I wrote yesterday that Obama’s donation push would undoubtedly close last night after a stretch through Hollywood. Sure enough it did.

Though I won’t go crazy with the back-patting, he did not have far to go in order to reach his goal.

If you haven’t been following along the campaign had a push to “close the gap” in fundraising between Clinton’s Q3 numbers and his own. Patrick Ruffini suggested it was because of e-mails that Obama had the push, I suggested it was more his national tv exposure and his on-the-ground campaigning mixed with his push and that a swing through liberal California would help him reach the goal.

Now if Obama can just turn that money into higher poll numbers his backers would probably be thrilled!

From a new American Research Group poll John Edwards has been decimated to only 7% support in the state which gave him his only primary win in 2004, South Carolina.

The big question I had in my mind all along has been “if Edwards slips, will it be Obama’s gain?” The answer so far, not one bit. Instead from the same poll Obama has also slipped as Clinton has consolidated her lead to 41% as Obama has slipped to just 20% support.

Also from the Time report on the poll:

The news is worse when you look at African Americans, who make up nearly half of South Carolina’s Democratic primary voters. A Winthrop/ETV poll of black South Carolinians last month found Obama in the lead with 35% of the vote, followed closely by Clinton with 31%. Edwards barely registered with just 3% of blacks saying they planned on voting for him.

Patrick Ruffini is breaking out the digital champagne seeing trouble from e-mail for Republicans as Obama raises 1.8 Million in a new appeal to voters. Ruffini gives three e-mails sent from the campaign credit. Not to be a skeptic, but do we know this was all done with e-mail? It might have but we don’t have enough information to say it definitively.

There is some evidence that e-mail is not solely responsible. Consider the following. This week Obama:

• Gave a speech and held 3 town halls on the 16th
• Appeared to a national television audience on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno on the 17th
• Held 3 Town Halls & made 1 Appearance on the 18th
• Today will hold a rally and have four appearances, three in California (think Hollywood)

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From th Associated Press

The Illinois Republican had announced in August he would not seek re-election in 2008, but said he planned to finish his current term, which ends in January 2009. Republican aides, speaking on background only because Hastert had not yet publicly announced his new plans, said he now intends to leave office late this year or early next year.

Hastert’s resignation would trigger a special election, probably in early 2008, in his Chicago-area district that includes Aurora and Elgin. Republicans hope to hold the seat ahead of the November 2008 election, which some fear will draw large numbers of Democratic voters unhappy with President Bush and the Iraq war.

Not for Iraq but for the 2008 presidential election.

From MSNBC

Republican Sam Brownback said Wednesday he will drop out of the race for president if he finishes lower than fourth place in the Iowa caucuses.

You can see the video at breitbart.

Some highlights:

“Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare ‘Mission Accomplished’ a little too soon”

“When your name is Barack Obama, you’re always the underdog”

On finding out he has a distant relationship to VP Dick Cheney “I don’t want to be invited to the family hunting party”

Have a question for the candidates? Pull out the webcam and ask them at 10questions.com a new site produced by the good people of techPresident in associated with the NY Times & MSNBC. You upload, the Web decides and the top 10 get asked to the candidates. So make sure to stop by and participate.

How did John Edwards make it to Columbus Kentucky, home of just 229 people? Why the Internet Made Him Do It.

On the subject also see Brave New Film | Columbas Native Key to Edwards’ Visit

Updated: Republicans have decided on January 3rd for the caucus. Most expect the Democrats to move their primary up as well.

For more information see the 2008 Democratic Primary Schedule & the 2008 Republican Primary Schedule.

From The Caucus:

Republican officials in Iowa are scheduled to hold a conference call at 6 p.m. today (Iowa time) to discuss the pros and cons of moving their caucuses to Jan. 3 or Jan. 5 from Jan. 14. About 20 people, most of them members of the party’s state central committee, are to be on the call.

If Republican official decide to move the caucus up than undoubtedly Democrats will follow. After a year of the media crying out that the campaigns started too early it could be over very soon!

This item is currently running on Drudge:

Excerpt from Mayor Giuliani’s interview that airs tonight on FOXNEWS’s Hannity & Colmes at 9PM ET:

R. GIULIANI: “Honestly, in most respects, I don’t know Hillary’s experience. She’s never run a city, she’s never run a state. She’s never run a business. She has never met a payroll. She has never been responsible for the safety and security of millions of people, much less even hundreds of people.

“So I’m trying to figure out where the experience is here. It would seem to me that in a time of difficult problems and war we don’t want on the job training for an executive. The reality is that these areas in which – maybe there are some areas in which she has experience but the areas of having the responsibility of the safety and security of millions of people on your shoulders is not something Hillary has ever had any experience with.”

This is Rudy’s big blow not just to Hillary but to everyone to be honest. He can easily negate McCain, Obama, Edwards and Thompson on this point. Romney is the only other one of the top dogs who has executive experience both as a businessman and a Governor. If beyond 9/11 there is one major advantage to Rudy it is his ability to argue he is experienced in all aspects of government, federal, local and when you consider the size and scope of NYC and its activities even state along with his experience and contacts with business.

If I were Giuliani this is my message and it is the one I run with 24/7 to take attention away from social issues.