which wears its attacks from Republicans as a badge of honor. 'It is increasingly apparent,' Ms. Levinson said in the statement, that  'Rudy is the one the Democrats are most worried about running against in the general election.'

The Biden campaign fired back at Rudy's camp with this statement last night: "Rudy Giuliani seems to be increasingly worried that Joe Biden is questioning his lack of leadership and his use of 9/11 for his own political purposes," said campaign manager Luis Navarro. "This criticism is grounded in reality: there are numerous examples of Mr. Giuliani using 9/11 as a substitute for real experience and real answers to important topics. In the spirit of Halloween, Rudy, if the dress fits, wear it."

And the Boston Globe has these post-debate questions. "Is it the beginning of the end for Dennis Kucinich?" In Iowa, "Will Bill Richardson benefit from being the nice guy?" And "Can Joe Biden or Chris Dodd get a bounce?"

GIULIANI: Time asks whether the real winner of the Democratic debate was Giuliani -- a

point the campaign itself took pains to point out constantly yesterday. "It is almost axiomatic in some circles -- mostly notably the Romney campaign --that Giuliani cannot survive all the scrutiny that will come with being perceived, rightly or wrongly, as the GOP front runner. But that remains to be seen, and given a choice, most candidates would certainly prefer scrutiny to obscurity."

Meanwhile, Giuliani continues his weeklong push proving that he's taking at least one of the two early states -- New Hampshire -- very seriously.

And it's never good for Rudy when Bernie Kerik is in the news -- again. This time, the New York Post calls Kerik "a deadbeat who owes a Manhattan law firm $200,000, court papers charge." In the second paragraph, who's name appears? Rudy Giuliani.

HUNTER: He filed to be on the New Hampshire ballot yesterday.

ROMNEY: The Des Moines Register curtain-raises Romney's trade plan that he'll unveil today in Iowa. The plan sounds as if it's an attempt to appeal to some who are in the anti-free trade wing of the GOP. "Romney plans to roll out a trade plan in Iowa today he said would increase worldwide trade, raise standards among current global trading partners and help retrain U.S. workers who lose their jobs."

THOMPSON: He sought to remind voters of the Clinton fundraising scandals of '90s that Thompson tried to investigate. "'From what I read in the papers, it looks to me like some of the same familiar refrains are playing when I look at Senator Clinton's situation,' Mr. Thompson told reporters yesterday during his first campaign swing through California. 'I'm not going to jump to any conclusions or make any accusations until all the facts are in, but when I see people who are in the newspapers bundling large sums of money from mysterious sources, I must say it brings back some very unfond memories for me when I was chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee and we investigated those matters in the '90s with regard to President Clinton.'"

CLINTON: As expected Gerald McEntee's AFSCME, for the second time in 16 years, endorsed a Clinton candidacy in an open Dem nomination fight. The endorsement, by the way, is a reminder of just how few labor endorsements Barack Obama has received.

The Hill reports that the Clinton campaign held a conference call with key fundraisers yesterday. It was hosted by chief strategist Mark Penn and finance director Jonathan Mantz. They "told the supporters on the call, which The Hill listened to in its entirety, that they expect attacks from Clinton's rivals to continue, and she will need the financial resources to deflect their attacks."

"'I wouldn't say she lost her cool,' one caller said. 'But I would say she lost her footing." The caller added that Clinton's response to questions about records from her time in the White House that have been sealed by the National Archives 'made me roll my eyes.'"

Penn, "Mantz and several supporters hinted repeatedly on the call that Clinton was unfairly targeted by Tim Russert, debate moderator and host of NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'Russert made it appear that President Clinton had done something new or unusual,' Penn said, before adding that it 'is, in fact, an extremely confusing situation…  I think there will be further clarification.'"

"'I hope so,' a female caller responded. 'To me, it was the most uncomfortable part of the debate.'"

"Penn turned again to Russert. 'The other candidates were asked questions like, "Is there life in outer space?"'"

Two conservative bloggers filed an FEC complaint against the Clinton campaign over the fundraising it did in Chinatown, which some media reports indicated led to some illegal fundraising.

This is likely to go nowhere. Then again, you never know when one of these complaints opens up a can of worms. Still, this is the FEC. Look for some resolution of this complaint sometime into Chelsea Clinton's second term as president or George P. Bush's first term. We kid, of course.

EDWARDS: John Edwards "is planning to kick off a new advertising campaign in Iowa today, with a 60-second spot that his strategists hope will boost his newly improved profile. Edwards challenged Clinton most forcefully on what he called 'double talk' in her rhetoric, after weeks on the campaign trail questioning her integrity."

It's being couched -- sort of -- as his first ad. In actuality, it's not his first, but more of a re-launch and the first one since Joe Trippi took over the media strategy. Apparently that qualifies as news. "It is time for our party, the Democratic Party, to show a little backbone, to have a little guts, to stand up for working men and women," the former North Carolina senator says. "If we are not their voice, they will never have a voice."

Edwards went trick-or-treating in New Hampshire. He wasn't wearing a costume, unless a zip-up fleece and jeans counts.

OBAMA: Obama went after Clinton in his stump speech yesterday. "After the most secretive administration in memory, an administration that consistently misled the American people," he said, "we need a president who is going to be open and forthright. I think last night's debate really exposed this fault line. Senator Clinton left us wondering where she stood on every single hard question from Iran to Social Security to drivers' licenses for undocumented workers."

Time's Joe Klein thinks the media judgment of Obama hasn't been fair. "Clinton's character, her tendency to lawyer questions rather than answer them, is now front and center in this campaign, and that is appropriate. But I'm still stuck on the frenzy to judge Obama's worth by his willingness to attack Clinton. I spent part of the day of the debate watching a parade of talking heads expatiate endlessly on how dire was the need for Obama to go macho. It was 'journalism' at its most useless."

More: "Obama's low-key campaign has been confusing to the press, and perhaps to the public, from the start. A few days before the debate, I spent a day with Obama in Iowa, and the most striking thing to me about the Senator's performances was the scrupulous honesty of his answers, his insistence on delivering bad news when necessary."

For those who've read Joe Klein's "Politics Lost" will realize that it appears Klein has found himself a candidate.

The third-party candidate-in-waiting, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg comes to the DC area today, which inevitably leads to articles like this one: Could he still jump into the race?

Meanwhile, the Washington Times finds some GOP strategists who now would like to see Bloomberg run, because they think he'll siphon off more Dem votes than GOP ones. Thompson pollster John McLaughlin believes that, over time, Bloomberg's issue positions would identify him more as a Democrat and then that would hurt Democrats.

But we continue to ask: Doesn't a Bloomberg candidacy take enough white indie votes to make it easier for Clinton to carry Southern states with large African-American populations?

The AP's Mike Glover does a pretty good tutorial explaining the importance of  "2nd choice" and threshold for the Democratic caucuses.

Richardson, for instance, may be polling in the low double-digits in Iowa, but he could fail to get to the 15% threshold making his supporters -- potentially -- the single most sought-after group by the three Iowa front-runners.

If you are wondering what's taking New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner so long in deciding his state's primary date… He's waiting for Michigan to make sure they don't pull a December surprise or don't try to hold their primary on the same day as they pick.  

Just what does the White House end up doing if Mukasey isn't confirmed as attorney general?  One of the only reasons this guy was nominated because he could get confirmed, right?

Two more Senate Judiciary Democrats -- Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) -- came out against Mukasey. Assuming the nine Republicans on the committee come out in

favor of Mukasey's nomination, it will take just one Democrat to get him out of committee and on the Senate floor. The undecided Senate Jud Dems: Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Pat Leahy (Vt.), Ted Kennedy (Mass.), Herb Kohl (Wis.), Russ Feingold (Wis.), Ben Cardin (Md.) and the Dem who originally recommended Mukasey for the job, Chuck Schumer (N.Y.).

And Karen Hughes becomes the last member of the Bush "Iron Triangle" to leave the Bush Administration. "Her departure closes out a two-year effort that gave a high profile to the administration's efforts to improve America's reputation overseas but did not reverse a continuing decline that was caused in large part by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and other Bush foreign policy decisions."