Friday Briefing (November 30, 2007)

Republicans

Fred Thompson: Thompson, realizing these debates show him not at his best, proposes an alternative that will never, ever happen … You want proof that these debates are not the best for Thompson? He had to clarify that he was against abortions in almost all cases. Yes, the candidate who less than a month ago was endorsed by the NLRC had to clarify that. The new language seems to be ‘prohibited,’ but he does not say by whom; I imagine it’s the states given his prior statements…

John McCain: Jim Geraghty at NRO thinks McCain won the debate. … McCain is not seeing progress in the polls, in large part still because of his immigration and campaign finance positions, even though he can tout Iraq now. … McCain did a MTV/Myspace forum, talking in part about the dangers of global warming.

Mike Huckabee: A review of Huckabee’s record on taxes finds mixed results. … David Yepsen says Huckabee should be considered a top tier candidate now. … Huckabee was on Hardball and talked extensively about religion, while also criticizing the questions asked in the debate. It’s worth a read, if only to see Matthews go on and on about no religious test for public office and then only ask Huckabee questions relating to his faith…

Mitt Romney: A new poll shows Romney down three points in Iowa to Huckabee, and you know what that means: new commercials and new mailings from Romney. … The WSJ looks at the campaign work of Romney’s sons. … Romney made a dumb mistake in regards to the Red Sox in the debate, saying they waited 87 years, not 86 for a title. …

Ron Paul: Paul is on track to raise the most money of any Republican candidate; I’m not sure that doesn’t say more about the rest of the candidates than it does Ron Paul and how alienated the civil libertarian wing of the Republican Party feels right now. I wonder if any of the other candidates can tap into that at all. I’m not terribly optimistic. … More on Paul and that superhighway, including government denials that will appease no one who believes in it. …

Rudy Giuliani: Giuliani calls the Politico story on funding a dirty trick; Jonathan Martin at Politico shrugs it off with some good comments. That’s not an especially convincing angle, especially since the Giuliani campaign was notified of the impending article earlier in the week. More facts are still emerging. … The Economist says Giuliani would be the candidate for those who think Bush has been timid in foreign policy. …  Giuliani has a new ad up in NH, trying to make a push with Romney slipping virtually everywhere. …  An extensive fact check of Giuliani’s boasts about NYC crime going down finds that he might be overstating what he did. … Giuliani’s business ties to Qatar are being looked into for terrorist links. …

Democrats

Barack Obama: Obama met with NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg this morning over breakfast in what was technically a private meeting, in as much as breakfast in front of a window before members of the NY media can be private. You can read more on this here or virtually anywhere, and see video clips (very pointless, imho) 105863">here. My take is that Bloomberg needed the meeting to be this public far more than Obama did. … Obama maintains his statistically insignificant lead in Iowa. … Obama rallied in Harlem last night with Cornel West and Chris Rock, and met with Al Sharpton prior to the event. …

Hillary Clinton: Reporters have struggled getting access to Clinton. Ipol commented on just that. … Hillary Clinton addressed Rick Warren’s AIDS conference and got rave reviews. … The Boston Globe says that New Hampshire is becoming Clinton’s firewall with Iowa so tight, but that race is tightening as well. …  Clinton’s campaign is calling for Obama’s health care ad in New Hampshire to be taken down; neither side is giving up over the mandates, but Clinton’s constantly on the offense and Obama constantly on defense on the subject. That has to favor Clinton if anyone. …

John Edwards: Edwards is also now too criticizing Obama’s health care plan. … The Des Moines Register takes a look at the vast differences in style and substance in John Edwards between now and four years ago, starting with the line: “John Edwards tells voters that there are still two Americas. What Iowa caucusgoers must decide is if there are two John Edwardses.” … Edwards outlined his trade policy in Iowa. …

The Rest: Joe Biden is at 8 percent and Bill Richardson at 4 in the newest ARG poll. Ipol’s take says everything I could possibly want to say on it. … Richardson is still trying in Iowa, even with prospects looking bleak. … Joe Biden threatened impeachment if Bush attacked Iran without the consent of Congress; somehow, I think that threat is more meaningful than Kucinich’s. Biden also attempted to flip the Secretary of State argument on its head. …