House Dems Showing Record Unity
For all the talk from pundits of Dem disunity on Iraq, a study by the Washington Post's Paul Kane of the House Democrats shows them maintaining a record level of unity in their newfound majority. The average House Dem votes with the caucus 94% of the time. Compared to the previous record level of partisan cohesiveness — the first two years of the George W. Bush Administration — the GOP majority at the time showed an average party-line voting record of just 90.4%.

Obama Missing Iowa Dem Event Today
Barack Obama will be the only leading Democrat absent from tonight's Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame banquet, which will be attended by 1,000 activists from around the state. Instead, he is finishing up a tour of fundraisers in California and Washington state.

John Edwards, The National Intelligence Estimate, And His Vote For The War
Edwards again says he did read the classified NIE. We have an ongoing and bracing discussion of the significance of his vote to authorize the war, and his repudiation of it, right here.

Romney: Immigration Bill "Not Technically Amnesty"
Mitt Romney, who has ridiculed the immigration bill as being amnesty, told the Sioux City Journal that the word amnesty "is such a loaded term and we probably ought to get a lawyer to say. And I understand that in some respects this is not technically amnesty, because it does come with some penalty." Nevertheless, Romney said the bill has "key features of amnesty" and "Whether or not that is technically amnesty, it is amnesty-lite, amnesty in form, and it is something which I don't support."

All The Dems Back Some Federal Recognition Of Gay Marriage
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich all support federal recognition of same-sex marriages in states where it might be permitted — in other words, they would support the repeal of a key portion of the 1996 Defense Of Marriage Act — according to their answers to a questionnaire from the Human Rights Campaign. Only Dennis Kucinich supports the direct legislation of gay marriage rights under federal law.

McCain Distances Himself From Bush's Rhetoric On Immigration Bill
Speaking in Iowa yesterday, John McCain put some distance between himself and the President, who had declared that opponents of the immigration bill "don't want to do what's right for America." "The President, and all of us, feel frustrated sometimes by the criticism and the level of the dialogue," McCain said. "I respect the views of those who disagree with us. I don’t question anyone’s patriotism or love of this country. I wish we could lift up the level of discourse and dialogue."

Romney Visits Thompson Country Tonight
Mitt Romney will be keynoting a Tennessee Republican Party dinner tonight, an event that was scheduled before the emergence as a candidate of the state GOP's favorite son, Fred Thompson. "I think people will give (Romney) good Southern hospitality and a good Southern welcome," said former GOP Congressman Van Hilleary, who was the 2002 Republican nominee for Governor. Romney may certainly get a positive welcome, but it's not certain he'll actually get many votes or donations — many of those in attendance, including Hilleary, are supporting Thompson. Thompson, for his part, will be speaking to a GOP event in Virginia.

Richardson Selling Stock In Oil Company
Bill Richardson is selling his stock and options in oil refining firm Valero. Richardson's holding, valued between $100,001 to $250,000 in stock and $250,001 and $500,000 in options, was one of the many contentious issues the candidate had to deal with in his Meet The Press interview last Sunday, given his calls for energy independence.

Hillary Endorsed By Key Iowa Dem Jerry Crawford
Hillary Clinton has picked up the support of Jerry Crawford, an attorney from Des Moines who has served as the state campaign chairman in the Iowa caucus for the last five Democratic nominees for President — including, of course, Bill Clinton in 1992.

California Primary Ballot Could Feature Non-Binding Iraq Question
The Democratic-majority State Legislature in California is expected to approve a bill to place on the February 5 primary ballot a resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. It is not known whether Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign or veto the bill, given his record of support for direct democracy versus his GOP partisanship. Some Republicans see an ulterior motive for the bill: It could drive turnout of Democratic constituencies who would be expected to vote in favor of a separate question, to extend the state's severe term limits on state legislators.