memeorandum: Hillary Hater is DIY Robo Caller? (Paul Kiel/TPMmuckraker)

4:55 PM ET, January 22, 2008

Top Items:

Thompson Decides To Drop Out — Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson has told several Republicans that he has decided to drop out of the presidential race and will make public his intentions by close of business. — Thompson does not plan to endorse any rivals for now, even though one of his best friends is Sen. John McCain.

Discussion: Hot Air, protein wisdom, QandO, Balloon Juice, Eunomia and GreenMountainPolitics1

The Campaign Spot:

Fred Out of Thursday's Debate; Doesn't Plan on Endorsing — I spoke to one of my Thompson sources. — He's still with his ailing mother. “He's just being a good son." — He has not spoken to any other campaign or any other candidates, nor does he intend to at this time.

Discussion: New York Post, Captain's Quarters, TownHall Blog, Right Wing Nut House, Comments from Left Field, Hot Air, race42008.com, Say Anything, Shakespeare's Sister and PoliGazette

Associated Press:

Fred Thompson Quits Presidential Race — NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states. — “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Marc Ambinder, BobKrumm.com, Pandagon, Connecting.the.Dots, Riehl World View and Slog

Fred Thompson / You Decide 08!:

THOMPSON DROPS OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE — Fred Thompson dropped his presidential bid Tuesday, after the former Tennessee senator and actor finished third in the South Carolina primary and was unable to score a victory in any of the early primaries or caucuses.

Discussion: CNN, Wake up America, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit and small dead animals

Satyam / Think Progress:

Thompson drops out. — Fox News reports that former Tennesee senator Fred Thompson is dropping out of the Republican race for President. Via Fox reporter Carl Cameron:

Discussion: Firedoglake, Booman Tribune and The Seminal

New York Times:
Fred Thompson Drops Out of the Presidential Race

Discussion: BuzzFlash.org

Bill Sammon / Examiner:
Fred Thompson quits; may position himself for VP bid

Discussion: The Campaign Spot and Wizbang

The Politico:
Fred Thompson quits GOP race

Discussion: The Fix, The Swamp and The Carpetbagger Report

Deacon / Power Line:
FRED THOMPSON WITHDRAWS

Discussion: TownHall Blog

The State:

Obama most likely Democrat to unify America — THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY in South Carolina this year offers voters an unusual choice. Earlier votes have winnowed out the most experienced candidates, leaving a field with fewer accomplishments and differences on policy, but including two candidates …

Discussion: The Democratic Daily and Boston Globe

John Edwards / CNN:

Clinton, Edwards hold private post-debate meeting — MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) — What were they talking about? — Hillary Clinton and John Edwards met privately backstage following a very contentious Democratic presidential debate in this coastal city, sources with both campaigns confirm to CNN.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Firedoglake, FRAMESHOP, The Opinionator, The Swamp, The Carpetbagger Report, TPM Election Central, QandO, The Democratic Daily, Outside The Beltway, Guardian, Open Left, Shakespeare's Sister and New York Times

CNN:

Bill Schneider's take on last night's Democratic debate: — MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) — It's obvious who the Democrats think will win the Republican nomination: They're all talking about who will run strongest against John McCain. — This is new — and it's likely the result of his South Carolina win on Saturday.

Discussion: The Swamp, The Trail and MyDD

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:

For immediate release — The Federal Open Market Committee has decided to lower its target for the federal funds rate 75 basis points to 3-1/2 percent. — The Committee took this action in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth.

Madlen Read / Associated Press:
Stocks plunge on recession fears

Discussion: Punditry, Sweetness & Light and Watching Those We Chose

Washington Post:
Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate

Discussion: BBC, New York Times, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, Taylor Marsh, Matthew Yglesias, LENIN'S TOMB, Guardian, Emptywheel and Don Surber

Michelle Malkin:

Mystery in Brooklyn: Bomb factory at Columbia University professor's home — The NY Daily News reports today on a disturbing discovery at a Columbia University instructor's home: … Clatts cannot be located. Who is he? … The NYTimes reports on a bizarre twist in the case …

Discussion: New York Times and Pat Dollard

NY Daily News:
Bomb terror probe

Discussion: Pat Dollard

Matthew Yglesias:

Someone Didn't Get The Word — Fareed Zakaria: … Ah, those sad, sad, Democrats. So unaware that the war's over. The dude who killed at least fourteen and wounded seventeen in Tikrit must, like the Democrats, have been wearing partisan blinders when he failed to acknowledge the surge's success in bringing the war to an end.

Discussion: New York Times, INTEL DUMP, The Huffington Post, Booman Tribune, Firedoglake and Bob Cesca's Goddamn …

Fareed Zakaria / Newsweek:
We're Fighting the Wrong War

Discussion: Weekly Standard and The Daily Dish

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:

What's Gotten Into Bill? — Six months ago, Bill Clinton seemed to be settling comfortably into roles befitting a silver-maned former president: statesman, philanthropist, philosopher-king. Now he has put all that high-mindedness on hold — maybe it was never such a great fit, after all …

Discussion: OxBlog, Classical Values, Wake up America, Don Surber, Wizbang, Daniel W. Drezner, Jules Crittenden, PoliGazette, Campaign Stops and Publius Pundit

Ian Traynor / Guardian:

Pre-emptive nuclear strike ‘an option’ — The west must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try to halt the “imminent” spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new Nato by five of the west's most senior military officers and strategists.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Newshoggers, The Belmont Club, Neptunus Lex, Outside The Beltway, rubber hose, Hot Air, Right Wing Nut House, Dr. Sanity, Empire Burlesque, Buck Naked Politics, Corrente, QandO, JammieWearingFool, Israel Matzav, Brave New Films blog, NO QUARTER and The Glittering Eye

The Prowler / American Spectator:

Huckabee Broke — Less than a month after a huge upset victory, and promises that fundraising would be ramped up, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is asking his senior staff to keep working for him without pay, while lower level campaign staff are seeing their salaries cut dramatically or eliminated altogether.

Discussion: protein wisdom, MiamiHerald.com, The Jawa Report, Shakespeare's Sister, Ron Paul 2008, Hot Air, Tales from the Trail, DownWithTyranny!, Dean's World, Say Anything and race42008.com

CNN:

Part 1 of CNN Democratic presidential debate — Editor's note: This is part one of the transcript for the Democratic presidential debate sponsored by CNN and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute on January 21, 2008. Click here to connect to part two or part three.

Discussion: TV Decoder, Threat Level, Your Right Hand Thief, PoliPundit.com, The Fact Hub, TalkLeft, Soup Cans, Dick Polman's American Debate and PSoTD

Fred Barnes / Wall Street Journal:

Now McCain Must Convince The Right — John McCain has a problem. After winning South Carolina's primary last Saturday, he should be the overwhelming favorite to capture the Republican presidential nomination. He's not, at least not yet, and the reason is that he's alienated so many conservatives over the past eight years.