Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Poll: McCain Leads in South Carolina, Huckabee a strong second  —  UTICA, New York - Arizona Sen. John McCain is the leader in the South Carolina Republican primary race with 29% support, a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll shows.  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee …

Obama best choice for Democrats  —  Or do they prefer a re-run of 'It came from Little Rock'?  —  As state Democrats prepare to hold their Saturday caucuses, cynical Republicans might well encourage them to choose Sen. Hillary Clinton, figuring her high “negatives” — the unusual number …

ON DEADLINE: Mitt Won, Authenticity Lost  —  WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney's victory in Michigan was a defeat for authenticity in politics.  —  The former Massachusetts governor pandered to voters, distorted his opponents' record and continued to show why he's the most malleable — and least credible — major presidential candidate.

Former lawmaker charged in terrorism case  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al Qaeda and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

Rove previews strategies against Clinton, Obama  —  Karl Rove told a group of state Republican officials Wednesday that while the GOP primaries “are far from over,” each of the candidates can beat the top two Democrats — and the former White House aide then outlined a strategy how.

CLINTON HATRED.  —  of last night's debate.  Edwards never even makes an appearance.  Obama, who Andrew is deeply committed to, hardly even qualifies as a walk-on character.  Instead, it's Clinton.  It's Clinton and Clinton and Clinton and Clinton.  At 9:30 we learn that “Just like Bush, she cannot talk about her own weakness.”

“The Diebold Effect”: Hillary's Votes Higher From Diebold Machines Even Controlling for Demographics (education, income, population, etc)  —  In contrast to exit pre-election polls, the final vote tally from the NH democratic primary shows a surprise victory for Hillary Clinton.

Who Wrote Ron Paul's Newsletters?  —  Libertarian movement veterans, and a Paul campaign staffer, say it was “paleolibertarian” strategist Lew Rockwell  —  Ron Paul doesn't seem to know much about his own newsletters.  The libertarian-leaning presidential candidate says he was unaware …

Bush Admin. admits to destroying e-mails from start of Iraq War, Leak of Valerie Wilson's name and DOJ investigation of leak  —  Presidential Records Act Without A Trace  —  Very, very late last night, just before midnight, the Bush administration submitted a filing in CREW v. Executive Office …

RETIREES AND THE FAIRTAX....Matt Yglesias reprints a chart showing that Mike Huckabee's 30% national sales tax would be good for the rich and bad for the middle class, and then adds this: … A big national sales tax is such a loopy idea that I feel like my IQ drops every time I even acknowledge it as something worth discussing.

High-Profile Officer Nagl to Leave Army, Join Think Tank  —  One of the Army's most prominent younger officers, whose writings have influenced the conduct of the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq, said he has decided to leave the service to study strategic issues full time at a new Washington think tank.

CNN's John King responds  —  Over the weekend, I wrote about an adulating interview which CNN's John King conducted with John McCain while riding on the storied Straight Talk Express bus.  The interview was broadcast on “Situation Room” with Wolf Blitzer.  In that post, I printed all of the …

FRIED SQUIRREL: I'M LOVING IT!  —  Mike Huckabee explains how he'll appeal to SC voters by explaining how he and his crew ate fried squirrel made in a popcorn popper in college ...

Obama Aide: Clinton Is ‘Prohibitive Favorite’ in Nevada  —  The Nevada caucuses are still three days away, but the battle over what the eventual results will mean began in earnest this afternoon when The Fix received a phone call from David Plouffe, campaign manager for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).