Morning Buzz: Jan. 3, 2008

Gearing up for tonight's Iowa caucuses, the leading presidential candidates of both parties spent yesterday exhorting Iowans to brave the cold weather and go to the polls. In the Democratic race, all three major candidates gave closing speeches delivering various takes on the same theme: It's too close to call. "I feel good, but it depends on who comes out, who decides to actually put on their coats, warm up their cars, and go to the caucuses," Hillary Clinton told supporters.

Fearing continued violence in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's death and possible civil war, opposition leaders in Pakistan yesterday called for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf. Among their complaints is that the president has chosen to delay parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for January 8, until February.

Celebrity appearances, campaign pitches from presidential aspirants, and jokes about the ongoing writers' strike dominated late-night television yesterday as several talk-show hosts returned to the airwaves for the first time since early November. Republican Mike Huckabee played guitar and discussed politics on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On CBS, a taped intro by Hillary Clinton led off the Late Show With David Letterman.