Rasmussen: Obama Ahead Of Hillary
A new Rasmussen poll has Barack Obama leaping ahead of Hillary Clinton nationally, with 32% to her 30%, followed by John Edwards at 17%. This is notable in being the first national poll ever showing Obama ahead of Clinton — though as we have previously noted, Rasmussen has consistently given the best results of any national pollster for Obama against Hillary.

Washington Post Channels Joe Lieberman In Mark Penn Profile
In a big profile of Hillary pollster Mark Penn, today's Washington Post makes the rather startling assertion -- in its news pages, no less -- that centrist, pro-war Dems come from the "national security" wing of the Democratic Party. Check it out.

Gallup: Rudy Still Leads Among Conservatives
Rudy Giuliani still has a large lead among self-described conservative Republicans, Gallup notes. An aggregate of Gallup polls over the last two months finds Giuliani with 31% of conservatives, followed by John McCain at 19%, Fred Thompson 13%, Newt Gingrich 11%, and Mitt Romney 8%. Rudy leads among Republicans in the East, the Midwest, and even the South by wide margins, and still narrowly leads John McCain in the West. Rudy does stronger among moderate Republicans, with 41%, but it may still require a strong conservative backing of a single candidate to overtake Rudy even among conservative voters.

Hillary Drops "Rodham"
Hearst Newspapers reports that Hillary Clinton's campaign has dropped the use of her maiden name in campaign literature. When asked if this was a deliberate strategic move, Clinton aide Howard Wolfson replied, "That's a fair question, but there's no plan behind it." Penn State sociologist and author Laurie Scheuble argues that this could be an effort to fit Clinton with American norms. "To most people, family means everyone having the same last name," Scheuble said.

Obama Campaign Caught Using Government Equipment
Newsweek reports that Barack Obama's official Senate scheduler, Robert Gibbs, used a government office fax to send out a 36-page call list for the campaign, including various tips on how to round up endorsements from key party figures. It is legal for Gibbs to collect two paychecks, one from the campaign and the other from the Senate office, but using his government office to send the fax was in violation of federal law, Newsweek argues. "It should not have happened, and we will make sure that it will not happen again," Gibbs said.

Richardson Named Anti-Roe Justice As Model Judge
The Washington Times notes that Bill Richardson's choice of a model Supreme Court Justice, which he named at last Thursday's debate as the late Byron White, was a dissenting vote in Roe v. Wade. When asked about this at a press conference, Richardson disputed the fact of the matter — meaning he was either dodging the question, or simply mis-remembering the facts of White's tenure and his decision in Roe. "Are you sure? Roe versus Wade?" Richardson said. "He was in the '60s. I think an opponent of mine gave you that."

Corporate Contributions Swing To Dems
The Wall St. Journal reports that corporate political contributions have shifted massively towards the Democrats, now that the Dems are in the majority. In the last quarter, corporate PAC's sent 56.6% of their money to Democrats, as opposed to only 34.1% to Democrats throughout the last campaign cycle. With Democrats in the majority and holding strong influence over legislation affecting various business sectors, corporations "are going to give to the chairman, they're going to give to the gatekeepers no matter what," says Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Edwards: Tax Increases For The Rich Possible
The Associated Press reports that John Edwards said he would consider raising taxes on the wealthy in order to fund social programs he would like, notably an initiative for universal health care. "It's just the truth," Edwards said at a news conference. "It's the only way to fund the things that need to be done."

WaPo Profiles Mississippi Dem's Religious Populism
The Washington Post has a profile of attorney John Arthur Eaves, who is running a campaign for Governor of Mississippi on a platform combining religious social conservatism with economic populism. "A lot of people ask me, 'How are you a Democrat and a Christian?'" Eaves says. "And I say, 'Because I'm a Christian, I'm a Democrat.' Christ healed the sick, reached out to the poor and came to tell us the truth, which today would translate into support for health care and education. Christ came to help people, and I believe that's the role of the Democratic Party." Eaves faces an uphill climb against incumbent Republican Governor Haley Barbour.

Corzine Leaving Hospital Today
The Star-Ledger reports Governor Jon Corzine (D-NJ) is leaving the hospital today, 18 days after sustaining serious injuries in a car crash. Corzine will be transported to the Governor's official residence in Princeton, where he will receive further medical care.