While most of the pundits focused on the virtual tie between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney in the Iowa Republican caucus, I was captivated by the possibility of an even less likely scenario: that Romney might exactly match his 2008 Iowa totals.

In 2008, Romney finished second behind Mike Huckabee, with 30,021 votes, or 25.19 percent. Four years and about $3.4 million later, Romney has apparently finished with 30,015 votes, or 24.55 percent, just 8 votes ahead of second place Santorum, and a mere six votes short of his 2008 totals. Of course these results aren't yet official, and Karl Rove hasn't necessarily finished marking all his ballots, so another 6 vote pickup isn't out of the question.

Kinda amazing.

Remember, Iowa was spun as a big loss for Romney back in 2008—a loss from which he never really recovered. But the only difference for Romney between 2008 and 2012, is that this time around, conservative caucus goers didn't coalesce behind a single candidate. Romney's numbers didn't budge at all. Compare that to Ron Paul, the only other holdover from the 2008 nomination fight: Paul more than doubled his Iowa numbers.

It's damn hard to see how anybody but Romney wins the GOP nomination, but if he does, his Iowa numbers suggest that his victory won't be the result of any surge of popularity within Republican ranks. Rather, it's the general weakness of the rest of the field that's proving to be the secret to Romney's success, a formula that doesn't bode well for November.

Ed Harris as John McCain! Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin! I can't wait until this made-for-HBO movie comes out in March.

All right, Sloggers: Who's got HBO? I'm going to need to come over and watch this thing at your house.

This man? He is at one with the content (core, meaning, substance) of the Bush years:

(CNN) — Richard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq, killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion.

None of it was true. On Friday, the FBI arrested him on the rare charge of "stolen valor."

Strandlof, 32, was held "for false claims about receipt of military decorations or medals," an FBI news release said. Charges had been filed in Denver, Colorado, the week before, the bureau said.

"The penalty for his crime is up to one year incarceration and a $100,000 fine," it said.

Before his deception was revealed, crowds ate up his story. He canvassed Colorado appearing at the sides of politicians. Inspiring and seemingly authentic, he spoke on behalf of veterans at the state Capitol.

He formed a group called the Colorado Veterans Alliance.

The whole thing was a lie...

According to HuffPo, this image is being ciruculated in Tea Party circles as a true representation of the protest on Sept, 12:

There's another big problem with the photograph: it doesn't include the National Museum of the American Indian, a building located at the corner of Fourth St. and Independence Ave. that opened on Sept. 14, 2004. (Looking at the photograph, the building should be in the upper right hand corner of the National Mall, next to the Air and Space Museum.) That means the picture was taken before the museum opened exactly five years ago. So clearly the photo doesn't show the "tea party" crowd from the Sept. 12 protest.

Good news from Iraq!

(HuffPo) — An Iraqi journalist imprisoned for hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said Saturday.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's act of protest during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned the 30-year-old reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world, as his case became a rallying point for critics who resented the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation.

"Al-Zeidi's shoes were a suitable farewell for Bush's deeds in Iraq," Sunni lawmaker Dhafir al-Ani said in welcoming the early release. "Al-Zeidi's act expressed the real will and feelings of the Iraqi people. His anger against Bush was the result of the suffering of his countrymen."

He is not just a hero in the Arab world, he is a hero to all cosmopolitans across the globe.

The Ramsey County prosecutors assume, correctly, that they "would have been a distraction at trial."

The conspiracy to riot and conspiracy to damage property—those charges remain.

You can see the alleged conspirators, smiling in their courtroom best, at Friends of the RNC 8.