Fox News begins its series of articles on the presidential candidates with a Kelley Beaucar Vlahos profile of Mitt and the “perfect candidate image”.  Vlahos relies on RedState’s Erick Erickson for much of her article.  RedState leans heavily for Big Fred, but Erickson does a good job of playing it straight.

Note the lack of any mention of Mormonism in Vlhaos’ work.  Fox didn’t ask Mitt about it, they went to the source.  What a novel concept.

First Amendment Center Intern Josh Tatum takes a look at Mitt’s record as it relates to the various parts of the aforementioned Amendment.

Various MSM outlets are carrying the story of Mitt’s recounting his emotional reaction as he watched a soldier’s casket being unloaded at Boston’s Logan Airport.  Here’s the bottom line – Mitt is a human being, a man, a husband, and a father.  If you can somehow manage to look on a similar scene and not feel and show some emotion, You. Are. Not. Human. 

Atlantic’s Ross Douthat has some advice for the GOP field.  Memo to Ross:  Mitt doesn’t panic.  He showed that during Russert’s Sunday Morning grill session.  End Memo.

Blogfather Hugh had UVa’s Larry Sabato on his show yesterday.  The Huck got blindsided by reaction to his Holiday Inn Express Foreign Policy speech in addition to the hit piece put forth by NBC’s Lisa Myers.  Huck is so not ready for prime time.  His plan?  Whitewash the backlash with a Christmas commercial.  Good luck with that Huck.

Eugene Robinson doesn’t think Huck is behaving himself quite like he should.  I can’t argue with him.

Mitt took exception to a heckler in Londonderry, New Hampshire yesterday.  This should be a lesson to all anti-war foaming hecklers.  Mitt doesn’t back down when confronted with cowardly stupidity.  He takes the bull by the horns and this time the bull turned out to be little more than a piece of fluff.  Kudos to the Telegraph’s Kevin Landrigan for reporting the whole story.

Townhall’s Matt Lewis considers the difference between organization and insurgency in Iowa.  Which one will win?  In my opinion, I believe the adage “You Get What You Pay For” will prove true yet again.

Stuart Rothenberg says Mitt can’t solve his “Mormon Problem”.  Mr. Rothenberg’s political analysis is usually pretty solid.  His religious analysis – not so much.  Article VI’s Lowell Brown takes issue with Rothenberg’s assertions.

RCP’s John McIntyre thinks Huck might actually be helping Mitt.   Stranger things have happened.

Mitt took a shot at Huck on his questionable record on crime.  Huck’s answer was to whine about the world needing “a little good will and peace on earth a little more than they can some tit for tat in the political arena.”  Papering over the crime issue with empty platitudes doesn’t work.

American Spectator’s Shawn Macomber chronicles Mitt’s visit to Marion, Iowa’s Linn-Mar High School.

Mitt is surging in South Carolina.

And finally, Rick Moran peers into his crystal ball and writes about what a brokered convention would look like.  Let’s not do this, people.  Let’s settle this by February and train our sights on the real targets.