McCain Slashes Iowa Staff Down To Seven
The Des Moines Register reports that drastic budget cuts in the McCain campaign have now resulted in the loss of at least ten staffers in Iowa, who were either laid off or refused to stay on at lower pay. The McCain camp is now down to a mere seven current staffers in the crucial caucus state. But on the other hand, three consultants have agreed to stay on without pay at all. Nevertheless, McCain's campaign has now certainly cut itself down to the bone in the state that could determine the presidential nominations. "It would truly be one of the greatest comebacks in history if he can win Iowa and the nomination at this point," said Larry Sabato, a political analyst with the University of Virginia.

McCain Camp Casualties Include Internet Campaign Chief
Last week John McCain's presidential campaign announced a second round of layoffs in the wake of a middling quarter for fundraising and the fact they only had $2 million cash left on hand. Internet chief Christian Ferry is among those leaving while economic advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin will work without pay.

New York Times Looks At Candidate Health Care Plans
The New York Times has put together a long piece examining the presidential candidates approaches to expanding health care coverage. Republicans by and large propose using tax incentives to encourage people to buy private plans while most Democrats support expanding employment-based solutions and in some cases a much larger role for government.

Though He Endorsed Libby Commutation, Rudy Hedging On Full Pardon
At a campaign stop in Florida yesterday, Rudy Giuliani hesitated on the question of whether Scooter Libby should get a full pardon."I don't know the case in enough depth to tell you whether that's the right thing to do or not," the candidate said, adding that he would like to see how the appeals process works out.

Thompson Under Fire For LifeLock Radio Ads
As part of his radio duties, Fred Thompson has been doing one-minute ads for LifeLock, a company offering services against identity theft. But as the New York Daily News reports, LifeLock founder Robert Maynard settled with the Federal Trade Commission in 1996 ... allegedly securing credit card numbers under false pretenses. "He's lobbying for the powerful special interests ... serving as the pitchman for a company whose owner is accused of fraud," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Stacie Paxton. Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo defended the candidate: "The company seems to be fine. It's currently giving away its services to soldiers and vets."

Bloomberg Supporting New York GOP
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will continue to support local Republicans in his state despite throwing off his party affiliation when he declared himself an independent. Bloomberg, the billionaire who is believed to be considering an independent presidential bid, is the largest individual donor to the state Senate Republicans, who hold the majority, with some $575,000 in contributions since October alone.

Doolittle Breaks With White House On Iraq
Calling the Iraq War a "quagmire," conservative Congressman John Doolittle (R-CA) broke with the White House's Iraq policies at a town hall meeting in his district. "We've got to get off the front lines as soon as possible," Doolittle said. "We just can't continue to tolerate these kinds of losses."

Joy To The World
Today is President Bush's birthday. He turns 61.