Cheat Sheet - 'Game On!' Santorum Charges to New Hampshire

Today: Obama Team Reassured by Iowa , McCain to Endorse Romney , Palin: Bachmann Should Drop Out January 04, 2012 GAME ON 1. Santorum Charges to New Hampshire It was a photo finish for Iowa's caucuses on Tuesday night, with Mitt Romney eking past Rick Santorum by just eight votes—dashing his hopes of locking down the GOP nomination with a decisive victory. That's great news for Santorum, who trailed in the polls until recently and was ignored by the press for much of the year. In his speech last night, Santorum pledged "game on" and promised a strong showing in New Hampshire's first primary. The Daily Beast's Lois Romano reports on whether the former senator can clean up his measly Granite State game in time to challenge Romney in his own backyard. Plus, Howard Kurtz, Mark McKinnon, Paul Begala, and more weigh in, breaking updates, and on-the-ground coverage from Iowa on Election Beast. Read it at The Daily Beast MEANWHILE 2. Obama Team Reassured by Iowa Mitt Romney may have won the vote, but President Obama's team smells blood in the water. The total number of votes among Iowa Republicans is expected to be about half the number of the 2008 Democratic primaries, a sign that Republicans aren't excited about their options. Romney, especially, should be worried about his numbers, says Obama senior campaign strategist David Axelrod: he got almost exactly the same number of votes as he did in the last election. "You'd have to say the story is: Iowa to Mitt. No sale," said Axelrod. "Beyond that, for all the patter about GOP enthusiasm, turnout was unimpressive." Read it at Politico MAVERICK 3. McCain to Endorse Romney Rick Santorum may have won some hearts in Iowa, but there's one person who's not convinced. Sen. John McCain will reportedly endorse Mitt Romney in New Hampshire on Wednesday, BuzzFeed reports, citing a former top aide to McCain. McCain beat Romney in the 2008 nomination battle, but Mitt apparently made good with his former rival by campaigning enthusiastically during the general election. Read it at BuzzFeed OUCH 4. Palin: Bachmann Should Drop Out Sarah Palin has some advice for Michele Bachmann: drop out! On Fox News, the former vice-presidential candidate lashed out at Bachmann, saying that "unless she wants to spend a lot of her own money" she should quit the race. Palin then said that soon we'll see Bachmann back in the House, and "we're going to be thankful for her being there." Read it at CNN ONE-WAY TICKET 5. Perry Retreats to Texas Go to Texas, young governor. After finishing in fifth place at the Iowa caucuses, Gov. Rick Perry said in his concession speech that he's going back to Texas to "assess" his campaign. Perry added that he will look to see if there's a "path forward" for himself in the race, leading many to speculate that this is it for the gaffe-prone candidate. Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann's last place finish hasn't fazed her. She said that she'll stay in the race, even though her campaign manager said she might leave the race. Read it at Texas Tribune Diplomacy U.S. Engages Muslim Brotherhood Reversing longstanding policy. OOPS Twitter Goofs on Murdoch Account Can the site be trusted after 'verifying' a fake Wendi? ROGUE Soldier Carried Explosives on Plane Denies knowing they were in his bag. TOOTHY Hybrid Sharks Discovered Possible cause of climate change. HE'S BACK Schwarzenegger Wears Wedding Ring Fueling rumors relationship with Maria rekindled. GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors. GET The Yes List Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. Mitt Romney in a Squeaker in Iowa's GOP Caucuses by Howard Kurtz Ron Paul's Surprisingly Young Support Base by Andrew Romano 2012's Most Anticipated Movies by The Daily Beast

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