Quick '08 Update

- First off, our thoughts and prayers are with Dennis Kucinich and his family during what is sure to be a difficult time, particularly during the Holiday season.

- The Hill analyzes the weeks ahead for the GOP candidates, arguing that the field is so up in the air that the weeks ahead will not be easy. The new Reuters/Zogby poll adds fuel to that argument, showing Mike Huckabee within one point of Rudy Giuliani nationally.

- For those of you who are looking to get a better understanding of the fight Chris Dodd has been waging with respect to retroactive immunity, check out Dodd's blog. See Dodd's reaction on the vote on YouTube.

- Howard Fineman used Allen Iverson's nickname to give Barack Obama some advice: in order to be the Democrats' "Answer" (aka, counteract the Republican attack machine) Obama needs to take his game to another level. (Editorial note: Fineman gets major points for weaving Iverson and his nickname into his piece.)

- During his bus trip across Iowa, Fred Thompson's message seems to be that he's not giving up. In fact, he's working hard to regain his place in the top-tier.

- Two things you should know about Joe Biden: 1) He's on a first-name basis with dignitaries around the world; and 2) Biden had the 6th most memorable quote of 2007 according to the Yale book of Quotations.

- John McCain, whose endorsement from Joe Lieberman made me wonder if I should buy a holiday sweater, criticized Barack Obama over his plan to shift the focus of combat brigades from Iraq to Afghanistan. (Not that it matters, but I'm not the only one who noticed the love of the holiday sweater!) Related aside: Henry Kissinger's endorsement of McCain did not make me want to buy a holiday sweater.

- The Edwards campaign is the focus of some interesting analysis: Chris Cillizza takes a look at the Edwards electability argument, while Marc Ambinder wonders whether the buzz around Edwards' campaign is real.

- Ron Paul continues to rake in the cash, despite his low position in the polls.

- The idea of Clintonism, an underlying topic at many debates, and the impact it is having on Hillary Clinton's campaign is the topic of Matt Bai's upcoming piece in the New York Times magazine.

- In a nod to the new tools, Susan Davis from the WSJ blog analyzes the comparative impact of Rudy Giuliani's recent speech and Mitt Romney's speech on faith in terms of how many people watched it online. Hint: Romney won the contest.

- On a related new tools note, YouTube is teaming up with the Des Moines Register to collect videos from Iowans around the caucuses. Steve Grove from YouTube has more.

- There are a few new ads worth checking out: "Tested" from Hillary Clinton, "Searched" from Mitt Romney, "All Out" from Bill Richardson, "Not Easy" from John McCain, and of course the holiday ads like the one below from Barack Obama, entitled "Friendship":

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.