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John Edwards to Quit Presidential Race — John Edwards will end his presidential bid today, a source close to the Edwards campaign confirmed. — The former North Carolina senator is scheduled to speak in New Orleans this afternoon — an appearance billed as an anti-poverty speech …
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New York Times, American Street, The Democratic Daily, The Gun Toting Liberal™, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Monthly, The 7-10, Comments from Left Field, Taylor Marsh, Rox Populi, Captain's Quarters, Scobleizer, Liberal Values, The Reaction, Middle Earth Journal, Say Anything, skippy the bush kangaroo, Blue Crab Boulevard, Suburban Guerrilla, Greatscat! and Tom Watson
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Ralph Nader Flirts with Presidential Bid — With Harsh Words for Current Field, Nader Says Candidacy as Urgent as Ever — Ralph Nader has formed a presidential exploratory committee, and said in an interview Wednesday that he will launch another presidential bid if he's convinced …
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The Hill, Hot Air, Shakespeare's Sister, Los Angeles Times, Wonkette, AMERICAblog, Outside The Beltway and Boston Globe


Edwards quitting presidential race — (CNN) — Former Sen. John Edwards is dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN has learned. — Edwards has told top advisers about his decision. It is expected he will announce it at a speech in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Why John Edwards Won — John Edwards ends his presidential candidacy today. This is not surprising news: He finished third in every single contest except for Iowa, where he narrowly beat Hillary Clinton. Going forward, he doesn't have the money or the organization to compete with either her or Barack Obama.

John Edwards will exit presidential race today, The Associated Press has learned

Hillary On Edwards: I'm Reaching Out To His Supporters
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Shakespeare's Sister, Ben Smith's Blogs, Political Machine and New York Daily News Blogs


Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008 — Based on daily polling from Jan. 27-29, 2008 — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has now cut the gap with Hillary Clinton to 6 percentage points among Democrats nationally in the Gallup Poll Daily tracking three-day average, and interviewing conducted …


Mukasey Refuses To Brief Congress On Legality Of CIA Torture Program — In December, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) asked Attorney General Mike Mukasey for his analysis of the legality of the CIA's interrogation program. Yesterday, in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee …
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Mukasey's painstaking approach to waterboarding
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New York Times

McCain may win, Romney can't — Some may agree with Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) positions on his myriad of causes and enthusiasms. Others may embrace Mitt Romney's record as governor and his experience in business. But one fact remains pre-eminent — McCain has a much better chance …
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US AND THEM....You already knew this, but the Bush administration is nuts. Here's exhibit #3,886: … It's dumb enough that we have a policy of refusing to speak to Iran in the first place, as if merely talking to them would give us geopolitical cooties. But to repeatedly get bent …
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At White House, a Second Look at Iraq Troop Cuts — WASHINGTON — Four months after announcing troop reductions in Iraq, President Bush is now sending signals that the cuts may not continue past this summer, a development likely to infuriate Democrats and renew concerns among military planners about strains on the force.
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The Newshoggers, The Daily Dish, Comments from Left Field, Early Warning, Firedoglake and Associated Press

Top Edwards Adviser Joe Trippi: Hillary And Obama Are “Banging Down The Doors” For Our Endorsement — Top Edwards adviser Joe Trippi just confirmed to me by phone that the Hillary and Obama campaigns are already working overtime to woo Edwards to their sides — even before his official dropout speech.

A King Backs Clinton — Amy Chozick reports on the presidential race from Little Rock, Ark. — As the Obama campaign basks in the Kennedy glow, chief rival Sen. Hillary Clinton picked up an endorsement today from a larger-than-life southern entertainer known for his sideburns and white rhinestone-studded jumpsuit.


U.S. Rep. Davis to Retire, Ending 14-Year Tenure in Congress — U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) said today he will retire from Congress at the end of the year, bringing to a close a 14-year stint in the House of Representatives during which he rose rapidly through the ranks …

The Daniel Pearl Standard — This week marks the sixth anniversary of the murder of my son Daniel Pearl, a reporter for this newspaper. It is a fitting occasion to step back and reflect on what this tragedy has taught us. — I am often asked why Danny's death has touched so many people and why he …

Commission Confidential — EXTRA — In a revelation bound to cast a pall over the 9/11 Commission, Philip Shenon will report in a forthcoming book that the panel's executive director, Philip Zelikow, engaged in “surreptitious” communications with presidential adviser Karl Rove …

What “bipartisanship” in Washington means — (updated below) — Whenever the mavens of “bipartisanship” attempt to do more than spout pretty platitudes, they invariably reveal just how vapid and bereft of substance are their slogans. Former Sen. Bob Graham — who recently joined David Boren …


Rudy defeat marks end of 9/11 politics — Rudy Giuliani's distant third-place finish in Florida may put an end to his bid for president, and it seems also to mark the beginning of the end of a period in Republican politics that began on Sept. 11, 2001. — Giuliani's national celebrity …