Richardson Jokes About Money From Lobbyists
Bill Richardson told a good joke this time, explaining why he has no problem taking money from federal lobbyists: "What am I supposed to [do]? I have enough trouble raising money to run a campaign." Good one. After that, he then talked about how not all lobbyists are bad — with many representing such groups as nurses, environmentalists and senior citizens. "The unions have lobbyists in Washington," he said. "I take money from them."

McCain Has Funny Exchange With High Schooler
John McCain faced a tough question today on the age issue from a New Hampshire high school students, who asked if a President McCain might die in office or develop Alzheimer's disease. McCain shot back in a sarcastic style. "Thanks for the question, you little jerk ... you’re drafted," McCain said to laughs from the crowd.

RNC Threatening Rogue Primary States
The Republican National Committee, like their Democratic counterparts, have been forced into the position of threatening state parties such as Florida and Michigan with having delegates taken away if they don't move their primaries to the officially blessed date of February 5 or later. "If a state chooses to go outside the window, they are automatically penalized," said one RNC official. "It's not a may; it's a shall." And in the case of the RNC, the rules are even more stringent — they've been put in the position of having rules that don't even recognize Iowa's and New Hampshire's prerogatives to vote in January.

Rothenberg: Thompson's Delay Has Hurt Him Badly
Stuart Rothenberg argues in his new column in Roll Call that Fred Thompson's delayed declaration has badly damaged his chances. "He has lost potential supporters and contributors to other campaigns. And he has limited the strategic options of his campaign," Rothenberg writes. "But maybe more than anything else, he gave an opening first to Romney and more recently to Huckabee that neither would have had. So instead of squeezing them out of the race in the summer, Fred Thompson finds himself squeezed in the fall."

New Hampshire Draft Gore Group Claims 1,000 Signatures
A New Hampshire-based group seeking to draft Al Gore to run against for president claims to have collected the signatures of 1,000 New Hampshire voters. "The results of our petition drive indicate that there is a strong undercurrent of support for Al Gore in New Hampshire which is not reflected accurately in polls or in the opinions of visiting out-of-state media pundits," said Farrell Seiler, the group's statewide coordinator.