READ HIS LIPS! ROMNEY SIGNS NO-NEW-TAXES PLEDGE

Mitt Romney, an as-yet-undeclared candidate for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination has signed a no-new-taxes pledge waived under his nose by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist.

Like his evolving positions on gay rights and abortion, the Boston Globe reports today that Romney's position on taking such a pledge has also morphed in recent years.

As governor of Massachusetts, the paper reports, Romney refused to tie his hands by signing a similar pledge but had no qualms about doing so as he positions himself as a conservative for the 2008 campaign.

HILLARY READY - TO GET BACK TO WORK IN THE SENATE

As the new Congress got under way this week, all eyes were on New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for signs she has made up her mind about her plans for 2008.

Richard French of upstate-New York cable network RNN tried to get Clinton to talk about those plans but found the senator more focused on the present. Clinton told French she sees no real benefit to bumping up the troop levels in Iraq, a move President Bush is expected to announce next week.

OBAMA SAID TO BE NEARING A DECISION

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is said to be ready to announce his decision about an '08 bid for the Democratic nomination "very soon." Chicago TV station WMAQ reports a political insider who has already agreed to work for Obama tipped the station about the impending decision.

THOMPSON BANKING ON IOWA

Former Wisconsin governor and Bush cabinet member Tommy Thompson is putting a lot of his marbles in Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports the former head of the Department of Health and Human Services has pledged to make at least one trip a week into Iowa between now and the GOP caucuses there next January.

NEW HAMPSHIRITES SAY RUDY'S READY

While the big ball was droppingt in Times Square the other night, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was serving sushi to a group of New Hampshire GOP pols in his nearby office. The (NY) Daily News reports the out-of-towners came away convinced that Giuliani is running for the Republican presidential nomination.

McCAIN MONOPOLY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Columbia, S.C. newspaper The State is reporting that Arizona Sen. John McCain has already bagged the lion's share of endorsements by the state's top GOP campaign donors. Much of McCain's financial team in South Carolina worked with President Bush in the 2000 election. It was Bush's huge win over McCain in the state that set Bush up to win the GOP nomination

CHRIS CILLIZZA'S TOP FIVE

Washington Post reporter Chris Cillizza, who pens the paper's political blog The Fix, did some Friday handicapping of the 2008 races.

Cillizza puts Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain at the top of their respective parties' list of hopefuls. No surprise there. But his rankings do offer a bit of the unexpected if you are a poll watcher.

On the GOP side, The Fix puts Mitt Romney - currently faltering in the polls - ahead of Rudy Giuliani. Despite a rough month for Romney, Cillizza says the former Massachusetts governor has a strong organization and enough financial backing to keep him nipping at McCain's heels. On the other hand, Cillizza seems to be with the mainstream pundits who just don't see how the socially liberal Giuliani can win the Republican nomination.

Among Democrats, John Edwards - who is quietly running a very solid early campaign - is listed second, ahead of media sensation Barack Obama. Both Obama and Edwards have drawn large, enthusiastic crowds in recent trips to early-primary states