1. The American right | Under the weather | Economist.com: “The conservative movement that for a generation has been the source of the Republican Party’s strength is in the dumps”
2. Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll by a Sizable Margin – New York Times
For all the hoopla and hype — there were news crews here from around the globe — the political significance of this event was questionable. Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, like Mr. McCain, said he would not compete in the poll, citing the early advantage that Mr. Romney had built.
…
It cost $35 to cast a vote, and most of the campaigns picked up the cost of the voting tickets. Mr. Romney dispatched a fleet of buses to bring in his supporters.
…
it sought to replicate the strategy that won George W. Bush the nomination in 1999. The campaign spent $25,000 to rent the patch of lawn where they pitched a tent for the afternoon. He received about the same percentage of votes as Mr. Bush did eight years earlier.
3. For a Joke-Telling Candidate, a Second-Place Finish – New York Times
In West Des Moines the other evening, he was talking about cutting spending and taxes to an attentive audience when he was halted by the trill of a cellphone.
“If that’s Dick Cheney wanting me to go on a duck hunt, tell him I’m not doing it,” he said.
Snap Judgment 