SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:31 P.M. ET:

NEWT'S TROUBLES CONTINUE – As we approach the last weekend before the Florida primary, it's becoming even more clear that the onslaught against Newt Gingrich is taking its toll.  Two new polls now show Romney well ahead of Newt.  A Reuters poll has Romney up eight.  A Quinnipiac poll has him up nine.  A Romney win wouldn't clinch the nomination for him, but it would certainly put a major dent in Newt's rise. 

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK – The Wall Street Journal will report tomorrow that the Pentagon has judged that its largest conventional bomb could not penetrate the best protection that Iran has built for its nuclear facilities.  So, Congress has been asked for more funding to make the bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, more effective.  Secretary Panetta believes the U.S. will have a greater capability with the MOP "soon."  Of course, Iran isn't standing still, and continues to improve its own defenses.

THE SYRIAN DISGRACE – Our eyes have been averted, but the Syrian bloodbath continues, with other nations doing very little about it.  Government forces are bombarding several towns with heavy artillery, inflicting significant casualties on the civilian populations.  The UN Security Council, meanwhile, is debating possible action, and debating, and debating.  It is estimated that more than 5,000 people have died in the Syrian violence since March.  Notice the interest of Western leftists and "intellectuals."  They were far more interested in a minor American prison scandal in Iraq, in which no one died or was seriously injured.  The fighting in Syria is getting closer to the capital city of Damascus.  Russia and Iran are backing the Syrian regime, another sign of America's declining influence.

MUST HAVE BEEN TYPING MISTAKES – Reuters, which I think has shown some improvement in recent years, is reeling over one of the greatest embarrassments it has suffered in covering American politics.  The British-based service ran a naked hit piece on Marco Rubio yesterday.  But before the ink was dry, so to speak, Reuters had to issue five corrections, and there are charges that seven more are in order.  This is a journalistic failure of the first magnitude.  The only thing that saved the day for Reuters was its quick, and commendable, action in realizing that it had a lemon, and correcting it.  There is no word yet on whether a date of execution has been set for the reporter involved, but it should be.

January 27, 2012