Pope Christmas peace appeal marred by Nigeria blasts (Reuters)

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) ? Pope Benedict called for an end to violence in Syria on Sunday but his Christmas day peace appeal was marred by a bomb at a Catholic Church in Nigeria which the Vatican condemned as blind "terrorist violence."

The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics delivered his twice-yearly "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message and blessing to tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square on a crisp but clear day as millions of others watched on television around the world.

At the end of his address, the 84-year-old pope, celebrating the seventh Christmas season of his pontificate, delivered Christmas greetings in 65 languages, including Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Swahili, Hindi, Urdu and Chinese.

"May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the earth with blood," he said, speaking in a firm voice in Italian from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica.

The day that symbolizes peace for many around the world was marred by blasts in Nigeria, including one against a Catholic church near the capital Abuja that killed at least 27 people.

The pope did not mention the blast in his address, which was prepared before news of explosion arrived in Rome. But Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi condemned it.

"We are close to the suffering of the Nigerian Church and the entire Nigerian people so tried by terrorist violence, even in these days that should be of joy and peace," Lombardi told Reuters.

Responsibility for the blast at St Theresa's church and four others in Nigeria on Christmas day was claimed by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which wants to impose Islamic sharia law across a country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.

In his address, the pope called for "an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed."

At least 5,000 people have been killed in nine months of violence in Syria between government forces and protesters calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

The pope, who appeared to be in good health, also called for the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and for full reconciliation and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Declaring "let us speak out for those who have no voice," Benedict also called for more help for those suffering from hunger, food shortages and displacement in the Horn of Africa, and for those affected by floods in Thailand and the Philippines.

DECRIES COMMERCIALISATION OF CHRISTMAS

Benedict's Christmas Eve homily lamented how the true meaning of the day had been overshadowed by materialism.

In that homily, he urged humanity to see through the superficial glitter and commercialism of the season and rediscover the real significance of the humble birth of Jesus.

"Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God's humility, which in turn calls us to humility and simplicity," he said.

"Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light."

"... let us strip away our fixation on what is material, on what can be measured and grasped. Let us allow ourselves to be made simple by the God who reveals himself to the simple of heart," he said.

At the start of Saturday night's Christmas Eve service, he was wheeled up the central aisle of St Peter's Basilica standing on a mobile platform which he has been using since October.

The Vatican says it is to conserve his strength, allow more people to see him and guard against attacks such as one on Christmas Eve, 2009, when a woman lunged at him and knocked him to the ground. He is thought to suffer arthritis in his legs.

But he seemed to be in good shape during the solemn service in Christendom's largest church as choirs sang, cantors chanted and music filled the centuries-old basilica.

The pope continues his Christmas and New Year's celebrations on Dec 31 with a year-end Mass of thanksgiving known by its Latin name Te Deum.

On January 1 he marks the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, on January 6 he marks the Epiphany and on January 8 will baptise several newborns in the Sistine Chapel.

He is due to visit Mexico and Cuba in March.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Peter Graff)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111225/lf_nm_life/us_christmas_pope

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SPORTS BRIEFS

ICE HOCKEY

Deryk Engelland suspended

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head of Chicago Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger, the NHL announced on Thursday. Less than nine minutes into Pittsburgh?s 3-2 win on Tuesday, Engelland launched himself into Kruger, driving his forearm to the head of the Chicago forward. Kruger suffered a concussion from the hit. No penalty was assessed on the play, but right after the hit, Blackhawks enforcer John Scott fought Engelland and received an instigator penalty on top of his fighting major and the Penguins scored on the ensuing power play. Engelland will forfeit more than US$9,000 of his salary, which will go to the Players? Emergency Assistance Fund.

SOCCER

Atletico fire Manzano

Atletico Madrid put Gregorio Manzano out of his misery on Thursday when their unpopular board sacked the coach following the King?s Cup defeat by third-tier Albacete and offered Diego Simeone his job. The 55-year-old Manzano?s departure came after less than a half-season in his second stint at the helm, while former Atletico midfielder Simeone said he was ready to take over after quitting as coach of Racing Club in his native Argentina on Tuesday. Club president Enrique Cerezo told reporters the 42-year-old Simeone, a fan favorite as a player, was enthusiastic about their offer and the club were expecting his response by yesterday. ?We have only made an offer to Simeone,? Cerezo added. Known as ?the professor,? Manzano has overseen an erratic campaign including a 5-0 league drubbing at Barcelona.

SOCCER

Villarreal promote Molina

Villarreal have promoted former Spain goalkeeper Jose Francisco Molina from B team coach to take charge of the first team following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Garrido, the La Liga club said on Thursday. Villarreal were humbled 2-0 at home by third-tier Mirandes in the King?s Cup on Wednesday, losing the last-32 match 3-1 on aggregate and prompting president Fernando Roig to sack Garrido immediately after the final whistle. He leaves the side hovering just above the La Liga relegation places after 16 rounds of a stuttering campaign that also saw them beaten in all six of their Champions League Group A games, scoring just two goals and conceding 14. Molina, 41, who kept goal for Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Deportivo Coruna, has agreed a contract until the end of the season, the club said on their Web site.

RUGBY UNION

NZ name assistant coach

World champions New Zealand have named former Waikato Chiefs supremo Ian Foster as assistant coach. Foster, who coached the New Zealand Super rugby side in more than 100 matches between 2004 and this year, will assist recently appointed head coach Steve Hansen, who has been tasked with sustaining the top-ranked side?s success following Graham Henry?s retirement. Foster replaces former assistant coach Wayne Smith, who stepped aside to take up a coaching consultant role with the Chiefs. ?This is a great honor to work with the All Blacks. I?m thankful for the faith that Steve Hansen and the board have shown in me,? Foster, a former coach of the Junior All Blacks, said in a statement released by the New Zealand Rugby Union yesterday. The All Blacks have also named Brian McLean, who was an assistant to Samoa at this year?s World Cup, as defense coach, with a skills coach to be named in the new year.

Source: http://libertytimes.feedsportal.com/c/33098/f/535602/s/1b384a9d/l/0L0Staipeitimes0N0CNews0Csport0Carchives0C20A110C120C240C20A0A352150A9/story01.htm

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Oops,?housing's crash was worse than thought

Fred Prouser / Reuters

An existing single family home which is up for sale is pictured in Burbank, Calif., Dec. 15, 2011.

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

Real estate agents are famous for putting a listing in the best possible light to close a sale. On Thursday, the industry's national trade association confirmed that its monthly data have been painting a rosier picture of the pace of home sales since 2007.

As msnbc.com reported in March, the National Association of Realtors has been overstating the pace of existing home sales by more than 16 percent. The trade group now says just 17.7 million existing homes were sold from 2007 to 2010, not the 20.6 million it originally reported. The NAR made no changes to its data on home prices.

In its announcement of the downward revisions, the trade group sought to downplay the impact of "re-benchmarking" the data lower.

?From a consumer?s perspective, only the local market information matters and there are no changes to local multiple listing service data or local supply-and-demand balance, or to local home prices,? NAR economist Lawrence Yun said in a release explaining the revisions.

The NAR's monthly sales data is a critical input for a host of widely-watched forecasts generated by public and private economists - from Wall Street to the Federal Reserve.?Investors make big bets based on the data. Debates on government?policy, from the White House to Capitol Hill, rely on this barometer of the health of the housing industry, a critical pillar of the U.S economy.

Barclays Capital

The revision shows that home sales were substantially lower than originally reported over the past three years.

But beginning about a year ago, the data reported by the NAR began diverging from the assessment of independent researchers. That began a lengthy reassessment of its data collection methods and analysis as the trade group met with government and private housing experts, including the Federal Reserve, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Home Builders, government-owned mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and CoreLogic, a California-based data firm that first raised doubts about the association's data.

It would not be the first time the NAR's economics team has overstated the health of the housing market. Following the housing market peak in late 2005, the trade group's forecasts remained upbeat well into 2007.

Thursday's downward data revisions confirm that the housing market has fallen further than originally thought. But the new numbers don't change the outlook for the market's recovery. That's because the revisions also lowered the NAR's estimate of the number of houses for sale by 18 percent, to 2.6 million from?3.1 million.

"The balance between supply and demand is the same," said Paul Dales, a senior economist at Capital Economics. "The revisions therefore hold no implications for either the previous, or future, path of prices."

The median price for an existing home fell 3.5 percent in November from a year earlier to $164,200, according to the NAR.

On Thursday, the trade group cited a number of factors that combined to skew the data upward. Since the housing market collapsed in 2007, fewer homeowners have opted to sell their house without a real estate agent. At the same time, more homebuilders have begun using the multiple listing services?to find customers. Those shifts?tended to inflate the number of sales captured by those MLS systems, which form the basis for the NAR's data collection.

The expansion of MLS services since 2007 has already created some regional overlap, with more than one MLS system listing the same property in some cases. That overlap lead to some double counting of sales, the NAR said.

The group also cited changes in the way the Census Bureau collects data, population shifts and noted that some sales were counted twice as homes were "flipped" shortly after they were purchased.

The "re-benchmarked" data show the pace of home sales was substantially slower from 2007 through 2010 than originally reported. The figure for 2007 was lowered 11 percent to 5.04 million; 2008 was lowered 16 percent to 4.11 million; 2009 dropped 16 percent to 4.34 million; and 2010 fell by 15 percent to 4.19 million.

The latest monthly data from the group show that existing home sales rose 4 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.42 million.

The NAR report follows news Tuesday that home builders are seeing a gradual recovery new housing starts and permits. Last month, builders broke ground on an annual rate of 685,000 homes, according to the Commerce Dept. That was a 9.3 percent jump from October and the fastest pace since April 2010.

The National Association of Realtors announces existing home sales in November increased 4 percent, reports CNBC's Diana Olick.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/21/9608643-its-official-housing-market-was-sicker-than-we-thought

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North Florida rolls past Florida A&M in men's basketball

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What the GOP Can Learn from Its Own Mistakes (ContributorNetwork)

With the Iowa caucus now less than two weeks away, the formerly wide field of Republican presidential candidates is narrowing further. Early frontrunners, such as Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and businessman Herman Cain, have all taken a nosedive in recent public opinion polls. As is usually the case with politicians, the candidates' own boneheaded blunders caused their fall from grace.

What lessons can the GOP learn from these "don't-ever-do-that-again" mistakes?

Don't take sexual harassment lightly.

Herman Cain found out the hard way that simply waving away allegations of sexual harassment can be fatal to a presidential campaign. The former Godfather's Pizza executive surged in the polls this fall, capturing the hearts and minds of conservatives with his confident speeches and his "9-9-9" tax plan. Then came the women. Five of them to be exact, all stepping forward with stories of Cain's inappropriate sexual behavior and extramarital affairs.

Cain's claimed they were all lying, even after the women produced a paper trail of phone records, text messages, and alleged hush money payments. The voters weren't buying it, however, and Cain's campaign came to an abrupt and embarrassing end Dec. 3. Aw, shucky ducky.

Don't keep repeating the same mistakes.

Of all the hopefuls for the GOP nomination, Michele Bachmann has earned the most four-Pinocchio ratings from the Washington Post for her tendency to keep on repeating statements that have already been proven incorrect. Bachmann's assertions that the HPV vaccine is a "dangerous drug," that "the Congressional Budget Office said Obamacare will kill 800,000 jobs," and that the president's health care plan is "socialized medicine," were all debunked months ago. Yet she continued to repeat these claims, refusing to admit she goofed.

By early fall, Bachmann's staffers, campaign donors, and supporters began to depart her campaign in droves. Recent polls show her tied for tenth place in New Hampshire, falling from second place back in June.

Don't forget to bring your cheat sheet to the podium.

It was the "oops" heard 'round the world. At the CNBC presidential debate, Rick Perry's campaign imploded right before our very eyes. When asked to name which government agencies he would eliminate as president, Perry seemed to experience a case of brain lock. As the world watched in astonishment, Perry stumbled and fumbled for 50 seconds struggling to name the departments of Commerce, Education, and Energy.

Realizing he'd just tanked his own campaign, Perry told reporters after the debate: "I'm glad I had my boots on because I really stepped in it tonight."

Don't underestimate the underdog.

Until recently, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was the guy GOP party establishment types and the mainstream media shunned, ridiculed, or completely overlooked. So invisible was Paul at the televised debates, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart incredulously asked, "how did Ron Paul become the 13th floor in a hotel?" But now he's become the candidate that's impossible to ignore. In the latest Iowa State/Gazette/KCRG survey released Wednesday, Paul has skyrocketed to first place, sailing past Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney and inducing a code red panic within his own party.

This is Dr. Paul's third try for the presidency, having run as a Libertarian in 1988 and as a Republican in 2008. And if his recent surge in the Iowa and New Hampshire polls is any indication, the third time might just be the charm.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111222/pl_ac/10727847_what_the_gop_can_learn_from_its_own_mistakes

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Wednesday KULR-8 Sports On-Demand 12-21

Story Published: Dec 21, 2011 at 5:33 PM MST

Story Updated: Dec 21, 2011 at 6:35 PM MST

Griz and Cats ready to open Big Sky Conference Basketball race.

Your source for local and surrounding area scores and sports news.
Be sure to watch KULR-8 News @ 6 and 10 M-F, and weekends @ 5
and 10 for complete coverage.

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Send to our Sports Department: sports@kulr.com or give us a call, 406-656-8558.

Source: http://www.kulr8.com/sports/local/Wednesday-KULR-8-Sports-On-Demand-12-21-136036498.html

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Afghan official: Most Kabul Bank loans recoverable (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? Afghanistan's new central bank governor expressed confidence Sunday that the government can recover up to 80 percent of the $825 million it cost to bail out the private Kabul Bank.

The near-collapse last year of Kabul Bank, once the nation's largest private lender, created economic and political turmoil, prompted the freezing of some international aid and became a symbol of the country's deep-rooted corruption.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Kabul Bank operated like a "Ponzi scheme" that resulted in fraud on a massive scale. The case has been closely followed by international donors because it is seen as a test of government officials' pledge to root out patronage and graft and to show accountability to world financial institutions such as the IMF.

Last month, the IMF approved a three-year $133.6 million loan for Afghanistan because it found the government had taken steps to address governance and accountability issues that surfaced during the Kabul Bank crisis. The decision reassured international donors, many whom had withheld aid while waiting for the IMF decision.

Since the crisis, Kabul Bank has been split into two parts _a healthy one being run by the Afghan Finance Ministry, and another which is has taken over hundreds of millions of dollars in bad loans. The Afghan government hopes to put the healthy bank up for sale in the middle of next year.

Central bank chief Noorullah Delawari said 80 percent of the $825 million has been identified as receivable, and the bank hopes to get 20 percent back in the near term, and 60 percent in one to five years. It was still working to identify 20 percent of the funds ? or about $152 million ? still missing.

"A total of $825 million has been paid so far by the central bank and the government to Kabul Bank. Of that, $80 million has been received from the loans which were given by the Kabul Bank to individuals, almost 20 percent is going to come back in the near future and that is from properties mostly in Dubai and in Kabul," Delawari said.

He added that a delegation would travel to Dubai in coming days for meetings with officials there to find properties owned by those who took loans. Those properties would then be seized and sold.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_bi_ge/as_afghanistan_kabul_bank

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Video: GOP candidates wrap up last debate

Lingering shortage of ADHD drugs unravels lives

A nationwide shortage of life-saving cancer drugs and anesthesia medications has drawn most attention, but an ongoing dearth of ADHD drugs has taken a toll on millions of adults and children who need them daily to focus. Kate Skinn and her son, Markus, both take the drugs.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45702741#45702741

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Flash floods kill more than 400 in Philippines

Residents are rescued by volunteers following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Erwin Mascarinas)

Residents are rescued by volunteers following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Erwin Mascarinas)

A resident rummages through debris following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

Police rescue trapped residents following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

Police carry the body of a victim by a flash flood that hit Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

Trapped residents, perched on rooftops, are rescued to safety following a flash flood in Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

(AP) ? Flash floods devastated a southern Philippines region unaccustomed to serious storms, killing more than 400 people while they slept, rousting hundreds of others to their rooftops and turning two coastal cities into muddy, debris-filled waterways that were strewn Saturday with overturned vehicles and toppled trees.

Most of the victims were asleep Friday night when raging floodwaters cascaded from the mountains after 12 hours of rain from a late-season tropical storm in the southern Mindanao region. The region is unaccustomed to the typhoons that are common elsewhere in the nation of islands.

Ayi Hernandez, a former congressman, said he and his family were resting in their home in Cagayan de Oro late Friday when they heard a loud "swooshing sound" and water quickly rose ankle-deep inside. He decided to evacuate to a neighbor's two-story house.

"It was a good thing, because in less than an hour the water rose to about 11 feet (3.3 meters)," filling his home up to the ceiling, he said.

At least 436 were dead, based on a body count in funeral parlors, Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang told The Associated Press. She said that 215 died in Cagayan de Oro ? a city of more than 500,000 ? and 144 in nearby Iligan, with more than 300,000 residents. The rest died in several other southern and central provinces, she said.

Many of the bodies were unclaimed after nearly 24 hours, suggesting that entire families had died, Pang said.

The number of missing was unclear Saturday night. Before the latest Red Cross figures, military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said about 250 people were still unaccounted for in Iligan.

The swollen river sent floodwaters gushing through neighborhoods that do not usually experience flooding. A man floated in an inner tube in muddy water littered with plastic buckets, pieces of wood and other debris. Ten people in one home stood on a sloping roof, waiting for rescuers even as water still flooded the lower floors.

Local television footage showed muddy water rushing in the streets, sweeping away all sorts of debris. Thick layers of mud coated streets where the waters had subsided. One car was thrown over a concrete fence and others were crushed and piled in a flooded canal.

Benito Ramos, chief of the government's Civil Defense Office, attributed the high casualties in Mindanao "partly to the complacency of people because they are not in the usual path of storms" despite four days of warnings by officials that one was approaching.

Thousands of soldiers backed up by hundreds of local police, reservists, coast guard officers and civilian volunteers were mobilized for rescue efforts, but they were hampered by the flooded-out roads and lack of electricity.

Many roads were cut off and there was no electricity, hampering relief efforts.

The missing included prominent Filipino radio broadcaster Enie Alsonado, who was swept away while trying to save his neighbors, Iligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz said.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro said that about 20,000 residents of the city had been affected and that evacuees were packed in temporary shelters.

Authorities recovered bodies from the mud after the water subsided. Parts of concrete walls and roofs, toppled vehicles and other debris littered the streets.

Rescuers in boats rushed offshore to save people swept out to sea. In Misamis Oriental province, 60 people were plucked from the ocean off El Salvador city, about six miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Cagayan de Oro, said disaster official Teddy Sabuga-a.

About 120 more were rescued off Opol township, closer to the city, he added.

Cruz said the Philippine coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off Iligan for survivors or bodies that may have been swept away to sea.

Tropical Storm Washi dumped on Mindanao more than a month of average rains in just 12 hours.

It quickly cut across the region overnight and headed for Palawan province southwest of Manila on Saturday night.

Forecaster Leny Ruiz said that the records show that storms that follow Washi's track come only once in about 12 years.

Lucilo Bayron, vice mayor of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, said he already mobilized emergency crews but local officials have not ordered an evacuation yet because the weather was still fine.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement that the Obama administration offered "deepest condolences" for the devastation in the southern Philippines.

"The U.S. government stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected."

___

Associated Press writer Hrvoje Hranjski contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-17-AS-Philippines-Storm/id-c0a20db422974a5591d9d2db205d91b7

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Jon Stewart Pleads with the GOP Not to Back Newt Gingrich (The Atlantic Wire)

It was one of those opposition research kind of nights on The Daily Show, and the host delivered a simple message about Newt Gingrich to?GOP voters: "Don't do this." Jon Stewart, who already?mock-called?the race for Mitt Romney weeks ago, spent eight-plus minutes assembling a case against the former Speaker of the House better than any well-funded, Romney-backed Super PAC could.

Related: Another Poll Confirms Trump as Republican Frontrunner

He playing clips of Gingrich's ego comparing himself to various historical figures?and dredged up a bizarre 2008 clip?where, as Conor Friedersdorf recently noted,?he lamented the Bush administration's ability to stop terrorist attacks.?And that was all before Stewart staged an intervention where he called upon a "who's who" (Joe Scarborough, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, Pete King, even Glenn Beck) in the conservative movement to say various "he's really a bad sort of guy" remarks about Newt. Everyone else on the Fox News debate stage Thursday night in Iowa will be enjoying this:

Related: Gingrich Now Even Challenging Romney in New Hampshire


Part II:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111216/pl_atlantic/jonstewartpleadsgopnotbacknewtgingrich46295

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