From NBC's Chuck Todd
So are you wondering what Romney will say this Thursday in his speech on his Mormon faith? The most extensive remarks he's made recently on the subject was during a Face the Nation interview in late October, when CBS' Bob Schieffer pressed Romney for a good 10 minutes on the topic.

Sources tell First Read to expect some of the language Romney used in this Q&A to show up in a speech -- a speech, by the way, which Romney is writing himself.

The exchange is below...

SCHIEFFER: Governor, thank you for joining us. You`ve come to Washington to try and win the votes of these conservative Christian evangelicals. In light of that, is it fair to ask you about your faith? I mean, I`m wondering, how much about his faith do you think a candidate is obligated to share with voters?

MITT ROMNEY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can ask anything you`d like. I don`t feel bad at all about people asking me about my faith. I think it`s natural. Most people don`t know very much about it. And so, if they want to ask questions, I`m happy to respond.

If they have questions about the doctrine of my church, I typically direct them to the church, because they could probably do a better job explaining than I can. But in terms of my values, what I think about the future of the country, how my faith impacts my thoughts about important issues, then I`m of course open to all those topics.

SCHIEFFER: Well, let me just, for example, rightly or wrongly, a Newsweek poll says that 28 percent of the people they polled said they would not vote for a Mormon. I know your staff has said that`s irrelevant because they should be asked would they vote for you. But do you feel compelled to explain your religion or your relationship to it, or is that something that ought to be off bounds?

ROMNEY: No, no. I`m happy to have people ask questions. That doesn`t bother me. And I think the reason that some 28, 29 percent are not comfortable voting for a Mormon is they think they`re voting for Harry Reid. That`s not the case.

I think as people say, would you vote for Mitt Romney, and they get to know me and my wife and my family, they realize that our values are as American as any values you`ll find in the country, and they`re comfortable with us. Of course there will be some who don`t come on board.

But by and large, people will make their decision not based on where you go to church but instead based upon your values, your vision for the country and your ability to actually help the country at a time of great need.

SCHIEFFER: Well, will you ever make a speech like Jack Kennedy did back in 1960 when Catholicism was an issue for a lot of people? Would you ever make a speech outlining how you feel about your religion and the part it plays in your life?

ROMNEY: Well, I certainly get a chance almost every day to add one or two things to that speech. I probably could never do something that would compare to what John F. Kennedy did. His was a masterpiece in American political history.

But maybe there`s a time when I talk mostly about religion, although I don`t know. At this stage I`m getting good support across the country. People want to know a bit about my faith. They learned a bit about it.

And they say, OK, well, that`s fine. Now, what do you think about the jihad? What do you think about being competitive with China? How can you fix our schools? What are you going to do about health care? And those issues overtake any differences with regards to religion they might see.

But maybe down the road there will be a speech. Just haven`t made a final decision on that.

SCHIEFFER: Well, I would just think, for example, you know, there are many different people who call themselves Christians. I consider myself a Christian, but I don`t necessarily believe or take every line in the Bible literally. Other Christians do.

Do you take literally the teachings of your church?

ROMNEY: I do. I`m not going to try and distance myself in any way, shape or form from my faith. It was the faith of my fathers, of my sons, a long tradition in my family. I`m, as I say, true blue through and through. And so I accept the teachings of our church, and I do my best to live by those teachings.

It hasn`t made me perfect. I`m far from that. But I`m probably a better person than I would have been and my kids are better than they would have been without faith. And you know, I don`t try and be critical of other people`s faith. Actually, I`m of the view that religious individuals have an enormous advantage in stability in their life. And I respect the work that`s being done by ministers of all faith. I think it draws people closer to God and makes us better people.

SCHIEFFER: Well, I remember during one of the Republican debates people were asked -- various candidate, did they believe in evolution. And I believe you said that you did.

ROMNEY: Yes, I do. Yes, it`s very consistent with me to believe that there is a God and a creator, but that he might use the tools of science as we`re learning them to help create the human body.

Now, I don`t think he created the human spirit or soul that way, but I think that`s something that comes from God. But how he created our body is something which I think science will help to find.

And I don`t argue with science. I believe there`s no conflict between true religion and true science. And we have got a lot to learn. There`s so much we don`t know, probably both on the scientific front as well as on the front of theology.

SCHIEFFER: I`m told that the Mormons teach that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri. Is that correct?

ROMNEY: You know, there are probably the right folks to give you the answers to questions related to Mormon teachings. So I`ll probably let them respond to questions about specific doctrines. But what I can tell you is that the values of my faith are founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and the same kind of philosophy that`s associated with other Christian faiths and the Jewish faith and others is very much consistent with ours. The view that there is a God that created us, that all the children on Earth are of the same, if you will, divine origin, that the loss of one life anywhere is the loss of a fellow son or daughter of God, that liberty is a gift of God. These fundamental principles are the same faith to faith.

SCHIEFFER: Bob Jones, who heads Bob Jones University down in South Carolina recently endorsed you. And he said this week that he is completely opposed to the doctrines of Mormonism, but he said he preferred your erroneous faith to Hillary Rodham Clinton`s lack of religion.

ROMNEY: Isn`t that a great line?

SCHIEFFER: Can you accept that endorsement?

ROMNEY: Oh, I`m happy to receive endorsements from individuals. And of course, we have different faiths. I`m not expecting him to endorse my faith. I`m not asking anyone to do that. I`m asking him to look at me as an American and judge my values, learn about me and my family, my character, and decide whether I could help America at a critical time. And I`m pleased that you have an evangelical Christian leader who says, look, Mitt Romney is a guy who is a social conservative, an economic conservative, a foreign policy conservative. Those three branches, if you will, of conservatism have to be united if we`re going to win the White House.

And so, his endorsement is good news to me. But I don`t endorse -- or excuse me, I don`t expect him to endorse my religion.

SCHIEFFER: Why do you think that a lot of evangelical Christians do have a problem with you and with your religion?

ROMNEY: Well, religions are different. And in some respects, our faith has a different take on various religious issues, as do other faiths. And so in the competition, if you will, of religion and what`s a true doctrine and what`s not, there will be a lot of contrasts between the different faiths of the world.

But when it comes to the values of our faith -- I was with Jerry Falwell before he passed away, and he said, look, when we were fighting to stop gay marriage, he said, I got together with the Mormons in California and the leadership of your church, and we fought to try and stop gay marriage, because on a value basis, we come from the same place.

And I think that`s going to be true for people who take a good look at me. They`re not going to accept my religion necessarily, but they will certainly see me as someone who can be one of those who can carry the standard of conservatives for social, major social issues.

SCHIEFFER: Would you just -- I think back to the speech that Kennedy made. And people were worried about that somehow or another, he might take orders from the pope. How would you describe your relationship to the church and how you would see the responsibilities and duties of the president?

ROMNEY: Well, no president could possibly take orders or even input from a religious leader telling him what to do. I guess you could always listen to ideas, but you certainly wouldn`t be guided by someone outside the constitutional circle, if you will.

I subscribe to something Abraham Lincoln spoke about when he was a young man. He said you take the oath of office, and you subscribe to America`s political religion. That is you take the oath of office and the rule of law as your primary promise to God. And that`s the way I feel.

My church wouldn`t endeavor to tell me what to do on an issue, and I wouldn`t listen to them on an issue that related to our nation. If I`m president to the United States and put my hand on the Bible, I do what the Constitution tells me, what the rule of law tells me. I certainly don`t do what leader of my church or any other tells me to do.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
A new AP-Pew poll shows Clinton ahead nationally and in the three early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. This poll will likely get a lot of play, because it is connected with a wire service, but it should be noted that the state polls were conducted over two-and-a-half weeks from Nov. 7 to 25. The national poll was conducted from Nov. 20 to 26.

In Iowa, the poll finds Clinton leading -- within the margin of error -- Obama and Edwards, 31%-26%-19%. Richardson holds at 10%. In New Hampshire, the New York senator leads Obama two to one, 38%-19%. Edwards is close behind with 15% and Richardson, again, was fourth with 10%. In South Carolina, Clinton also holds a double-digit lead, 35%-21%, over Obama. Edwards is third with 10%. In the Palmetto State, Clinton and Obama split the black vote (Obama 44%, Clinton 43%), but Clinton leads disproportionately among whites.

Nationally, where Clinton has led for months, she is ahead of Obama and Edwards, 48%-22%-11%.

From NBC's Mark Murray
So whose mug graces the cover of the latest issue of GQ? Bill Clinton's. "Bill Clinton leads our Men of the Year issue," the mag declares.

Of course, remember that the Clinton camp reportedly threatened not to cooperate with this coverstory if GQ ran a critical piece on the Clinton campaign by Atlantic Monthly writer Joshua Green.

GQ spiked Green's piece.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
In the past two weeks, health care has come to the forefront of the Democratic race again with Clinton attacking Obama for his plan. So Edwards, whose campaign touts that it was out first with a plan that is now very similar to Clinton's, is trying to inject himself into the argument with a new 30-second spot in New Hampshire.

In the ad, he stresses his opposition to negotiating with drug companies, something he routinely talks about in his stump speeches. "You're gonna sit at a table with drug companies and oil companies, and they're gonna give away their power. Right," Edwards says sarcastically in the ad. "You have to take their power away from them."

[YouTube:ExTeXY2RMHA]

Here's the full transcript of "Together":
EDWARDS: "We don't have universal health care because of drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbyists in Washington, D.C. And anybody who argues that every American's not entitled to health care, I want them to explain to you, what child in this country is not worthy of health care. You're gonna sit at a table with drug companies and oil companies, and they're gonna give away their power. Right. You have to take their power away from them. There is nothing that we can't do if we do it together.

"I'm John Edwards, and I approve this message."

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Not only will Romney give his speech on faith and Mormonism on Thursday, but the ex-governor is also trying to speak at South Carolina's only megachurch. According to Ron Carpenter, the head of Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville, SC, Romney has been pressing hard to speak at the church, which has 13,000 members.

Carpenter told me that he is still thinking and praying on allowing Romney to speak at Redemption World. Obama spoke there recently, and there was a huge backlash from white Christians and Republicans for letting that "Muslim" speak, although Obama is a Christian.

But Carpenter is a huge fan of Obama, and says he's open to any candidate who would want to speak and make a testament to his "Christian" faith at the church. But at the same time, he hedged at the idea of letting other Dems come to the church.

Carpenter said that Republicans love coming there because redemption is the headquarters for a church network that includes several hundred churches and millions of members. Carpenter has never endorsed because he says he's looking for that candidate who could have a social agenda that cares about the plight of the inner cities and can connect with his mixed race congregation and have socially conservative values. 

I asked him if he had ever heard of Mike Huckabee and he said he really hadn't...

First Read contacted the Romney campaign about Carpenter's assertion that Romney wants to speak at his church, but his campaign hasn't yet responded. *** UPDATE *** A Romney spokeswoman emails us, "To our knowledge, no one directly involved with the governor's scheduling has had discussions with the Redemption World Outreach Center about the Governor speaking there."

*** UPDATE II *** The Romney spokeswoman, in a follow-up email, stresses again that the campaign hasn't contacted Carpenter, and that Romney has no plans to visit his church.

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
Clinton will step up attacks on Obama today, claiming he ducked tough issues as an Illinois state legislator -- and that he can't be a "change agent" if he doesn't know how to fight for change.

According to aides, at her first event today, Clinton will give a tough speech outlining her differences with Obama -- and will lay out examples from his record where she says he's backed away from tough decisions. The campaign believes this proves that he is not up to a fight with Republicans.

Clinton will claim that Obama voted "present" among the highest percentage of Illinois state legislators. The point is that when controversial issues came up he ducked -- including votes on gun control in schools and women's right to choose.

According to campaign sources, her new strategy will be to tell voters that -- contrary to Obama's theme that you can't be an agent of change if you're a veteran of past political battles -- that the only way to win "change" is to be a fighter.

Responding to criticism that Clinton made a mistake by going after Obama's ethics and character last night, aides say "she thinks if there are criticisms to make, she should be the one making them. There are important differences between her and the other candidates, especially Obama. She thinks she needs to make that case, and that there are differences people don't know."

A senior aide chimed in: "You have to make the case, and the candidate is the most effective person to do it. They've questioned her character for six weeks -- she's going to respond."

Why is Obama now doing better with women? Their answer: "Obama has been attacking her in Iowa for more than a month. Those attacks have been unresponded to -- but they won't any longer."

Aides say that today, "She won't mention Obama by name -- but she'll go through and chop up his argument that because you've been in fights, you can't be an agent of change. She'll say you can't be change unless you've been in some fights and know how to fight, because change is hard. She will go through examples where he has backed down in face of adversity -- in the Senate and in the Illinois state legislature."

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** One month out: Now that the Iowa caucuses are exactly one month away, it wasn't surprising that we saw another wild weekend. A new Des Moines Register poll had Obama and Huckabee -- yes, Huckabee -- leading their respective fields; probably not unrelated, Clinton went on the attack, and the Romney campaign announced that the former Massachusetts governor will give his Mormon speech on Thursday; McCain picked up a coveted endorsement from the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader's editorial page; and LSU (which has lost two games) and Ohio State (which lost just a few weeks ago) will face each other in perhaps the least-anticipated college football championship game in ten years. (With the expedited primary calendar, we're now not too disappointed we're going to miss the bowl games…) How wild was the weekend? No one is talking about Friday's hostage situation… It's also worth pointing out that few were talking about Edwards and Thompson…

*** It's all about trust…: Perhaps the most interesting news over the weekend was the Des Moines Register poll showing Obama leading Clinton among women, 31%-26%. Also: "Thirty percent of Democratic caucusgoers viewed Sen. Clinton as either mostly or very unfavorably, behind U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel. She topped the list of candidates whose nomination would be one of the biggest disappointments at 27 percent." This is just our educated guess, but it appears that women have shifted away from Clinton on the trust issue. Ask former DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel about the importance of "trust" female voters. And that's why the Clinton camp went on the offensive over the weekend, trying to paint Obama as something he's not -- on campaign finance and health care.

*** On the attack: But it just wasn't campaign finance and health care. The Clinton camp also went after Obama on the issue of ambition, questioning his statement over the weekend that he's not running for president "to fulfill some long held plans." A Clinton research document pointed out -- from friends, family, and teachers -- that Obama has thought about running for president. But how does Team Clinton look on the attack here? This is certainly not Iowa Nice. The Clinton campaign is dropping the hammer in press releases, but we still don't know if she'll do it in paid media. She talked about fighting back as "fun," which camp Obama used as example of her running a "textbook" campaign.

*** Here it comes: As for Romney's Big Speech on Thursday, a Romney adviser told First Read months ago that the speech would be in December. The thinking was, do it when it counts. (That said, another Romney adviser told Beliefnet.com last week that the speech wouldn't come until next year or the general election.) Will it work? According to an AP article in August, there are some big differences between the speech JFK gave in 1960 and the one Romney will give on Thursday. For starters, when Kennedy ran, 28% of the country was Catholic versus the 2% the Mormon voting populace is today. Moreover, when father George Romney ran in 1968, his Mormonism didn't garner much attention. But that's likely because most evangelicals were Southern Democrats -- not Republicans -- back then. Romney's speech on Thursday will either work, making him look like a leader and he stops the Iowa bleeding. Or it doesn't, and he continues to fade, making a run at becoming this year's Phil Gramm or Howard Dean.

*** The survivor? We can't believe we're saying this, but the idea of McCain as last man standing in the GOP field is suddenly not so crazy. The thinking behind this is: 1) Huckabee wins Iowa, but there is no way the Republican Party hands the nomination to Huckabee; 2) Rudy's next three weeks are as brutal as last week; and 3) Thompson doesn't catch fire. If those three things happen, then McCain becomes a stronger possibility, right? In fact, does anyone else see the parallels between this year's BCS and the GOP race? No one seems to want to be No.1. But, eventually, someone has to play for the title -- er -- nomination. Before this year, no two-loss team had been in the national title game. If there is any candidate that looks like a two-loss team, it's McCain.

*** Rudy catches a break? Speaking of Rudy, however, is there anyone happier than Giuliani about the fired up Clinton vs. Obama storyline, as well as the announcement that Romney will give The Speech on Thursday? Suddenly, there just isn't enough media to go around to keep up the developing feeding frenzy on Rudy… Still, don't miss the renewed fire in the New York City press corps to get everything out there AGAIN. Giuliani campaign continues to answer these charges with two words: "old news." But is it old news to voters in Iowa and New Hampshire that he conducted an extramarital affair a few years ago? Sure, he eventually married her, but...

*** On the trail: Almost everyone is in Iowa today: Biden gives a talk on Iran and foreign policy in Iowa City; Clinton attends "take your buddy to caucus" events throughout the state; Dodd has a town hall in Des Moines; Edwards hits community meetings in Waterloo, Fort Madison, and Burlington; Huckabee campaigns in Des Moines and Johnstown; Obama holds a roundtable in Des Moines; and Richardson stumps in the state. Elsewhere, Giuliani delivers remarks in Greensboro, NC; McCain and Romney are in New Hampshire; and Thompson, in DC, has a roundtable with three pro-business trade associations: the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association, and Associated Builders and Contractors.

Countdown to Iowa: 31 days
Countdown to New Hampshire: 36 days
Countdown to Michigan: 43 days
Countdown to Nevada and SC GOP primary: 47 days
Countdown to SC Dem primary: 54 days
Countdown to Florida: 57 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 64 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 337 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 414 days

Click here to sign up for First Read emails.

Today's Washington Post headline says it all: "Losing Ground in Iowa, Clinton Assails Obama." From the story: "Clinton has hammered Obama recently over his health-care proposal, arguing that he is misleading voters because it omits millions of people and would not lower costs. But Sunday, in a dramatic shift, she made it clear that her goal is to challenge Obama not just on policy but also on one of his strongest selling points: his reputation for honesty. 'There's a big difference between our courage and our convictions, what we believe and what we're willing to fight for,' Clinton told reporters here. She said voters in Iowa will have a choice 'between someone who talks the talk, and somebody who's walked the walk.'"

More Clinton: "'I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans, and attacking the problems of our country, because ultimately that's what I want to do as president. But I have been, for months, on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks. Well, now the fun part starts. We're into the last month, and we're going to start drawing the contrasts.'"

That drew a swift rebuke from Obama. "'This presidential campaign isn't about attacking people for fun, it's about solving people's problems, like ending this war and creating a universal health care system,' he said in a statement. 'Washington insiders might think throwing mud is fun, but the American people are looking for leadership that can unite this country around a common purpose.'" 

Here's how the Des Moines Register plays the Clinton promise that she'll get tougher on her primary foes: "Clinton says she'll increase criticism of Democratic rivals."

Per NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan, Obama yesterday also brushed off the Clinton campaign's attacks on his leadership PAC. Obama said those attacks were the product of political frustration since "fortunes have changed." Nothing could underscore that point more than the argument made by Clinton that Obama has also been planning a White House run ever since he entered office. While there's no doubt that with an entrance as grand as he had, his eyes may have been looking past the Senate chamber to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Obama has been making jokes about Clinton having "long-held ambitions" for political office for more than a month now.
 
He first introduced the line in a speech in Spartanburg, SC on November 3. "I am not running for this office to fulfill any long-held plans or because I believe it is somehow owed to me. I never expected to be here, and I always knew the journey would be improbable," he said. Lately, he has been tossing the line in far more frequently. When he used it at the Apollo in Harlem last week, he got a lot of laughs.

More Clinton vs. Obama… The Washington Post looks at the indecision by some black leaders in choosing between Clinton and Obama.  "For black leaders ... the Clinton-Obama rivalry represents a moment of choice for the black political establishment that grew from the civil rights movement. With the African American vote potentially critical once the primary campaign extends beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire, the divided loyalties are making for a complex landscape in heavily black states such as South Carolina, which will hold its primary Jan. 26, and Georgia and Alabama, which will vote Feb. 5."

The Los Angeles Times looks at the three-way rhetorical battle over health care. "Healthcare has spurred some of the fiercest exchanges among Democrats on the campaign trail, with the Clinton campaign demanding that Obama renounce 'misleading' claims and Edwards charging that neither of his chief rivals goes far enough in their reform plans."

"Though the specifics of the healthcare proposals are complex, there are compelling reasons why Clinton has chosen to fight on this ground -- and why Obama and Edwards are fully engaged. The new focus was seized by Clinton's campaign, which has struggled in recent weeks to respond to attacks from Obama and Edwards that she lacks conviction on key issues... In this week's tussle, Clinton used healthcare as a way to turn the tables on her chief rival. Now she is presenting herself as the candidate with core convictions and bold ideas, and portraying Obama as an opponent of true reform who is being disingenuous with voters."

And is the Clinton vs. Obama split causing headaches in the Jackson family? The Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports that Rep. Jackson (who has endorsed Obama) and his mother (who has endorsed Clinton) will be hitting the campaign trail for their respective candidates in the early presidential voting states.

BIDEN: Biden said illegal immigration is a problem that starts in Mexico. "They're being irresponsible," Biden said of Mexico while in Iowa. "This is the second-wealthiest nation in the hemisphere - we're not talking about Sierra Leone. This is a dysfunctional society."

CLINTON: Former congressman -- and presidential candidate -- Dick Gephardt campaigned with Clinton yesterday. 

Apparently, Clinton's campaign in Nevada is using the names of a couple of union members without permission. "The latest twist in an ongoing fight over the backing" of the Nevada SEIU.

The timing of the latest Norman Hsu story in the Los Angeles Times isn't coming at a great time for the Clinton campaign, as it begins to raise questions about Obama's campaign finance issues. "Documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times show how Hsu's business associates traded on his connections -- going so far as to claim that former President Clinton was a Hsu client -- to lure investors into a scheme that took in tens of millions of dollars nationwide. A marketing brochure distributed by an Orange County firm to attract investors to Hsu's business claimed the 56-year-old Hong Kong native's 'extensive political investment community includes former President Bill Clinton, who continues to invest to this day.'"

"Howard Wolfson, a Clinton spokesman, denied that the former president had invested with Hsu. And Sen. Clinton's financial disclosure statements show no investments or income from Hsu for her or her husband."

The Clinton camp is rolling out a policy initiative today, but who knows how much attention it will get. "Clinton Monday will call for a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures on homes with subprime mortgages and a five-year freeze on the interest rates those borrowers must pay. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who is poised to announce the Bush administration's response to the housing troubles today, Clinton warns that foreclosures threaten to cause 'incalculable' cost to the economy."

EDWARDS: Edwards has nabbed the endorsement of fellow trial lawyer and freshman Iowa congressman Bruce Braley (D). "He is the first of Iowa's three Democratic members of Congress to announce his endorsement. The value of any endorsement is always an open question, but as Mr. Edwards seeks to compete for attention and support with Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama, this rollout signals the beginning of an intense final month of the Iowa caucus campaign."

NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller was with Edwards in Iowa yesterday. At one event, following a question on immigration, a man near the back of the gathering told the former senator that he wanted to support a credible candidate, and asked whether his promise to withdraw members of Congress' health care if they don't pass universal health care was credible. "Hundred percent credible," Edwards replied. "The president has veto authority over the budget, number one. Number two, the president has the bully pulpit… If the president of the United States submits legislation to the Congress saying if you have not passed universal health care by July of 2009 that the politicians lose their healthcare, think about this with me: First of all, every Democrat is for it because they're for universal health care, so we're talking about the Republicans. I want to see a Republican senator or congressman who takes the position that they're going to defend their health care and vote against health care for their constituents, because I will go to their congressional district as president, and I will go to their state if they're a senator and make sure that every voter in their state knows they're protecting themselves against the people they represent."

Edwards is up with a new TV ad in New Hampshire, the AP reports. "Edwards on Monday planned to air a television ad in New Hampshire that blames lobbyists for keeping 47 millions Americans without health insurance… 'You're going to sit at a table with drug companies and oil companies and they're going to give away their power. Right,' Edwards says as the ad shows voters laughing at his sarcasm. 'You have to take their power away from them. There's nothing we can't do - if we do it together.'" 

OBAMA: If there is one thing Iowan's don't like, it's shenanigans. The Des Moines Register's Yepsen has a VERY provocative headline, "The Illinois Caucus." The piece is about a brochure the Obama camp is passing out explaining to out-of-state Iowa college students that they can participate in the caucuses as long as they register to vote in Iowa. Yepsen: "While it's legal for college students to register to vote in Iowa to do that, this raises the question of whether it's fair, or politically smart. No presidential campaign in memory has ever made such a large, open attempt to encourage students from out of state, many of whom pay out-of-state tuition, to participate in the caucuses. No other campaign appears to be doing it in this campaign cycle."

Didn't Paul Simon, Dick Gephardt, and Walter Mondale all have similar efforts in '84 and '88? All three were from adjacent states. That said, this piece is going to grow in legend. This is the type of stuff the Clinton-supporting blogs will run wild with.

The Sunday New York Times looked at the Obama campaign's stepped up efforts to target women. "This week the Obama campaign held a wave of house parties focused on women in early voting states; Mrs. Obama bluntly told 700 women activists linked by conference call Wednesday night, 'We need you guys.' The campaign also announced that Oprah Winfrey, cultural arbiter for millions of women, will join the cause in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina next weekend."

It may have been a coincidence, but Obama was in Boston last night rallying supporters and asking for Massachusetts residents to cross the border and help him in New Hampshire. "I just got back from Iowa, where it appears we're doing pretty good," Obama told the crowd of nearly 2,000 people who had braved snow and below freezing temperatures to hear him speak. "It's amazing how you go from being D.O.A. to being a genius in about three weeks. But right now we're doing pretty good in Iowa, and we're doing pretty good in New Hampshire, because the American people are ready for change and this campaign is about change that you can believe in."

NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports: Scattered throughout the crowd in the large Park Plaza Castle were nearly 50 volunteers with clipboards taking down contact information for supporters who were interested in traveling to New Hampshire and canvassing for Obama. A pair of volunteers who stood out in the cold recruiting canvassers as they waited in line to get into the event had each come from nearly an hour outside of Boston to help signup more volunteers.

More frontrunner-like scrutiny for Obama: The AP takes another look at Obama's relationship with lobbyists while he was in the Illinois senate. Obama did nothing illegal with lobbyists, though his actions in the Illinois senate appear to contradict some of his current rhetoric, which is the point of this piece.

RICHARDSON: At the Iowa Brown & Black forum, the "most humorous exchange of the night," the Des Moines Register's Yepsen writes, "was when Bill Richardson smiled and asked Hillary Clinton if governors make good presidents. Cute question. She smiled, let the laughter subside, and replied they also make good vice presidents. The crowd loved it and it's likely to renew speculation he's angling to be her vice presidential pick."

GIULIANI: The former mayor was campaigning in the February 5 state of Georgia over the weekend. Reports NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger from Marietta, GA: Giuliani said the latest surge by Huckabee would not affect his campaign. "You've asked me this at various times about Sen. McCain, you've asked me this about Gov. Romney and Fred Thompson, now Mike Huckabee, and me," Giuliani said. "I'm not concerned about the other candidates. I'm concerned about my campaign, getting my message out, getting my positive message out."

Giuliani said Huckabee was right in exonerating him for recent questions about payment of his security detail as mayor. But he dismissed the suggestion that people voting for Huckabee were in essence supporting Giuliani by voting against Romney. "A vote for Gov. Huckabee is a vote for Gov. Huckabee. A vote for Giuliani is a vote for Giuliani, and you can go on and on and on and on."

By the way, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) campaigned with Giuliani Sunday and expressed strong support for the former New York City mayor, but did not officially endorse him.

Giuliani has an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal on "fiscal discipline.

The Giuliani expenses story lives on, as the New York tabs find more ex-officials to comment. The New York Post: "Tryst fund 'sickens' ex-official." "'The cover-up of this and the explanations for it have been so disingenuous,' said Brendan Sexton, who chaired the Procurement Policy Board in 2000. The panel was charged $29,757 for travel bills racked up by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's security detail as he hung out with then-girlfriend Judith Nathan on Long Island. 'He didn't want anybody to know what he was doing. That's the truth.'" Sexton is a Democrat who served as sanitation commissioner under Ed Koch." 

HUCKABEE: The New York Times looks at the hurdles Huckabee could face in order to hold his new lead in Iowa. "While Mr. Romney has built up an extensive field operation, run methodically from his campaign headquarters outside Des Moines, Mr. Huckabee's approach is more ad-hoc as he has sought to take advantage of religious and church networks to press his message. 'Romney has a turn-out machine: no one is going to dispute that,' said Chuck Laudner, the executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. 'What Huckabee has to rely on is that faith community, which is a ready-made machine: churches, home schoolers. Huckabee is getting in volunteers what Romney has to pay for. But there's just no telling what it means until the results come in."

Does this show Huckabee is not the businessman's Republican? George Will, who has lauded Giuliani, tears into Huckabee.

What is the fallout for the Club for Growth that they have failed -- so far -- from keeping Huckabee from taking off? Won't this hurt the Club's reputation as a major player in the GOP?

The Los Angeles Times has a getting-to-know-Huckabee's Arkansas record story.

The Washington Post's Cillizza profiles man who may be more responsible for Huckabee's rise than any other: a physician from Montgomery, Ala., named Randy Brinson. "Brinson is the keeper of a massive e-mail list of much-coveted Christian voters that Huckabee is using to reach and organize people in early-voting states such as Iowa. Brinson's list numbers about 71 million contacts, with 25 million identified as belonging to '25 and 45 years old, upwardly mobile, right-of-center, conservative households,' he said."

MCCAIN: Here's the Union Leader's endorsement of McCain: "Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water."

Longtime readers of David Broder will not be surprised by this declaration: "If the Republican Party really wanted to hold on to the White House in 2009, it's pretty clear what it would do. It would grit its teeth, swallow its doubts and nominate a ticket of John McCain for president and Mike Huckabee for vice president -- and president-in-waiting."

PAUL: He's polling at 7% in a new Iowa poll, a 3-point bump from October, and the Des Moines Register's Yepsen wrote on Saturday: "Paul could challenge Rudy Giuliani for a third-place finish -- if he spends more time in Iowa and some of that wad of money he's raised on the Internet. He needs to show his zealous supporters just how to attend a GOP caucus."

Unlike Huckabee, Paul is still only getting "gee whiz"/oddball type coverage. The Los Angeles Times checked in with a local group of Pasadena Paul supporters. "Given the cacophonous voices gathered under the Paul tent, at least a little dissension should hardly be surprising. At the recent gathering in La Cañada Flintridge, Paul activists described voting in the past for candidates ranging from President Bush and Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry, to Ralph Nader, Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot."

ROMNEY: The Los Angeles Times notes how both Romney and Clinton are changing tactics after their poll slides in Iowa. "Romney announced that he would deliver a speech Thursday on religion, a subject that he has been reluctant to touch despite growing signs that voters are leery of putting a Mormon in the White House. As recently as last week, Romney's eldest son, Tagg, said in an interview that he was beseeching his father to give such a speech but had yet to persuade him.

More: "Romney's Mormonism 'is definitely a factor in the race,' said one Huckabee aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the aide is not authorized to talk publicly. 'To a lot of people, [Mormonism] is a strange religion that they don't understand.'" 

This is not a good sign. Romney chief social conservative surrogate, James Bopp, is making the case that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for Giuliani. "Bopp's rhetoric was aimed not just at Giuliani but also at former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who has made up considerable ground on Romney in recent week here in the Hawkeye State. 'I love Mike Huckabee," Bopp said, quickly adding: 'Something I know for sure [is] he does not have the resources to compete.' Boiled down, Bopp's argument is simple: You might like Huckabee best but he can't win. So, vote for the guy -- Romney -- you like second best."

Of course, this is how John Kerry eventually overtook Dean. You may love Dean, but you'll like Kerry.

Michigan was stripped of all of its delegates by the DNC for moving its nominating contests to Jan. 15. The move was widely expected after similar action was taken by the DNC against Florida. "I think it is unconscionable that we continue to grant special treatment to some states in this process," Michigan party Chair Mark Brewer told a DNC panel per the New Hampshire Union Leader.

The Iraq debate returns to the Senate floor, but it won't stay long, NBC Ken Strickland reports. Later today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to announce he'll bring back the $50-billion war-funding bill, which includes a December 2008 timeline for most troop withdrawal. Reid has scheduled a news conference for 1:00 pm ET today on Capitol Hill.  "We will return our legislative focus to ending the war in Iraq that has cost our troops and our country so dearly," he'll say according to prepared remarks.

This is the same House-passed bill that failed to meet the Senate's 60-vote threshold for passage (53-45) about two weeks ago -- the last day the chamber voted before Thanksgiving recess. The outcome should be no different this time around, but Reid may get even less support if he's unable to lure three of his presidential candidates (Biden, Clinton, and Obama) off the trail. (Dodd voted against it saying the measure didn't go far enough.) Debate will likely start on Tuesday, with a vote on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, President Bush will appear in the Rose Garden at 10:00 am ET today to make remarks criticizing Congress on spending and war funding, NBC's John Yang reports. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino says he will not take questions.

Ex-White House Chief of Staff Andy Card is disputing Karl Rove's contention earlier this week that the White House was NOT pushing for the Iraq War resolution vote to take place before the 2002 elections. Card said on MSNBC, "Sometimes his mouth gets ahead of his brain." Card later said that he had not actually seen Rove's interview and was simply reacting to the host's mischaracterization."

NBC's Ken Strickland notes that other high-profile items slated for action -- or inaction -- in the Senate this week include most of the appropriations bill that fund government operations and expanding the children's heath insurance program. Money expires for both on December 14th and veto threats loom.

Also ready for legislative action are the farm bill and an energy bill that boosts fuel efficiency standards. The foreign intelligence surveillance bill --or FISA-- faces a February deadline. There will also be a big push to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax dilemma before millions of middle-income families get caught in its unintended consequences. "In this final work period, our plate will be full," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will say, according to prepared remarks.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
HUDSON, N.H. -- Beryl Reeve, a true blue Yankees fan in Red Sox nation, was hoping Derek Jeter would come to her 90th birthday party. She settled for Mike Huckabee.

The former Arkansas governor dropped by Reeve's party in Hudson on Saturday, even leading family and friends in singing happy birthday. "About two years from now we can do the birthday party in the White House," Huckabee announced. Reeve told Huckabee that she'd tell all of her friends to vote for him. "You know what, we just carried New Hampshire!" Huckabee replied. "You got more friends up here than I do."

It was a moment that only happens in New Hampshire. And it's typical of how Huckabee has approached his campaign, working one voter at a time as he seeks to climb in the polls here just as he has in Iowa. But at each stop during his weekend trip to the Granite State, the campaign found that trying to hold these small events has become increasingly difficult.

"We're going to have start thinking, 'Do we have to change venues?'" said Debra Vanderbeek, Huckabee's New Hampshire campaign manager. "We can do some of that, but that's not what this is gonna be about. If it was, it would be a different campaign."

At an event in Concord on Friday, there were a half dozen camera crews, a bevy of local and national print reporters, and even some international press. Standing room only crowds also greeted him Saturday at a house party in Bedford and a dentist's office in Keene on Saturday. "We didn't have as many people as we have reporters and cameras here today," Huckabee said in Bedford. He joked that pundits had written his "political obituary" before writing his "birth announcement." "I'd like to prove that there could be a people's president, not just a pundit's president," he said.

With the bigger crowds has come greater scrutiny. And Huckabee has adjusted his stump speech now to include a defense of his record. "The other candidates in our party were pretty much ignoring me," he said Saturday. "And now they just can't say enough about me."

On taxes, he said rivals "don't tell you that I was the first governor in 160 year history of my state to sign the first ever broad-based tax cuts." "Not only did we make some major tax cuts, but we did it for the people who least could afford to pay it, which to me is what good tax policy ought to do," he said.

On immigration, he says he didn't offer "special breaks" for anybody, alluding to Mitt Romney's criticism of an Arkansas proposal to allow the children of illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition rates. "We have inherited a mess not because states messed it up, but because the states have ended up with the responsibility of trying to deal with an issue that our federal government has sat on for over 20 years," he said.

A voter asked about the immigration proposal in Keene, saying it was the one issue preventing her from supporting him at this point. "I understand. And I may not win you over, to be honest with you," Huckabee. It's that straightforward approach that won over Shannon McGinley, who hosted the house party in Bedford. "Even in those times where I may have disagreed with him, the way he's able to articulate his position, it makes people think, 'Well, okay, that makes sense,'" she said. "He has a very unique ability to communicate to people. And I think that's what we need in a candidate."

Now, Huckabee needs to continue working on getting that message out. Vanderbeek jokes that the campaign staff here had doubled -- "We went from three, and now we have five and a half." And instead of working out of "our cars, out of my basement," the campaign has an office on Main Street in Concord.

They've been able to grow slowly as financial support steps up. The increase in poll numbers, specifically in Iowa, has been critical in changing the dynamic. "We're certainly seeing a dramatic turn," Huckabee said Sunday, after he spoke at a religious service in Nashua. "We've raised more money in the month of November than we have raised in the entire campaign up until then. So something is going on that is just simply amazing."

"A lot of people I think have said, 'Well I like Huckabee, but I don't think he can win,'" said Cliff Hurst, co-chair of Huckabee's New Hampshire campaign. "Now I think people are beginning to see with the poll numbers …  it's beginning to come out." The key to continuing the momentum, Hurst says, is keeping up with the direct approach in the early primary states. And he says Huckabee will continue to campaign aggressively here, even if the situation in Iowa is more promising right now. "Once people know him, once they hear him, once they see him, it's pretty much a done deal," he said.

For Richard Reeve, who arranged for Huckabee to attend his mother's birthday party, it was the candidate's "consistent" message that prompted him to take a closer look. "I always felt that of all the candidates when this first started, he was the one who would be most appealing for someone for VP candidate," he said. "But the way things are going now, he's playing a bigger part in this than anyone expected. And he's gonna win a couple of these primaries and who knows what happens from there?"

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
A week and a day after the flap over Giuliani's in-office expenses broke, and five days after the Des Moines Register announced Huckabee was leading the Iowa GOP race for the first time, Mitt Romney will on Thursday deliver his long-awaited speech on faith.

The AP reported late Sunday afternoon that the campaign chose George HW Bush's presidential library in Texas as the venue for Thursday's address. The former president will attend, prompting Secret Service attendance and more security than Romney has had at his events in the past. The campaign announced that the former president's attendance doesn't signify an endorsement.

Just this past Wednesday, not more than an hour before the debate, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said the candidate was still making up his mind - and was "weighing it very heavily."

Romney is currently re-reading Jon Meacham's book, "American Gospel."

Spokesman Kevin Madden added in an e-mail, "Governor Romney felt this was the right time, the right moment. No analysis can interpret perfectly what is truly a personal decision by the governor."

And according to the campaign's statement, "This speech is an opportunity for Governor Romney to share his views on religious liberty, the grand tradition religious tolerance has played in the progress of our nation and how the governor's own faith would inform his Presidency if he were elected.

"Governor Romney understands that faith is an important issue to many Americans, and he personally feels this moment is the right moment for him to share his views with the nation.

"Governor Romney personally made the decision to deliver this speech sometime last week."

From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
FORT DODGE, IA -- Following his remarks at a town hall at Iowa Central Community College, Edwards told reporters that the new Des Moines Register poll showing him trailing Obama and Clinton in Iowa is consistent with all the other polls in the state.

"Basically we have a very tight race here in Iowa between Sen. Clinton, Sen. Obama and myself. That's been true the whole time, and what really matters is, as I learned very up-close-and-personal in 2004, is what happens in the last 30 days," he said. "It's when people start making decisions. It's when they're looking for somebody who will tell them the truth, who will fight for change, and somebody they believe can win the general election. I can do all those things."

During the town hall, Edwards introduced his plan for regulating the credit card industry by creating a commission to provide oversight for financial services products, help state and nonprofit entities offer low-interest loans, and, per the press release, "subsidize bank accounts for low-income workers ... and create work bonds to match their savings."

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
With a super-newsy Des Moines Register poll out, here are a few observations -- for whatever they're worth -- on what I've seen on the ground about the two new leaders in the state: Obama and Huckabee.
 
Obama's new slot at the top has a host of possible causes and factors. But here's one: As someone originally inclined to believe that Obama's massive productions at the Harkin Steak Fry and the Jefferson-Jackson dinner were mostly smoke and mirrors, I am officially (and somewhat begrudgingly) admitting that, here in Iowa, there's some real backbone to his organization.
 
Last week, I went to an Obama campaign event that featured brief remarks by Michelle Obama and the official opening of a new field office in West Des Moines. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about the event, which attracted 60 or 70 people who waited outside in the frigid afternoon for the senator's wife to speak. But what I did notice was this: the young staffers running the event knew most of the attendees personally (and vice versa). When the lead staffer thanked each of her colleagues by name at the beginning of the program, supporters cheered and shouted out things like "We love you, Luke!"

This probably doesn't seem all that noteworthy, but it might be a hint of an important distinction between the Obama campaign and the failed presidential bid of Howard Dean in 2004. Pundits compare the two campaigns frequently, and with reason: Obama, like Dean, is a change candidate with a foundation of support in youth and netroots communities. Dean's campaign fell apart because -- among other things -- it was "made of sand," as one longtime Iowa statesman here put it. Its manpower was entirely disconnected from grassroots activists, and supporters had little allegiance to keep them in the fold when the going got tough.  But Obama supporters appear to have a genuine personal fondness for the young campaign workers who have clearly laid down roots in this community. (This is also evidenced, by the way, when Obama thanks his field organizers at the beginning of every town hall, as he always does. Crowds almost always appear to know the young person with the clipboard who Obama points out by name.)
 
The same thing happened when I went to an bema-sponsored caucus training in Knoxville, IA earlier this week. Staffers packed 37 people into a tiny office to teach them what the big night in January will look like.  They knew almost all of the participants by name, most of whom were first-time caucus-goers who brought their spouses and friends in tow.  Moreover, the mock caucus was FUN -- they voted on PIES instead of actual candidates for a goofy twist -- and the participants came away less intimidated by the whole process. 

It's not clear that this affection and connectness is mirrored in all of the 1,700-odd precincts in Iowa, and it's likely that rival campaigns have equally dedicated and beloved organizers in the field as well. But I came away from both organizational events with a pretty strong sense that these true believers aren't going to disappear on caucus night -- unless their candidate does something truly catastrophic between now and then. He might not gain the votes he needs to win Iowa, but my sense is that he's not at the high risk of losing support that one might have imagined a few months ago. Their sense of membership in the Obama movement, cultivated by these bright-eyed young field organizers, seems awfully strong. 
 

*******
 
As is probably obvious, the same can't be said for Huckabee. Republicans, in general, do far less "touches" between the campaign and voters, and the Huckabee camp in particular appears to be flying by the seats of their pants. Their candidate is EXTREMELY media savvy, but he's still got an uphill battle on the ground.  Watch the trip here on Monday and Tuesday closely -- it's much more oriented towards TV pictures than it is towards real retail politicking. And Huckabee's staff here simply doesn't have the time or resources to be putting rubber to the road in the same way you'll see from Romney (whose campaign uses a traveling bank of cell phones to nimbly move around the state for evening phone-calling efforts). 
 
I won't say go so far as to say that Huck's support is soft, but it's fair to assume that he probably doesn't have the organizational backbone in place now to fend off a devastating hit by a rival campaign. Buzz has served him very well, and his charm and good humor is largely accountable for this surge, but he simply hasn't invested the time yet for the key ingredient -- LOYALTY -- to make those numbers hard enough to withstand attacks. 
 
And attacks will come -- probably from Team Romney -- and they'll fall on the receptive ears of pragmatic Iowan social conservatives who hate Rudy with a passion. There are already loud whispers that a Huckabee victory here would be a dream for Giuliani. I would be surprised if there WASN'T a concerted effort within the conservative community, obvious or otherwise, to take Huckabee down in the name of supporting the more organized and electable social conservative in Mitt Romney.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan and NBC's Mark Murray
DES MOINES , IA -- Today, on CBS, Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson called for Obama to shut down his Hopefund PAC, which, according to news accounts, has distributed a large chunk of contributions to politicians from early nominating states. "There's a lot that voters don't know about Barack Obama," he said. "And one thing they don't know -- we found out this week –- is that he has been using and operating a so-called leadership PAC, in apparent contravention of campaign finance laws, taking in money from lobbyists despite the fact he said he doesn't take money from lobbyists, taking in money from lobbyists and giving money out to candidates in New Hampshire and Iowa to support his presidential campaign."

In a press avail in Iowa today, Obama responded, "I think that folks from some of the other campaigns are reading the polls and starting to get stressed and issuing a whole range of outlandish accusations. Everything that we have done is in exact accordance with the law and unless they can show that it hasn't been. I suggest that they focus on trying to get their supporters to caucus in Iowa."

Obama also said this about the PAC: "I had not been planning to run for president... So by the time we announced that I was running, there was still money left over, which we used to contribute to candidates all across the country to help build a Democratic majority. That was the purpose of it... That is the purpose of all these leadership funds. That is the reason Clinton's leadership fund was set up -- the same reason why multiple candidates have these leadership funds. We just simply didn't have the ability to get all that money out. And I would point out that we have made contributions to many people who are endorsing Sen. Clinton instead of me. Again, I think what people need to focus on is that all these accusations that are starting to come out seem to correspond to shifts in political fortune."

From NBC's Mark Murray
A quick Sunday update: A new Des Moines Register poll has Obama leading Clinton in Iowa, 28%-25%, with Edwards in third at 23%. Obama's lead, however, is within the poll's margin of error of plus-minus 4.4%. In October, Clinton was ahead (at 29%), followed by Edwards (at 23%) and Obama at (22%).

In the GOP field, Huckabee is now leading with 29% -- followed by Romney at 24%, Giuliani at 13%, and Thompson at 9%. Huckabee's 29% is "a gain of 17 percentage points since the last Iowa Poll was taken in early October, when Huckabee trailed both Romney and Fred Thompson."

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, McCain picked up the endorsement's of the state's influential -- and conservative -- Union Leader. "We don't agree with him on every issue. We disagree with him strongly on campaign finance reform," the paper writes. "What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination. Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water."

From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
DES MOINES, IA -- A nasty ice storm didn't slow down Edwards today. While Romney canceled his events in the state and Clinton participated in a forum remotely, Edwards started the day with a forum on children and continued on to the Heartland Presidential Forum. Opening with a church-style call and response in HyVee Hall here, Edwards deftly hailed his theme of cleaning up corruption in Washington and working for men like his father.

Two panels of activists from across the country told Edwards their stories and asked questions about corporate and governmental corruption and racial profiling. Corruption in Washington is a theme of Edwards' campaign, and he used the questions to rally the crowd to "show a little backbone, show a little courage" in fighting that corruption.

That forum followed Edwards' morning appearance at the Every Child Matters forum, where moderators and the questions they read from audience members covered issues like education, after-school programs and poverty. Wearing hiking boots and a suit, Edwards molded these questions to his campaign themes of Washington corruption (referencing his "Brownie's Law" that would require cabinet heads be qualified for their positions) and health care (referencing World AIDS Day).

"We should give people a chance to take care of themselves," he said, summing up his proposals. "That's what this is about. That's what everything we've been talking about today is about -- access to decent health care, access to job opportunities, making our schools work, access to college. This is not about giving away. This is about giving opportunity for people to be able to take care of themselves."

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
DES MOINES, IA -- Clinton is probably glad she wasn't here at the Heartland Presidential Forum to hear the boos from one prominent group in attendance. Heavy booing by members of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, a pro-immigration group based in Chicago, drowned out Clinton's phone response to a question from one of their members. Clinton spoke via phone because of ice storms here and her dealing with yesterday's hostage situation at one of her New Hampshire offices.

Asked by Coalition member Billy Lawless if she would address immigration reform during her first 100 days in office, Clinton did not offer a definite "yes," saying, "Well, you've got to get the Congress to pass the legislation." As hoots crescendoed from the rear of the room, she continued, "The president can do as much as possible, which I will do."

Coalition staff member Ricardo Serrano described the Chicago-based group as a pro-immigrant rights coalition of ethnic and service organizations throughout the state of Illinois. The organization has a heavy Hispanic representation but also includes members of European and Asian groups. Lawless, the man who asked the question that prompted the boos, is an Irish immigrant.

Serrano said that the group has galvanized around opposition to Illinois congressman Rahm Emmanuel, who "pulled a 180 on us" by failing on his promise to push comprehensive immigration reform through the Congress earlier this year. Serrano is concerned that Clinton's recent remarks on drivers' licenses for illegals -- on which he says she has "stumbled, if not completely backtracked" -- might indicate her willingness to brush off immigrant communities.

It's unclear if Clinton could hear the negative reaction over her telephone connection, which organizers explained was a one-way feed. Earlier in Clinton's address, a moderator explained to the crowd that Clinton couldn't hear prompting to cut off an answer that went over her two-minute limit.

"We respectfully request that you restrict your response to two minutes," clarified the moderator after the senator's first response.

"Yes ma'am," came Clinton's crackly response over the speakerphone.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
DES MOINES, IA -- The Democratic presidential candidates braved the ice and snow covering the streets of Des Moines to attend the Heartland Presidential Forum in Des Moines Saturday afternoon. Edwards, Kucinich, Dodd and Obama spoke at the forum. Clinton spoke to the crowd via phone. She had initially canceled her appearance yesterday during the hostage crisis at her field office in Rochester, NH.

The forum, organized by three non-profits, brought together groups of community leaders from Iowa and several other states who worked on issues like farming, immigration and urban poverty. Assembled on the stage were groups of three individuals who told personal stories and asking pointed questions like, "Do you think corporate America has too much power?" But most significantly, it gave a voice to the group of individuals at the crux of one of the most heated political debates in this election cycle -- illegal immigration.

Mayte, a young woman who immigrated with her mother from Mexico when she was 6, made a fiery and teary plea for immigration reform to allow young women like her who had been educated in the United States and were contributing to American society a chance to fully integrate by becoming legal residents. Clinton, in responding to the young woman's story, was booed loudly several times for her answers on immigration reform. Asked if she would commit to providing illegal immigrants a pathway to legalization, Clinton said that the decision rested with Congress.

Another woman, who had graduated from UCLA and had fled from the Vietnam War with her family as political refugees, told Dodd their petition for asylum had been denied years and years later. Another told the story of a raid in Illinois where federal agents had separated a mother from her infant while she was nursing. The case is one that has been raised by Obama on the campaign trail as a reason why, sending illegal immigrants already in the United States back home is an untenable policy.

Unlike Clinton, Dodd committed to providing a pathway to legalization for illegal immigrants within his first 100 days in office, saying, "We've never done anything worthwhile as a nation when we've done it out of fear and hate."

He also said that one president or one party could not solve illegal immigration. It must be added that Dodd and the other candidates had an advantage over Clinton in being present at the forum and could better emotionally respond to the individuals and the stories they were presented with.

Obama had a home-field advantage, with many of the attendees coming from Illinois, and his first question was very soft. He was asked what he would do to help community values, which allowed him to tout his background as a community organizer in Chicago. Obama also took questions on whether the role of government should be expanded, access to universal health care and the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

He said he would commit to putting pressure on lenders and banks to convert adjustable-rate mortgages into fixed-rates mortgages and provide greater government oversight of the mortgage crisis. All five candidates who spoke agreed to meet within their first 100 days to meet with a delegation of the campaign for community values.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
CONCORD, N.H. -- Giuliani picked up the endorsement of the New Hampshire Troopers Association Saturday, marking the first time the law enforcement group has backed a candidate. Giuliani used the occasion to praise troopers and other law enforcement that assisted in Friday's hostage situation at the Clinton Rochester, N.H., campaign office.

"They really, I think, showed us an example of when you have to deal with crises, how to do it," Giuliani said, before reiterating his support for law enforcement and their new role as "first preventers" in the age of terrorism.

Lewis Copponi, the association's president, said backing Giuliani was an easy decision. "His record in New York is unparalleled among the other candidates," he said. "His support of law enforcement is long known."

Giuliani was presented with a trooper fleece vest and hat, and he put on the vest. He teased reporters, who wanted him to try on the hat, but seemed to know it would be on the front page of the next day's New York tabloids and demurred.

From NBC's Abby Livingston
In an interview Thursday with Charlie Rose, Edwards gave insight
into his motivations for running for public office, why he's a better
candidate than his competitors and the effects of his personal life on
his view of the world.

When Rose asked Edwards if his leftward shift since the 2004 campaign
was a result of strategic countering Clinton in the primary, he said,
"That's total nonsense."

Edwards sees his run for vice president in that election as a positive
for his campaign and his authenticity. "It gives you a toughness, a
seasoning and a depth that cannot be achieved in any other way," he
said. "If you haven't been under the microscope, under the national
microscope, where everything you say and do is being examined; if
you've been through that process, which I have, what it does is give
you a confidence and a sure-footedness that you have to, to use your
language, speak truth to power. You have to be willing to say what it
is you actually believe."

Edwards also discussed the difficulties in his personal life. He addressed a subject he has not in his stump: his deceased son. He clarified that Wade's death was not the sole reason he ran for office, but a positive influence on his decision. "I had talked to Wade about it," Edwards said. "So I don't want to overstate that."

He also talked of his wife's battle with cancer. "It gives you a focus and I guess a willingness to say what you really believe, regardless of the political fallout or implications of it, whatever the result is," Edwards said. "And it also makes you understand in a way that I think is hard -- when you face mortality up close, in a very real and human way, with burying your son and watching your wife go through what Elizabeth's going through. What it does is give you a strength and a purpose that I think is hard to find in other ways."

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
Clinton spent about 20 minutes in her Manchester office tonight for what a spokesperson confirmed was a pep talk with some of her New Hampshire team. Shortly after Clinton exited and her motorcade departed, about 50 mostly young staff and volunteers left the campaign office. None would comment on what occurred.

New Hampshire Press Secretary Kathleen Strand also confirmed that Clinton was flying out of Manchester last night.