Latest from Pundits on Monday: Obama Up, Hill and Bill Down

By: Greg Mitchell On the eve of the critical New Hampshire primary vote -- actually, the handful of citizens of Dixville Notch (pop. 74) will, following tradition, "troop" to the polls at midnight tonight -- pundits and reporters at major newspapers are weighing in at full force gale. Barack Obama still seems to be surging, with John McCain hanging on. We will present the latest, below, all afernoon day, updated from the top, blog style. Check back for more.
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3:30 PM ET, from The Trial blog at The Washington Post:

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

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

Undaunted, Romney explained he would tackle the pet overpopulation problem the same way he handled problems he had faced in the business sector: by establishing a committee, bringing in outside experts with different perspectives and "take it seriously as an important issue."

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

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

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

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

If it was not an Ed Muskie moment -- Mrs. Clinton did not cry (or look like she was crying) -- she was certainly on the verge of it after a woman asked her, at a roundtable discussion at a coffee shop here, how she 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. Clinton replied slowly. ?I couldn?t do it if I did not passionately believe it was the right thing to do. It?s very personal to me.?

At this point, Mrs. Clinton?s voice softened and lowered to a near-hush, and she spoke more haltingly.

?I have so many ideas for this country, I just don?t want to see us fall backwards,? she said, her eyes visibly wet, as a row of news photographers began snapping away to capture the moment. ?It?s about our country, it?s about our kids? futures.?
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1:40, Chris Cillizza at his blog The Fix at The Washington Post:

The stunning arc of Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign 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 on the cusp of victory in tomorrow's New Hampshire's primary, a win that would almost certainly install him (again) as the GOP establishment favorite for the nomination.

A McCain win would badly imperil the candidacy of former governor Mitt Romney (Mass.) whose entire campaign strategy is predicated on scoring early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. If he goes 0-2 in those two states, it would be hard to imagine Romney remaining viable - although his campaign would likely fight on at least until the Jan. 15 Michigan primary before making a final no-go decision.

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

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

?Iowa is so small, it?s like a mayor?s race in a medium-sized city,? Jay Carson, the [Clinton] campaign?s press secretary, scoffed to the Wall Street Journal. ?It wouldn?t be wise to put too much emphasis on it.?

Now, as it happens, I know Jay Carson, and I know that he actually shares my affinity for Iowa?s small towns and idyllic landscapes. But this comment and others like it offer a window into the shocked emotional state of the Clinton campaign. It was on display in the debate Saturday night, when Mrs. Clinton, who until last Thursday had never met rejection at the hands of voters, showed a sudden flash of anger at having to defend her record as an agent of change.
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