RNC Moves Iowa Caucus to February 2012

CNN's Peter Hamby reports the holidays will be a little less crazy for political junkies next year:

The Republican National Committee on Friday passed an amendment that would shift the 2012 presidential calendar to later in the year and punish states that try to move up their nominating contests.

The change in party rules protects Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada as the four early voting states.

But the amendment also mandates that those states hold their primaries or caucuses no earlier than February 1, 2012 - a response to the front-loaded 2008 calendar that forced candidates in both parties to spend the normally sleepy holiday season of December and January in full campaign mode.

Other states that hold primaries or caucus in February will be stripped of delegates, CNN reports. Whole report here.