The Early Word: Strategy - NYTimes.com In Today's Times: President Obama's recent agency appointments and his campaign's presence at the Iowa caucuses were two tactics in an aggressive re-election strategy aimed at tying his Republican rivals to the unpopular Congress, Helene Cooper reports. After losing his bid for re-election for a Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2006, Rick Santorum went to work for some of the firms that benefited from his legislative efforts, a move that appears at odds with the Republican presidential candidate's small government philosophy and his campaign's portrayal of the candidate as a champion of working people, Mike McIntire and Michael Luo report. Mitt Romney's formulation of what distinguishes him from Mr. Obama fits his strategy of trying to unite Republicans against Mr. Obama, and to channel the resentment of middle-class voters against increasing economic stress in recent years, but it exposes him to political risks from Democrats and Republicans, John Harwood writes. Undeclared voters outnumber registered Democrats and registered Republicans in New Hampshire, and they are poised to play a pivotal role on Tuesday in the state's primary, Kit Seelye writes. Against the background of his re-election campaign, the president outlined a new plan for a leaner, more technically proficient military, driven by spending cuts, that adds attention to threats in Asia but maintains a strong presence in the Middle East, Elisabeth Bumiller and Thom Shanker report. The partisan battles that dominated the first session of the 112th Congress last year were just a warm-up for what's likely to come, including a possible lawsuit over Mr. Obama's recess appointments and Senate Republicans turning minor procedures into major headaches, Jennifer Steinhauer writes. Around the Web: The Washington Post talks to voters in New Hampshire about what the Republican presidential candidates are like in person. Happening in Washington: At 8:30 a.m., the Department of Labor released the December employment situation. The House and Senate will meet in pro forma sessions at 10 a.m. and 11, respectively. At 11:40, President Obama will visit and give brief remarks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, before having lunch with the winners of a campaign contest.