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Senior White House advisers are quietly beginning to put a system in place to ensure coordination between the White House and outside liberal groups and unions that are ramping up to push the Obama administration’s agenda and target its foes, a senior Dem operative who regularly advises the White House and is involved in these discussions tells me.

The operation, which is in its early stages, is expected to be overseen by senior Obama hand Valerie Jarrett, the senior Dem says, and Jarrett is playing a key role in assembling it, though other senior Obama advisers will also play a role.

"Decisive Lead Amongst Conservatives!"

According to the newest Rasmussen numbers Mitt Romney now leads the GOP race for the nomination - NATIONALLY, and is up 15 points amongst "conservatives." McCain leads amongst moderates - but most of the primary races here on out are closed races which will diminish moderate/independent turnout for the GOP race.

Mitt's strategy, though it hit a sizable speed bumps in Iowa AND New Hampshire, is on the verge of complete fruition. The singularly important task ahead of him being - to win Florida.

If McCain loses Florida, though he will be around to make more noise, he will be all but finished. It Mitt wins, he must still compete heavily on Tsunami Tuesday, but he will be in position to raise additional money to complete his war chest.

Huckabee's loss in South Carolina appears to have been his ultimate undoing, which in all reality could be blamed easily enough on Thompson given the similarity in the exit poll responses from Thompson and Huckabee's supporters. Had Thompson not been in the race, Huckabee would have easily defeated McCain by a wide margin (perhaps 10%).

Now that McCain, who traditionally only wins "open" primaries, is faced with convincing the conservative base of the GOP primary voters that he isn't the wild, undisciplined, arrogant, half-crazed, tempest in a teapot he has been for the last eight years. But the track record is long.

And when you associate your name with more legislation (McCain/Feingold, McCain/Kennedy, McCain/Lieberman) with your opponent's co-signature's than from your own party's there's bound to be backlash. Even in this election cycle it appears that while McCain says ONE THING about border security, the staffing of his campaign advisers tells a VERY different story.

A good boxing of the ears in Florida and Senator Cranky can finally put the "running for president" demons to rest, and just focus on enjoying the remainder of his time in the Senate and with his wife and family...

"You're Fired!"

Hadn't thought about this... but those two little words definitely mean something new to me now... HA!

So what do you do when the Lovely Bride wants the DVR to catch the new CSI, the South Carolina GOP Debate is on, or your pal is trying to survive Celebrity Apprentice with GENE SIMMONS as the project manager.

And it's a very good week for Stephen - he gets to direct the "commercial."

"Give a hug to Cha-vez...sing we all Noel!"

...In this, the heart of Cuban-American country where Fidel Castro is still ostracized, Paul was loudly booed when he called for improved relations with Cuba.

"We're at a time when we need to talk to Cuba and travel and trade with Cuba," he said...

...The candidates, with the exception of Paul, denounced Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez as a a tyrant...

"Estoy NO un crackpot"

"Buckle-Up!" - The Huck-Wagon approacheth...

GALLUP:

Meanwhile, Republican Mike Huckabee's standing in the national poll has shot up -- to the point where he leads a group of four GOP contenders basically tied for second place behind front-runner Giuliani.

10:09pm - Rudy "I'm a Red Sox fan before I wasn't one. And while I was elected the Yankees one 4 World Series..." Romney "47 years in the waiting... and we hate the Yankees."

10:08pm - CrackPot "I will not run as an independent...I'm even crackpottier!"

10:04pm - Rudy "Infrastructure and capital investment program, and its done remarkable work", Paul "We do not need to sacrifice one thing more", McCain "I will veto every pork barrel project",

10:03pm - CRACKPOT VIDEO...

10:01pm - Romney "We've got bigger issues to deal with besides saying what kinds of flags to fly...", Fred "A symbol of racism in the public place".

10:00pm - Huckabee "48% of African Americans DID vote for me - because I asked for their vote. And I tried to help them. Our party had better reach out. I don't want to be part of a party that is ever decreasing."

9:58pm - Rudy "We have not done a good enough job in promoting our ideas to the African American community..."

9:56pm - Huckabee "Whether we decide to go to Mars is not a decision I feel like I need to make, but I would expand space exploration. We need to put more money into science and exploration... and if we do send to Mars - perhaps we could put Hillary on the first trip!" Tancredo "We can't afford to go to Mars."

9:55pm - Romney "Time for us to recognize that we MUST take a new path - not with Hillary off the left - but with Ronald Reagan."

9:53pm - Fred "One of the things I would do for Social Security's future generations is to protect them from MY generation. Not merely a fiscal issue but a moral issue."

9:52pm - Huckabee "I need the support of everyone - including the Log Cabin Republicans, but we can disagree on some policy - would I welcome their support, but would not change my position... sticks with convictions, can explain them..."

9:51pm - McCain "I speak to the military leaders all the time. Almost unanimously they say that the present policy is working at that this policy ought to be continued because it works."

9:50pm - The Gay General speech - complete wierdness...

9:48pm - Hunter "Homosexual behavior would be bad for unit cohesion." Huckabee "what Hunter said", Romney "this is not the time to make that change, that policy doesn't make any sense to me".

9:40pm - Fred "I think that the VP has a dual role, he presides over the Senate - but should be chosen on his qualifications to run the United States." McCain "must be able to carry out the responsibilities of the President."

9:38pm - Rudy "I did not Sept 11 use Sept 11 to do anything unusual Sept 11. Haitian immigration Sept 11. I was United States Attorney and prosecute Cicilian mob figures - and Sept 11 - to you!"

9:37pm - Tancredo "Paul lives in crackpot heaven... we would be under threat even if we withdrew..."

9:36pm - Paul "Not losing a battle is irrelevant. Wolfowitz admitted that they came after us because we are occupying their country... and I'm a freakin' crackpot!"

9:35pm - McCain "Shut the heck up CrackPot - America didn't lose a single battle in Vietnam! Read the terrorists idiot - they want to follow us to our shore!"

9:34pm - Paul "Crackpot theory 101 - give the country back to the terrorists... and I'M A TOTAL CRACKPOT - and the North Vietnamese are now in charge of Iraq. Vote CRACKPOT!!!!"

9:32pm - Fred "We should not be there a day longer than necessary (in Iraq) but we should be there as long as we need to be but not a day longer than we need to be but longer than some would say and less than others - and THEN there's Iran.

9:27pm - Romney "I do not believe it is wise to describe what techniques we would use for interrogation - and keep the thugs in Gitmo", McCain "I'm shocked that you could not believe that waterboarding is not torture, and if we're going to get the high ground. How in the world anyone thinks that that kind of treatment could be carried out by Americans is beyond me." McCain "Life is not 24 and Jack Bauer..."

9:24pm - Rudy, "Stay on offense against Islamic terrorism...not one democrat addressed the issue of islamic terrorism", McCain "The most important thing is to win in Iraq, we're gonna fight back the democrats efforts to set a date for surrender", Hunter "When the world was in trouble - it was America that came and helped you. I WILL NEVER APOLOGIZE for the United States of America."  

9:16pm - DO YOU BELIEVE THIS BOOK? Rudy, "Not in every respect, read it frequently, read it in the big crisis in my life", Huckabee "Do I need to help you out Mayor", Romney "I believe the Bible is the Word of God, a guide for my life, I believe in the Bible", Huckabee "I believe the Bible is the word of God to man himself. But the Bible has some messages that are not left up to interpretation, and until we get the real simple things right, we don't need to argue about the things that are more complex". BECAUSE THE BIBLE IS THE REVELATION OF AN INFINITE GOD AND NO HUMAN CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND HIM, AND IF THEY CAN - THEIR GOD IS TOO SMALL!

9:15pm - Tancredo, "I pander to Jesus in the shadow of Huck!"

9:13pm - Huckabee, "Death Penalty, what would Jesus do... toughest thing I've ever had to do. I read every page of every case of every decision I was asked to decide. I believe there is a place for the death penalty - some crimes are SO heinous. Some crimes are beyond any other capacity for us to fix. 'Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office.'"

9:11pm - Rudy, "Ban on all abortions, Would not sign". Romney, "Would welcome a circumstance to ban all abortion, and I would be delighted to sign that bill".

9:10pm - Fred, "Abortion becoming illegal should be our number one focus, and that means new justices on the bench of the Supreme Court. Most states have laws that prevent abortion after viability - that same pattern should be followed to punish doctors..."

9:08pm - Paul, "Get the federal government OUT of abortion... I don't think that the woman should be charged with a crime. I'm an OBGYN and I never saw a time when an abortion needed to be performed medically speaking..."

9:07pm - Rudy, "Romney has a mixed record... I have reduced crime in Harlem by 80%. The city of New York was one of the most dangerous places in the country."

9:05pm - Romney, "Best thing you can do for a kid is give them a mom and a dad. And it's time to go back into this country to the time of values. Family values... Better education - civil rights issue of our time - education... tough laws related to being touch on crime... violent crime in my state dropped 7%."

9:04pm - Gun collections - Fred "not telling where they are", McCain "I don't own one now", Hunter "Gun just like my Dad's", Romney "I have two guns in my home - owned by my son Josh, chessy laugh included..."

9:02pm - Fred, "The Mayor never found a gun control law that he didn't sign... Hopefully the Supreme Court will uphold the ruling in the DC case..."

8:58pm - Rudy, "We have to be very aggressive about enforcing the gun laws that already exist. We reduced shooting 74%. We went from being one of the most dangerous cities to one of the safest. Government CAN impose reasonable regulations.(BOOOOOOOOOS) New York can have stricter rules than Texas, and the Supreme Court will decide this in the next six months. I will live by that. I'm not going to interfere with that."

8:57pm - Hunter, "You should never throw a gun, you gotta be safe with guns Jay. But the right to bear arms is important to national, home, and personal security!"

8:54pm - Huckabee, "I cut 90 taxes... 'When they're kicking you in the rear, they're just proving that you're still out front!"

8:53pm - Romney, "On Abortion I was wrong... this happened when I was Governor, I could not sign a bill that destroyed life. I'm not going to apologize to people for becoming pro-life."

8:52pm - Fred, "Giving my buddies a lil extra air time..."

8:51pm - Hunter, "it's in our best interest to see to it that China stops its cheating, they are arming themselves... BUY AMERICAN this Christmas season..."

8:50pm - Tancredo, "It's already illegal to import lead based items..."

8:48pm - Rudy, "Are the politico accusations true? No! I had nothing to do with the handling of the records..."

8:46pm - Romney, "Corn subsidies... some renewable fuel, we're competing with HEAVILY subsidized nations...Open markets..."

8:43pm - Tancredo - "Yes to Grover", Huckabee "Yes", Romney - "Yes", Rudy "Yes", Fred "Yes", McCain "My Pledge is up to the American people...", Paul "have to cut spending...", Hunter "It would be wrong to pledge in light of nationa emergencies..."

8:43pm - Paul, "McCain doesn't understand Isolationism or crackpotism..."

8:41pm - McCain, "Crackpot's Isolation brought about WWII! I just finished having thanksgiving with the troops - and their message is 'Let Us Win!"

8:39pm - Huckabee, "Get RID of the IRS... and install the Fair Tax. Revamp Homeland Security...Most people are more afraid of an audit than a mugging and there's a reason why..."

8:39pm - Paul, "Washington did not change me... and I'm still a crack pot!"

8:38pm - Fred, "I would eliminate the OMB's top 100 programs, not 3..."

8:36pm - Rudy, "Don't rehire half the federal workforce that retires over the next ten years..."

8:35pm - Romney, "We've got to veto pork bills, but we have to fundamentally change the way Washington works. We're going to have to go after entitlements, and veto all spending increases..."

8:34pm - McCain, "Republicans have completely lost  control of spending, we study the DNA of bears, we're going to help kids with health care by encouraging them to continue to smoke..."

8:32pm - Paul, "I'm a complete crackpot, and UN Resolutions, and I'm a crackpot..."

8:30pm - Romney, "The question is are we going to put illegal kids ahead of kids who are here legally...

8:29pm - Huckabee, "We're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did..."

8:28pm - Romney, "Mike just said that he gave scholarships for illegal aliens. But its not your money, its the tax-payers money! Illegals should not get tax-payer breaks."

8:27pm - Huckabee, "We never passed a bill that gave special priviledges of illegal aliens the chance to get a discount in tuition. And it didn't pass... This bill would've said that we would not punish a child for a crime committed by your parent! Bring people from illegal status to legal. And take people from tax-takers to tax-payers! Veterans Bill of Rights!"

8:25pm - Hunter, "I built the border fence in San Diego and it DOES work. Double border fence with the road in between, and as a result the crime rate in San Diego went down 53%. I wrote the law that mandates 854 miles of fence, and the government has not built an inch of that fence!"

8:24pm - Tancredo, "I'm not going to do anything to push MASSIVE immigration legal or illegal... THERE ARE NO JOBS that an American won't do."

8:22pm - Tancredo, "It's wonderful to hear them out Tancredo, Tancredo..."

8:21pm - McCain, "We tried to endorse the borders, the people don't believe us..." "These are God's children as well, and they need rights and protections as well..."

8:19pm - Rudy, "New York City was NOT a Sanctuary city..."

8:16pm - Fred, "I pledge to refuse amnesty to ANYONE who comes here illegally... We have thousands of people who are waiting to come here... we now get to decide who comes in our home. We've got to strengthen the border and we've got to eliminate Sanctuary cities... Fred goes after Romney AND Rudy early... not a bad thing... "Rudy DID have a sanctuary city, the Mayor went to court to overturn it."

8:15pm - Mitt to Rudy, "Are you going to check papers of those who look a little different!"

8:10pm - Rudy Giuliani, "New York was NOT a sanctuary city..."

It was a rough week out in Minneapolis. Everyone knew that after a run of extraordinary electoral success from 2000-2006, their favorite Republican icon had crashed under the psychic weight of the '06 defeat, but no one knew how far the pachyderm had truly fallen...

...Until he showed up to the 2008 Republican Convention photo shoot.  According to sources, the face of the GOP was "completely out of it" and made frequent trips to the bathroom during the shoot. His mood, we're told, was extremely erratic. Our on-set spy tells us he ordered fried chicken at one point, later wiping his dirty tusks clean with his custom-made wardrobe, costing the party thousands of dollars, and trampling at least one volunteer underfoot in a postprandial attack.

The troubled mascot's agent  would not comment except to promise a really awesome comeback in 2008, perhaps at the MTV Music Awards.

After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous.

The other issue discussed at length concerned the advisability of creating a third party if Democrats and Republicans do indeed abandon the sanctity of human life and other traditional family values. Though there was some support for the proposal, no consensus emerged.

Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent or the other leaders gathered in Salt Lake City, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed.

And the other... CHRISTIAN LEADERS ARE AS UNITED AS EVER.

One other clarification is germane, even though unrelated to the meeting in Salt Lake City. The secular news media has been reporting in recent months that the conservative Christian movement is hopelessly fractured and internally antagonistic. The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday, for example, that supporters of traditional family values are rapidly “splintering.” That is not true. The near unanimity in Salt Lake City is evidence of much greater harmony than supposed. Admittedly, differences of opinion exist among us about our choices for president.

That divergence is entirely reasonable, now just over a year before the national election. It is hardly indicative of a “splintering” of old alliances. If the major political parties decide to abandon conservative principles, the cohesion of pro-family advocates will be all too apparent in 2008.