Thompson Declaring Next Week
As we reported earlier, Fred Thompson's undeclared campaign will finally declare next week. His itinerary, according to his campaign's conference call today with bloggers: On Wednesday night he will miss a Republican debate in New Hampshire, instead doing one last "testing the waters" tease on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Then at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, he will declare his candidacy with a video Webcast. Then on Thursday he'll file his official campaign papers and begin touring, and on Thursday night he'll greet supporters nationwide via conference call.

Wyoming GOPer: We're Trying To Break The Primary Calendar
Wyoming Republican Party official Tom Sansonetti gave the Associated Press an amazing insight as to why his state party has moved to hold their delegate-selection conventions on January 5, a whole month ahead of the officially sanctioned date. "Ultimately the goal here is to look beyond 2008 and fix the system, because the system is broken," Sansonetti said. "All this jumping around is because the states feel disenfranchised by letting Iowa and New Hampshire call the shots."

Poll: Romney Leads In Iowa — GOPers Support Humanitarian Positions
A new poll by Republican firm McLaughlin & Associates, conducted on behalf of the anti-poverty ONE campaign, showed Mitt Romney leading the GOP field in Iowa by a huge margin. Mitt has 35%, followed by Rudy Giuliani with 12% and in a three-way statistical tie for second with Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee, who each have 11%. Also, the poll finds overwhelming support, at two thirds or higher, for such humanitarian pursuits as reducing worldwide poverty, hunger and diseases.

Huckabee Pleased With Post-Ames Campaign
Mike Huckabee told IowaPolitics.com that his campaign has been going great since his surprise second-place finish at the Iowa Straw Poll, with larger crowds at his events, money coming in, and millions of hits registering on the campaign Web site. "A lot of this is coming from our effort in Ames," Huckabee said.

Homeless Advocacy Group Challenges Candidates To Spend Night On Streets
An advocacy group called National Coalition for the Homeless has extended an intriguing challenge to the presidential candidates: Learn what it's like for the homeless by spending one night on the streets. “For candidates, their short stints as faceless indigents would help them better understand the impact of public policy decisions on those who live in the streets,” said NCH acting director Michael Stoops. It's hard to imagine the Secret Service, let alone the campaign consultants, ever consenting to something like this.

Rangel Attorney Makes Small Request Over Large Sum
Phu Huynh, attorney for House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel's (D-NY) campaign, has asked the Federal Election Commission for permission to spend $64,500 in campaign funds on the chairman's official portrait. "Portrait artists determine fees based largely upon reputation, but the size of the subject and detail required also factor heavily in the pricing," wrote Huynh, justifying the large price tag. His legal reasoning may well get Rangel the permission. But he's hardly being flattering toward his client, is he?