AP NewsBreak: Richardson Ends Bid  —  MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power.

Obama Campaign Co-Chair Questions Hillary's Tears  —  The Tears are now officially an issue in Campaign 2008.  —  Obama's national campaign co-chair, Jesse Jackson, Jr., just went on MSNBC and appeared to question Hillary's tears, which he called “tears that melted the Granite State,” adding that those tears “moved voters.”

MoDo On Clinton  —  She gets the core narcissism at the heart of the Clinton machine: … My fear is that if you merely wound her candidacy, you are in danger.  The Clinton machine is now poised to pull every partisan lever and deploy every cheap tactic: the gender card, the elderly card …

It's a Fake  —  The Pentagon's version of the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday morning, involving U.S. Navy warships and Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats is, at the very least highly suspicious.  On Tuesday, the Navy released video footage and an audiotape to back its claims …

CIA whistle-blower Philip Agee dies in Cuba  —  HAVANA (Reuters) - Philip Agee, a former CIA spy who exposed its undercover operations in Latin America in a 1975 book, died in Havana, the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma said on Wednesday.  —  Agee, 72, died on Monday night …

Fox News: We Report — Even if We Know It's False  —  I've been dealing with the media and politics for 25 years, but I've never had a more surrealistic day than January 8.  Several times that day Fox News reported that I was joining Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Romney drops TV ads in key states  —  Mitt Romney hasn't extended his television presence into next week in South Carolina and Florida, an aide confirms.  —  Romney has been on TV for months in both, owning the airwaves long before his GOP rivals purchased their first spots.

Commentary: The partisan elephant unnoticed in the room  —  The Supreme Court, studiously avoiding almost all mention that it was examining a thoroughly partisan political battle, spent a spirited hour on Wednesday looking for ways either to scuttle a major test case over voters' rights or to find a way …

One Day After Saying He'll “Never Underestimate Hillary Clinton Again,” Chris Matthews Says She's Only A Presidential Candidate Because Bill “Messed Around"  —  January 9, 2008 — 9:36 AM EST // link //  —  Normally Chris Matthews isn't worth the bother, because he serves up so much non-stop clowning …

Polling the New Hampshire Primaries: What Happened?  —  President and CEO  —  Zogby International  —  There was no shortage of polls going into the New Hampshire primary in 2008 and it looks like we all missed the mark on the Democratic side.  This will require a lot of scrutiny …