On this day in 2000 Al Gore conceded the election to George Bush, putting an end to weeks of bitter legal wrangling. Also on this day in 2003 U.S. troops pulled a bearded Saddam Hussein out of his spider-hole. On to today's top stories:

"Final Debate Before Iowa Caucuses Shows Uncertainty at Top of Republican Field" (Michael Cooper and Michael Luo, New York Times) And so the final GOP debate before the Iowa Caucuses was held yesterday, and one could be forgiven for having missed it. Aside from a strong showing from Fred Thompson, the most talked-about development of the day: What is Alan Keyes doing on stage?

"Giuliani Urges GOP to Address Climate Issues" (Lee Rood, Des Moines Register) Following the debate, Rudy Giuliani met with the Register's editorial board to discuss several issues, including climate change. When told that Islamic terrorism did not top Iowa voters' concerns, Rudy said the threat should not be underestimated, adding, September 11 is "not yet consigned to history the way Pearl Harbor is."

"Clinton Insiders Question Top Aide's Approach" (Glenn Thrush, Newsday) Clinton campaign strategist Mark Penn is the subject of several hits from anonymous campaign staffers. As reporter Thrush notes, the tension between the "Bill" and "Hillary" (of which Penn is the main advisor) parts of the team are starting to come to a head.

"HRC Troubles May Pose Problem for Giuliani" (Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, The Politico) For months, Giuliani has been running against Hillary for the GOP nomination. And it's worked rather well. But where will Rudy be if Hillary goes down?

"Where Bloomberg Fits in Election" (Ben Casselman, Wall Street Journal) An interesting look at the scenarios that would favor a Bloomberg independent run. None lead to assured victory of course, which, sources say, is one of the preconditions the New York mayor has set for any run.

"Huckabee Apologizes to Romney" (Rick Pearson and John Chase, Chicago Tribune) Following yesterday's debate, Mike Huckabee apologized to Mitt Romney over comments he had made in an upcoming magazine article about whether Mormons believe Jesus and the devil are brothers.

"Economic Gloom Makes New Election Issue" (David Espo, Associated Press) For months now the economy has loomed as a potentially overshadowing issue in the presidential debate. With Americans gloomier about the economy's health, but with a recession still unlikely, it's an open question.

"Edwards Banks on Veteran Caucusgoers to Pull Off Iowa" (Jill Lawrence, USA Today) The dateline to this article is "WATERLOO, Iowa," a poignant reminder for what Edwards stands to gain (and lose) come caucus day.

Get these and today's other election stories at RCP's Politics and Election page.