It's Tuesday morning. Gas prices are headed up twenty cents in the next two weeks, likely breaking a new record for national average. Go fill up now.

-- The Senate this morning takes up the nomination of Robert Dow, Jr., to serve as a U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of Illinois. The House, meanwhile, considers a number of bills under suspension, including measures on attorney-client privilege and several on internet safety for children. The Senate Environment and Public Works and Foreign Relations Committees consider measures to address global warming, while the House Education and Labor Committee deals with the cold, taking up the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

-- Fred Thompson, who last week on Meet The Press told host Tim Russert he would not push for a national anti-abortion constitutional amendment, won the backing of the National Right To Life Committee yesterday, the country's largest pro-life group. Marc Ambinder writes the nod is not terrible news for Mitt Romney, especially considering Romney's campaign sees his biggest challenge at the moment coming from Mike Huckabee, not from Thompson. That's a story all on its own. Huckabee, meanwhile, is providing former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley to call the endorsement a "mistake," attributable to "Washington politics."

-- Despite the backing, two recent polls show Fred Thompson mired in sixth position in New Hampshire. While Rudy Giuliani had been rising over the summer, his support has now sagged, and Mitt Romney maintains an 11.2-point lead in the latest RCP New Hampshire Average. Huckabee's support is definitely growing, but whether he has the time is another question. The race looks like it'll remain a three-way contest between Romney, Giuliani and John McCain, though at the moment Romney is in the driver's seat.

-- Why is Romney so far ahead there, and in Iowa, where he leads by 13.8 points in the latest RCP Iowa Average? Perhaps his $10.2 million spent on television advertising has something to do with it. CNN reports the former Massachusetts governor has run more than 14,500 commercials, both new records for the year before an election. The second-highest Republican spender: McCain, at $300,000 in total spending. On the Democratic side, Barack Obama has dropped $3.9 million, while Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson have each spent about $2.2 million on television.

-- Watch out in Iowa, though: The Examiner's Bill Sammon reports that Rudy Giuliani has high hopes for the state, where he wants to finish second. Giuliani's camp admits they can't beat Romney in Iowa, and that their real battle is with Mike Huckabee. Mark our words, the Romney campaign really wants someone to challenge the Gov in Iowa -- or at least say they're able to finish first -- in order to tamp down the CW's expectations. Or is it more interesting that both Romney and Giuliani see Huckabee as their top rival? Then again, the New York Sun says Giuliani is still downplaying Iowa and New Hampshire in favor of the big February 5th states.

-- Speaking of rivals, some have noticed of late that best buddies McCain and Giuliani have begun trading shots. Last week, McCain's team hit Giuliani for their association with indicted ex-NYC Police Commish Bernard Kerik, while Team Giuliani hit back using the phrase "Keating 5" and questioning the wisdom of a $3 million loan McCain is taking out to fund his bid. Washington Post's Michael Shear has the back and forth. Until now, the two had mostly trained their fire on Romney, who no one in the field seems to like. The only person not being attacked, it seems, is Fred Thompson.

-- In the Democratic race, Mark Halperin thinks the feudin' and the fightin' has been good for John Edwards and bad for Clinton, while pretty much everyone says Obama's got the Big Mo' heading into Thursday's Las Vegas debate. So the question remains for both camps: Does one need to fold for the other to have a real shot at Clinton? At the moment, the answer is probably no; as Time's Ana Marie Cox writes, some top campaign rivals still think Edwards would win Iowa, were the caucuses held today, setting up a real three-way campaign. Also at Time, Jay Newton-Small looks at what it takes to be the Un-Hillary.

-- Photo Of The Day: The Associated Press captured Mitt Romney, reporters in tow, walking straight by an Obama for President sign. The picture, snapped in New Hampshire, reminded Politics Nation to share our observation about public expressions of support in Iowa. Hillary Clinton has a wide lead on the Democratic side in yard signs, it seems, while Barack Obama has a healthy edge in bumper stickers. We saw John Edwards' and Joe Biden's names on bumper stickers as well, but Obama was by far the most popular. On the GOP side, surprisingly few expressions of support showed up, save a few Mitt Romney and Ron Paul yard signs.

-- Today On The Trail: Rudy Giuliani meets voters in Glendale, California. Mitt Romney offers a new immigration plan in Sioux City, then opens a new campaign office there. Fred Thompson speaks at the Citadel, then meets voters in Myrtle Beach. And John McCain campaigns in Chicago, visiting the Mercantile Exchange and addressing the city's Urban League. On the Democratic side, John Edwards is in Lebanon, Milford and Salem, New Hampshire, and Barack Obama speaks to the United Auto Workers in Dubuque.