Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama and Biden Mark End of War in Iraq - in a ceremony today at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The President and Vice President will participate in a ceremony welcoming U.S. troops home. It also marks a major campaign promise met by President Obama. You can read more here.

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Housing Starts Hit 11/2 Year high in November - in good news for the economy, the Commerce Department released a report showing residential construction up 24% from November of last year. Reuters.com has more here.

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Boehner and House Republicans Caught in a Difficult Position on Payroll Tax Extension - last night, the GOP caucus decided to postpone the vote until today. They will not give an up or down vote, but rather call for a conference of the bill which would require the Senate to come back to work over the holidays. A position, Senate Majority Reid has already said "no" to. If a conference is not agreed to, the House could take another vote to approve the two month compromise. TPM.com has more here.

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U.S. Intelligence Questioned in North Korea - with the death of Kim Jong-il, 48 hours would pass before the rest of the world knew of the event. The NY Times has a good read here on the secretive nation and how difficult it has been to "keep tabs" on the country.

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National Republican Congressional Committee Debt Free - in the end of November report, the NRCC will report 14.5 million cash on hand and all debt erased from the 2010 election year. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will report 10.2 million cash on hand and a debt of 670,000. RollCall.com has more here.

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