'Mad dash' for Iowa. New Mormon myths book out. Huntsman to drop out if not in top three in N.H.

Happy Friday. All eyes are on Iowa right now in the political world with the Hawkeye State holding its caucuses -- the first test of presidential nomination strength -- in four days. After first playing coy about his hope to win Iowa, Mitt Romney now plans to stay through the Tuesday caucuses and then head to New Hampshire, though opponents Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann are criss-crossing the state, too, in hopes of a victory. [AP] The only candidate not in Iowa: Jon Huntsman. [USAToday]

Topping the news: Like 2008, evangelical voters may have concerns in voting for a Mormon -- but Romney says he doesn't believe his religion is an insurmountable hurdle. [USAToday]

-> A SuperPAC supporting Huntsman asks for a change in its federal filing deadline, meaning details of who is behind the money splurge could be secret until the end of January. [Politico]

-> A new book is out using comedy to debunk myths about the LDS Church, perfect timing in a presidential race that could include a lot of discussion about those topics. [DailyCaller]

Tweet of the day: From @sppeoples: "Huntsman tells me he's likely to leave race if he doesn't finish in top 3 in NH."

Happy birthday: Today to the wonderful Natalie Kennedy and The Trib's social media guru, Kim McDaniel, and on Sunday send your birthday wishes to Utah League of Cities and Towns' Lincoln Shurtz.

Programming note: Political Cornflakes will return to your inbox and computer screen on Jan. 3.

In other news: The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has revamped some policies for detained immigrants, including a hot line for people to report they were mistakenly arrested as being in the country illegally or had their civil rights violated. [Trib]

-> The Asian Association of Utah has purchased a building near the EnergySolutions arena to keep up with the demand for refugee services, including English classes and employment training. [Trib]

-> Whether to allow mother-in-law apartments in Salt Lake City neighborhoods is spurring hot debate. [Trib]

-> While the U.S. combat role in Iraq is over, the war continues for many vets, soldiers deployed in Afghanistan - and taxpayers. [Trib]

-> Liquor control board members say it's tough to select a new leader for the agency when it's unclear what changes will be made during the upcoming legislative session. [Trib]

-> A Rocky Mountain Power program that offers incentives for homeowners using solar energy will continue for at least another year. [Trib]

-> The deadline is almost here for taxpayers wanting to contribute to a college savings account and claim a state tax credit. [Trib]

-> Paul Rolly reports that Utah Transit Authority's decision to cancel TRAX service next Monday is going to leave a lot of Jazz fans out in the cold for the night's game. [Trib]

-> Herbert has set aside money to start paying a settlement for Navajo Nation water rights. [DNews]

-> Cottonwood Mall's renovation is still in the works but already attracting national retailers. [DNews]

-> Utah Policy finishes up its Top 10 political stories countdown with No. 1: redistricting and Rep. Jim Matheson's jump to the 4th District. [UtahPolicy]

-> Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick offer their own fearless predictions for next year with both agreeing that Romney will be the GOP nominee. [UtahPolicy]

2012 watch: Romney could be peaking at just the right time in Iowa. [CBSNews]

-> The Romney boys are back on the trail. [Herald]

-> Huntsman says Iowans pick corn, not presidents. [CBSNews] He adds that Iowa's caucuses are irrelevant. [RCP]

-> Huntsman hits Rep. Ron Paul on some old newsletters with controversial remarks. [Politico]

-> Several candidates -- including Huntsman -- say that Paul is unelectable. [CNN]

-> The Huntsman daughters captivated the news media and politicos everywhere and now Newt Gingrich's daughters are appearing in web videos praising their dad. [ABCNews]

-> Restrictive ballot access -- like the one in Virginia that kept Huntsman, Gingrich and Rick Perry off the ballot -- hurt the public's opportunity to choose the next president. [CNN]

-> Romney says President Barack Obama is out of touch like Marie Antionette. [HuffPost]

-> Romney says running a campaign is like raising teen-agers -- they're both a little uncontrollable. [DMR]

-> The DNC is still hitting Romney, arguing that the candidate should release his tax filings. [CNN]

Where are they?

• Rep. Jason Chaffetz is in Iowa to campaign for Romney.
• President Barack Obama is in Hawaii on vacation.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com.

-- Thomas Burr
Twitter.com/thomaswburr
with editor Dan Harrie