From last night’s Special Report with Brit Hume:

—On McCain’s Chances—

HUME: This is Iowa, the first number: McCain 26 to 19 over Giuliani and even further ahead, as you can see, of Mitt Romney. In New Hampshire, we have a similar situation . . . And in South Carolina, McCain appears to have an even larger lead and a fewer number of undecided voters. . . .
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: I believe these polls. I think it is true. . . . I would assume that the national polls reflect what — a population that is less involved in the issues and in the candidates, than those in the primary states: Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, who watched the candidates, who have been exposed to a lot more information. . . .
So, if you’re following the campaign entirely on national media, you’re less likely to support him. If you’re more involved, as you are in the primary states, you’d be more aware of what his positions are, Giuliani’s positions are, and you might be less willing to support him and less exposed to the disdain and the disappointment that you find in national media with John McCain.

—On Israeli PM Ehud Olmert—

KRAUTHAMMER: He’s dead man walking. He’s finished. He may hang on for a few days or even a few weeks, and that’s only because, ironically, his coalition is so unpopular that other members of parliament know that if his government collapses with him, they’re going to lose the next election, they’re going to be out of jobs, they’re not going to have a cause or any benefits . . .
Olmert was already at a level of approval so low that it bumped against the margin of error, it was conceivable that there wasn’t a single Israeli who supported him, before this report [on the war in Lebanon].
After this report, he’s finished. This is the most scathing report in the history of Israel . . . It’s says that in the second report, it will talk about personal recommendations, meaning his resignation.
He’s done. The only question is, will Livni come in here as his successor, hold the coalition together, or will the government collapse, new elections, and Netanyahu will become the prime minister?
KONDRACKE: What is going to happen is that there are going to be demonstrations tomorrow, and how fast Olmert goes may be partly determined by how big those demonstrations are. If it’s 50,000, maybe he can survive a few weeks, if it’s 250,000, he maybe — the whole thing may collapse. . . .
KRAUTHAMMER: We’re going to have instability for months as the coalition attempts to hold itself together, knowing it’s going to be wiped out, if there are elections. You’re going to have the weakest and most unpopular government in Israeli history over the next months, at a time when America is trying to arrange negotiations with the Palestinians, which means that those negations are doomed.
HUME: So, this is an appetizing prospect of Middle East diplomacy Isn’t it?
KRAUTHAMMER: It’s unappetizing and it reflects a parliamentary system, which is dysfunctional. That government ought to resign today, and have new elections, because in the polls, two thirds of Israelis say that Olmert should resign, today.