Good Thursday morning. Is Tony Romo the new Brett Favre? At 10-1, there's no reason for a new Favre; the old one works just fine. Check out Real Clear Sports for a rundown on tonight's Packers-Cowboys affair. Here in Washington, the top stories people are watching:

-- The Senate holds a pro forma session at 9:30 a.m., while the House is still on Thanksgiving break. President Bush today meets with President Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez of El Salvador, then heads to the Pentagon to discuss long-term strategy with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Deputy Gordon England, as well as Joint Chiefs chair Admiral Mike Mullen.

-- At last night's CNN/YouTube debate, virtually every pundit agrees Mike Huckabee came out ahead, as usual. It was Huckabee's first performance as a top-tier candidate, and, says Chuck Todd, instead of opening with a snappy one-liner, he came out of the gate sounding presidential. Unfortunately for him, the last Republican debate before the caucuses is December 12, giving Iowa voters a long time to be hammered with paid Romney ads that Huckabee just can't afford. But with debate performances that get tongues wagging like last night's, it's no wonder Huckabee's gaining steam.

-- A post-debate survey conducted by InsiderAdvantage, an experienced Southern polling firm, found Huckabee won among both Florida and Iowa Republicans. Surveying 341 undecided Floridians who had watched the debate immediately after its conclusion, the poll found 44% though Huckabee won. The others, in order: Giuliani, 18%. Romney, 13%. McCain, 10%. Thompson, 5%. Paul, 4%. One thing every pundit agrees on: It's time for Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter to vacate the stage. They each scored a paltry 1%.

-- The big loser last night: CNN, which allowed a question from a backer of Hillary Clinton. Righty bloggers were all over the network after a debate where the format practically begs for someone to dig deeper. Weekly Standard hit CNN hard, as well as the rest of the media for awarding the night to Huckabee, the "easy listening" candidate. Aside from the Clinton backer, though, others who saw their questions asked are also supporting other candidates. Michelle Malkin has evidence of an Edwards supporter and an Obama supporter who slipped through the screens.

-- In non-debate news, Rudy Giuliani spent tens of thousands of New York City taxpayer money on security during trips to the Hamptons with now-wife Judith Nathan, Politico's Ben Smith reports. The Mayor probably didn't bill little-known agencies to hide the expenses himself, but someone in his administration likely did, which might cause problems for Hizzoner. Is the issue going to stick around and combine with Bernie Kerik stories to give early state voters an image of Giuliani they don't like? Giuliani frequently reminds voters, even in his own television ads, that he's not perfect, but what if they start deducing that on their own? Giuliani advisor Tony Carbonetti told the Washington Post that he would investigate the charges.

-- The story brings up another point: Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all have fairly tight security. The two Democrats are protected by the Secret Service even before they earn their party's nomination. The two Republicans have different arrangements. Yes, better safe than sorry, but at what point does an early state voter's access to candidates -- or lack thereof -- play into a decision to caucus or vote for the more accessible John Edwards or John McCain? McCain himself has eschewed security, saying he will refuse Secret Service protection as the GOP nominee.

-- They may need protection, but from each other. Fred Thompson launched the season's first negative ad last night, using past clips of Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee to blast his rivals on abortion and taxes, respectively, as CNN's Mark Preston reports. The attacks were nothing Thompson hasn't said already, but putting those shots in an ad is a first for the GOP contest. Does the ad open the floodgates or set Thompson on course for nothing more than a negative campaign?

-- Speaking of attack ads, what happens when Democrats have to go after each other? The truth is, if Clinton and Obama have to go after each other, they're going to need some practice. Neither has come from behind to win a single campaign: Clinton won by wide margins in both her Senate races. After two wealthy opponents dropped out, Obama practically waltzed into his Senate seat. Obama even lost the one race in which he trailed, a primary bid against Rep. Bobby Rush. For each, running as the underdog is something new. But launching a few broadsides now and then, and defending against them, is good practice for what they'll face from a Republican.

-- Power Player Of The Day: Clinton heads to Lake Forest, California today to address an HIV/AIDS conference at the Saddleback Church, one of the country's largest mega-churches (an anniversary celebration required renting out the LA Angels' stadium so everyone could fit in at once). The church, headed by Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, has played a role in the race before: It was at the same conference a year ago that Barack Obama told Sam Brownback that "this is my house, too." If Democrats are to win any religious support in 2008, watch for it to come from Warren, who has made subtle overtures to the other side of the aisle. He's drawing fire for including Democrats from his fellow evangelicals, but he doesn't seem like the type to back down.

-- Today On The Trail: John McCain holds a press conference in St. Petersburg, while Fred Thompson holds one in Phoenix. Tom Tancredo is off to a house party in Merrimack while Duncan Hunter campaigns throughout South Carolina. On the Democratic side, Clinton speaks at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. John Edwards addresses the Iowa State Association of Counties in Des Moines, then heads to Iowa City to talk foreign policy. Barack Obama hits the Apollo Theater, Bill Richardson holds an event in New York and Joe Biden meets residents in Concord and Hampton, then speaks on Iraq in Portsmouth.