Latest from Pundits on Monday: Obama Up, Hill and Bill Down. (2024)

On the eve of the critical New Hampshire primary vote -- actually,the handful of citizens of Dixville Notch (pop. 74) will, followingtradition, "troop" to the polls at midnight tonight --pundits and reporters at major newspapers are weighing in at full forcegale. Barack Obama still seems to be surging, with John McCain hangingon. We will present the latest, below, all afernoon day, updated fromthe top, blog style. Check back for more.*

3:30 PM ET, from The Trial blog at The Washington Post:

At a Nashua Rotary Club event this afternoon, an audience memberposed a question to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney that hehad never contemplated: as president, what would he do to combat thenation's burgeoning pet population?

For a moment, the well-versed candidate seemed stumped. "Idon't know how many pets there are in this country. I was prettywell prepared for the debate the other night ..." he said, trailingoff as the audience burst into laughter.

Undaunted, Romney explained he would tackle the pet overpopulationproblem the same way he handled problems he had faced in the businesssector: by establishing a committee, bringing in outside experts withdifferent perspectives and "take it seriously as an importantissue."

2:10 PM ET, from the Los Angeles Times:

Actor Chuck Norris, whose early endorsem*nt helped catapult theformer Arkansas governor to national status, is with Huckabee on thecampaign trail today. Bristling at attacks on Huckabee for being aminister, Norris said on "Fox & Friends" this morning:"Why can't they give him credit where credit's due as thegovernor of Arkansas, who took over the governorship with a deficit of$200 million and when he left the governorship it was $850 million inthe black? Give him a break. I mean, you know, Mitt Romney's abishop, so why don't they call him Bishop Romney?"

*1:50 PM ET, Patrick Healy at The New York Times' blog TheCaucus:

In perhaps her most public display of emotion in the presidentialcampaign, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's eyes welled with tears,and her voice cracked dramatically, as she talked about holding up underthe rigors of the race and her belief that she is the best candidate forthe Democratic nomination.

If it was not an Ed Muskie moment -- Mrs. Clinton did not cry (orlook like she was crying) -- she was certainly on the verge of it aftera woman asked her, at a roundtable discussion at a coffee shop here, howshe managed to get out of bed and solider on each day.

"How do you do it?" the woman, Marianne Pernold, asked.And, with a touch of humor, she added, "Who does your hair?"

"It's not easy, it's not easy," Mrs. Clintonreplied slowly. "I couldn't do it if I did not passionatelybelieve it was the right thing to do. It's very personal tome."

At this point, Mrs. Clinton's voice softened and lowered to anear-hush, and she spoke more haltingly.

"I have so many ideas for this country, I just don't wantto see us fall backwards," she said, her eyes visibly wet, as a rowof news photographers began snapping away to capture the moment."It's about our country, it's about our kids'futures."*

1:40, Chris Cillizza at his blog The Fix at The Washington Post:

The stunning arc of Republican Sen. John McCain's presidentialcampaign is a testament to the clich? of never saying never in politics.Seemingly done and out of the running in late August, McCain now is onthe cusp of victory in tomorrow's New Hampshire's primary, awin that would almost certainly install him (again) as the GOPestablishment favorite for the nomination.

A McCain win would badly imperil the candidacy of former governorMitt Romney (Mass.) whose entire campaign strategy is predicated onscoring

early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. If he goes 0-2 in those twostates, it would be hard to imagine Romney remaining viable - althoughhis campaign would likely fight on at least until the Jan. 15 Michiganprimary before making a final no-go decision.

With Romney pushed aside, the field would narrow to McCain andformer governor Mike Huckabee (Ark.), the surprise winner of the Iowacaucuses. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to wait andhope that the nomination contest will remain wide open through the Jan.29 Florida's primary, but that remains a long-shot proposition atbest.

*1:30 PM, Matt Bai at The New York Times' The Caucus:

"Iowa is so small, it's like a mayor's race in amedium-sized city," Jay Carson, the [Clinton] campaign's presssecretary, scoffed to the Wall Street Journal. "It wouldn't bewise to put too much emphasis on it."

Now, as it happens, I know Jay Carson, and I know that he actuallyshares my affinity for Iowa's small towns and idyllic landscapes.But this comment and others like it offer a window into the shockedemotional state of the Clinton campaign. It was on display in the debateSaturday night, when Mrs. Clinton, who until last Thursday had never metrejection at the hands of voters, showed a sudden flash of anger athaving to defend her record as an agent of change.*To comment, go toblog.