memeorandum: In Legal Cases, C.I.A. Officers Turn to Insurer (Scott Shane/New York Times)

11:10 AM ET, January 20, 2008

Top Items:

The end of Mike Huckabee — Liveblogging... He's taking the stage at his Columbia HQ. Huckabee says he just called McCain to congratulate him and thank him for a “civil,” “decent” campaign. — Huckabee slyly attacks Romney by praising himself and McCain for campaigning with “honor” instead of attacking someone else.

Discussion: Riehl World View, Hot Air, Right Wing News, Stop The ACLU and The Amboy Times

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

The Party of ... McCain? — For weeks, we've marveled at the GOP field's stubborn refusal to winnow itself. With John McCain's victory tonight, we've finally achieved that belated winnowing. In one quick burst, McCain has effectively knocked Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, New York Times and The Heretik

Ross Douthat:

Rudy Is Toast — How's that for a bold prediction? Seriously, I think Mark Steyn had it exactly wrong this afternoon, when he wrote: … If Romney hadn't won Michigan, I could almost imagine something like this happening. (Indeed, I did imagine it, back when it looked like Romney might flame out early.)

Discussion: protein wisdom, PrestoPundit and Eunomia

Associated Press:

McCain defeats Huckabee in S.C. — Economy, immigration top voters concerns in key GOP primary — Republican presidential hopeful Arizona Senator John McCain walks to his bus after meeting voters in South Carolina on Saturday. — McCain wins South Carolina

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Talking Points Memo, Right Wing Nut House, TigerHawk, Don Surber, Middle Earth Journal, Threat Level, Newsweek, QandO, Donklephant, Tom Watson, Jules Crittenden, The Palmetto Scoop, TPM Election Central, CNN, Boston Globe and Sister Toldjah

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

No Quick Knockouts as Races Move to New Terrain — CHARLESTON, S.C. — With his victory in South Carolina on Saturday, Senator John McCain of Arizona has accomplished what no other Republican presidential candidate has been able to do this year: he has captured two competitive contests.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and Matthew Yglesias

Redstate:
Not with a bang, but a whimper — So long, Fred; we hardly even knew ye.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Power Line, the evangelical outpost, Crooks and Liars, RADAMISTO and Ground Game

Andrew Malcolm / Los Angeles Times:
Breaking News: A Ron Paul surge in Nevada

Discussion: About.com US Politics, Daily Dose and Samizdata.net

CNN:
Fred Thompson stays in GOP presidential race

Discussion: MSNBC, Hot Air, Political Radar, Talking Points Memo, Donklephant, TPM Election Central and Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Mark Steyn / The Corner: McMentum vs Huckmentum

Thers / Firedoglake:
Thompson Out? Enjoy the SchadenFred

Discussion: The Corner, Whiskey Fire, DownWithTyranny! and National Review

The Corner: Exit Polls — Rich: By my back-of-the-envelope calculations …

CNN:
Hunter exits presidential race

Discussion: MyDD, michellemalkin.com, Wonkette and Stop The ACLU

Mike Tackett / The Swamp:
South Carolina GOP race tight as a tick

Discussion: New York Times, Brilliant at Breakfast and Stumper

Jennifer Parker / ABCNEWS:
McCain, Huckabee Battle for First in S.C. Primary

Discussion: The Swamp, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Outside The Beltway, Liberal Values and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Bill Nichols / The Politico:
McCain wins South Carolina

Discussion: CNN, The Reaction, New York Times, Daily Dose and Riehl World View

Ari Melber / The Nation:

OBAMA WINS MOST NEVADA DELEGATES... Barack Obama may have won the most delegates in Saturday's Nevada Caucus, even though Hillary Clinton bested his statewide turnout by about six points. — A source with knowledge of the Nevada Democratic Party's projections told The Nation that under …

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

SOME CLARITY ON THOSE NV DELEGATES — From NBC's Mark Murray — After the Obama campaign pointed out it had won more pledged delegates than Clinton did — which the AP and NBC News later backed up — the Nevada Democratic Party issued this statement: “Just like in Iowa what was awarded today were delegates to the County Convention.

Discussion: Open Left, Liberal Values, TPM Election Central and 2008 Democratic …

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Delegate Math: Who Won Nevada? — UPDATE, 8:15 p.m: Both the chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party and a senior adviser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign are insisting that the contention that Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) won more delegates in today's caucus is incorrect.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Las vegas sun Blogs, The Gun Toting Liberal™, The Carpetbagger Report, The Reaction, Marc Ambinder, MSNBC, Crooks and Liars, The Democratic Daily, Captain's Quarters, TalkLeft, New York Times, Comments from Left Field and Associated Press

Washington Post:
Women, Latinos Propel Clinton To First Place

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Truthdig

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Nevada tussle signals rancor for Dems

Discussion: The Anonymous Liberal, Outside The Beltway and Steve Sailer's iSteve Blog

Michael Crowley / The New Republic:
Hillary's OK Day — Hillary Clinton will gladly take her win today in Nevada.

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Obama Campaign: We Won Nevada Caucus — Based On Delegate Count

Discussion: Associated Press, Slog, The Washington Note and Talking Points Memo

Jeff G. / protein wisdom:

allow me to interject — I will not, will not, vote for John McCain. — I will not, will not, vote for Mike Huckabee. — I will not, will not, vote for Ron Paul — unless he runs for Fuhrer. In which case, he's got my full support. — I might hold my nose and vote for Mitt Romney …

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal and Redstate

Pajamas Media:
Drunkblogging South Carolina and Nevada

Discussion: Power Line

Clark Hoyt / New York Times:

Public and Private Lives, Intersecting — LINDA GREENHOUSE, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Times reporter who has covered the Supreme Court for nearly 30 years, is used to dealing with top-drawer legal authorities. But it's not always convenient that she is married to one.

TigerHawk: The “public editor” of the New York Times really is nothing …

Times of London:

FBI denies file exposing nuclear secrets theft — The FBI has been accused of covering up a file detailing government dealings with a network stealing nuclear secrets — THE FBI has been accused of covering up a key case file detailing evidence against corrupt government officials …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The BRAD BLOG, At-Largely and Boing Boing

Scott Shane / New York Times:

In Legal Cases, C.I.A. Officers Turn to Insurer — WASHINGTON — When Jose A. Rodriguez Jr. came under investigation for ordering the destruction of Central Intelligence Agency interrogation videotapes, one of his first calls was to a small Virginia insurance company that thrives on government trouble.

Discussion: American Street and Watching Those We Chose

Las Vegas Sun:

How Clinton hit pay dirt — The keys to her Nevada victory: a huge wave of new voters — If you want to know how Sen. Hillary Clinton won a convincing victory in Saturday's Nevada caucus, look back to a meeting Dec. 15 at William E. Orr Middle School in Las Vegas.

Discussion: TalkLeft

The Corner:

This Race — The problem for the Republicans in this race is that none of them have received a majority of the vote. The winner gets about one-third of the vote, and is declared the big winner (usually said to have momentum, or what have you). Yes, he wins a plurality.

Discussion: Macsmind, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and RADAMISTO

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:

SC Primary Coverage: Chris Matthews Wants To Wrap The Mantle Of Reagan Around McCain — Chris Matthews eats, sleeps and breathes politics, that much is clear. But what bothers me so much is that it's all about the process and attaining the result, not sticky little details like reality.