Primary Choices: John McCain  —  We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president.  The leading candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq.  They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush.

YEP, HE SAID IT  —  Seems McCain did say that.  —  Here's the video to refresh your memory ...  TPM Reader BY just sent in this clip from the Boston Globe ...  I guess it was too much to ask to have Russert crash and burn on this one.  —  Russert's quote was: “I know a lot less …

Why was this debate so bad?  —  One of my GOP candidates had an expression: “WOT."  Waste of time.  —  Did this debate accomplish anything, other than to remind us that Tim Russert is the most overrated journalist in television?  —  I'm trying to imagine what Florida voter watched that and went—"OK, now I'm ready to vote!"

Exclusive |  Edwards rises in S.C. polls  —  Palmetto State native might be in striking distance for 2nd-place finish  —  Watch John Edwards.  —  With only a day left before Saturday's S.C. Democratic presidential primary, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina and S.C. native is making a move, tracking polls suggest.

Losing Ugly  —  There's losing.  There's losing honorably.  And then there's John Edwards.  —  Mike Huckabee is not going to be president.  The loss in South Carolina, one of the most highly evangelical states in the union, made that plain.  With a ceiling of 14 percent among nonevangelical Republicans …

In Senate, a White House Victory on Eavesdropping  —  WASHINGTON — A White House plan to broaden the National Security Agency's wiretapping powers won a key procedural victory in the Senate on Thursday, as backers defeated a more restrictive plan by Senate Democrats that would have imposed more court oversight on government spying.

Clintons leave no fingerprints  —  The couple have skillfully steered the nomination campaign toward race  —  WASHINGTON - First, a quick show of hands: How many of you honestly thought we'd make it through this Democratic presidential primary without a bruising debate over race?

Interrogator: Invasion Surprised Saddam  —  Tells 60 Minutes Former Dictator Bragged About Eluding Capture  —  (CBS) Saddam Hussein initially didn't think the U.S. would invade Iraq to destroy weapons of mass destruction, so he kept the fact that he had none a secret to prevent an Iranian invasion he believed could happen.

Kucinich drops presidential bid  —  • To embed this video in your own blog, copy and paste this code:  —  Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich is dropping out of the Democratic race for president.  —  Kucinich will make the announcement Friday at a news conference in Cleveland.

Immigration officials detaining, deporting American citizens  —  FLORENCE, Ariz. — Thomas Warziniack was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, but immigration authorities pronounced him an illegal immigrant from Russia.  —  Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Warziniack for weeks …

Fact Sheet: New Growth Package Meets Criteria to Keep Our Economy Healthy  —  President Bush Discusses the Bipartisan Economic Growth Agreement  —  Today, President Bush announced his Administration reached a bipartisan agreement with House leadership on an economic growth package …

Wolfowitz Returns to U.S. Government as Adviser  —  Paul D. Wolfowitz, who resigned as World Bank chief after serving as second-in-command at the Pentagon, has returned to the Bush administration, albeit in an advisory role.  From a short news release put out this afternoon:

How Real Was the Prosperity?  —  We're just beginning to figure out how much of the nation's recent growth was the result of a credit-induced frenzy.  Here are some guideposts  —  Mark it down.  Clear the slate.  Get it all behind us.  That's what the big banks are trying to do now.

Georgia Republican Presidential Primary  —  Georgia: Huckabee 34% McCain 19% Romney 16%  —  While John McCain and Mitt Romney are fighting for the lead in Florida's Presidential Primary on January 29, Mike Huckabee has the lead in Georgia.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey …

Strains on the I.R.S. Could Delay Rebate Checks for Months  —  The checks will be in the mail — eventually.  —  But President Bush's plan to send payments to 117 million households to stimulate the economy would impose major strains on the Internal Revenue Service, delays in answering calls …