Let's see, the Patriots are undefeated, the Sox take a 2-0 lead back to Denver, Boston College survives -- in Blacksburg -- to remain number two, and the new-look Celtics are all anyone in the NBA talks about besides Kobe. Boston fans never, ever, get to complain again. Aside from that, happy Friday, and this is what we're watching today:

-- The Senate is in session, but there are no votes today, while the House is out of session. President Bush meets with Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila at the White House, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff speaks to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates gets to go home, somewhat, when he receives the 2007 George (H.W.) Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service at Texas A&M University, where Gates was president until being nominated as Pentagon chief.

-- After Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan suggested his central committee vote to hold the caucuses on the same day as the state's GOP, January 3rd, New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner told the Union Leader's John DiStaso the move clears the way for the Granite State to hold their first in the nation primary in January, rather than December. It ain't pretty, but for now, it appears, a major calendar crisis has been averted. DiStaso's counterpart, David Yepsen, thinks January 3rd helps John Edwards. Adam Smith of the St. Pete Times thinks the resolution helps Florida.

-- Elsewhere on the presidential campaign trail, Texas Rep. Ron Paul is finally doing something with all that money he's raised, according to the New York Times. Next week, the campaign will roll out its first big television ad campaign, committing $1.1 million to ads in New Hampshire over the following six weeks. That level of spending won't compete with Mitt Romney, who has his personal fortune to thank, but with Paul already at 7% in one poll -- fourth in the state -- he could become a serious headache for the three candidates running ahead of him. And by the way, what will the mainstream media think of a candidate who finishes behind Paul in an early state? We're looking at you, Senator Thompson.

-- Hillary Clinton turns 60 today, and the AP gives her a nice present, with Nedra Pickler writing that the Democratic race is hers to lose. Making matters worse for the Democratic field, CNN Political Ticker found the story running in the Quad City (Iowa) Times. The last thing Barack Obama and John Edwards need now is Clinton's sense of inevitability creeping into Iowa.

-- Obama's campaign has been distracted lately by the controversy over a pastor and gospel singer whose views on gays and lesbians are not as progressive as the candidate's. In fact, Donnie McClurkin's views are exactly those that rile up the GLBT community -- that homosexuality can be cured, that homosexuality is akin to drug addiction and alcoholism, and, for some reason, that gays are trying to kill children. Now some in the lefty blogosphere are taking Obama to task for trying to stick by McClurkin, John Aravosis being the most strident voice thus far. Politics Nation thought Floyd Mayweather's battery charges were going to be worse for Obama; we appear to have been mistaken. Still, every day his campaign is dealing with this crisis is a day it is not attacking Clinton.

-- In Kentucky, things still look bad for Gov. Ernie Fletcher. A new Research 2000 poll shows the incumbent trailing former Lieutenant Gov. Steve Beshear 55%-40%, virtually the same as the last R2K poll, in mid-September, which showed Beshear leading 56%-39%. Fletcher, whose administration has been marred by scandal and who was himself indicted on three misdemeanor charges, is the first Republican to hold the governor's mansion since Louie Nunn left office in 1971.

-- Republicans will probably lose Kentucky, but they got some good news yesterday when former Washington State Senator Dino Rossi announced he would make another bid for governor, once again challenging Democrat Christine Gregoire. Rossi won two machine counts of the ballots in 2004, then lost a hand recount by fewer than 150 votes, the closest election in state history. Rossi has a ways to go before he catches up with Gregoire financially, but he begins the race in good political position and will make Washington a state to watch next year.

-- Good Point Of The Day: NYT's Jim Rutenberg points out what we're all thinking: The memos presidential campaigns send out are nothing more than talking points made fancy. Rutenberg's got one from the McCain campaign, purportedly leaked, that suggests Rudy Giuliani has created the false premise that he's the most electable. Marc Ambinder takes a look at dueling memos from the Clinton and Obama camps. The only thing the memos really mean: There are too many political reporters to have phone conversations with, so why not just distribute what a press flak would say in those conversations in memo form?

-- Today On The Trail: John Edwards makes two stops in Des Moines, followed by town hall meetings in Boone, Iowa Falls and Forest City, while wife Elizabeth stops in Brentwood, Concord and Milton, New Hampshire. Barack Obama fundraises in Columbus, Ohio, while his wife Michelle stumps in Hampton, Eagle Grove, Algona and Mason City, Iowa. Joe Biden participates in an AARP forum in Manchester and keynotes a fundraiser for local Democrats in Derry. Also today, Dennis Kucinich files his candidacy papers in Concord. On the GOP side, John McCain makes stops in Sioux City, Sheldon and Rock Rapids, Iowa. Mike Huckabee rallies in Moville and rocks out with his band in Clear Lake, Iowa, while Mitt Romney holds town halls in West Des Moines, Mt. Pleasant and Fort Madison. Ron Paul addresses the Arab American Institute in Dearborn.