memeorandum: Army gets fewer high school grads in '07 (Kimberly Hefling/Associated Press)

7:35 PM ET, January 22, 2008

Top Items:

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 — “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States.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: Think Progress, Weekly Standard, Sister Toldjah, GINA COBB, Middle Earth Journal, BobKrumm.com, Pandagon, Connecting.the.Dots, Riehl World View and Slog

Marc Ambinder:

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: Captain's Quarters, protein wisdom, QandO, Balloon Juice, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, GreenMountainPolitics1 and Eunomia

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

With Thompson Out, Who Benefits Most? — The decision by former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson to end his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination removes a conservative voice from the field even as the remaining Republican candidates crisscross Florida in search of votes in advance of the state's Jan. 29 primary.

Discussion: Eunomia and Time

Carl Cameron / Cameron's Corner:

Now it can be told- The Thompson story — Back in March of 07 at the CPAC convention in DC several former Fred Thompson Congressional staffers told me Fred Thompson was thinking about a run. Some of his Tennessee cronies had been talking him up too. — I reported first that he was eyeing a White House bid.

Discussion: Hot Air and Riehl World View

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: Comments from Left Field, Captain's Quarters, TownHall Blog, race42008.com, Say Anything, PoliGazette and Shakespeare's Sister

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

Discussion: Wizbang

Fredric U. Dicker / New York Post:
D'AMATO DUMPS FRED FOR MCCAIN

Discussion: New York Daily News Blogs and Hot Air

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

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, DownWithTyranny!, BuzzFlash.org and The Palmetto Scoop

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Report: Fred dropping out; Update: Confirmed; Update: What went wrong?

Discussion: The Jawa Report, The Corner, Right Wing Nut House, Cold Fury, National Review and Slublog

The Politico:
Thompson bows out after weeks of rumors

Discussion: The Fix, The Swamp and The Carpetbagger Report

Fred File:
A Statement from Fred Thompson

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, Punditry, Pirate's Cove and ImmigrationProf Blog

Fred Thompson / You Decide 08!:
THOMPSON DROPS OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE

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

Sewell Chan / City Room:

Heath Ledger, Actor, Is Found Dead at 28 — The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan, according to the New York City police. Signs pointed to a suicide or an accidental overdose, police sources said. Mr. Ledger was 28.

Discussion: Megan McArdle, Us Weekly, Soup Cans, Suburban Guerrilla, The Palmetto Scoop, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Gawker, Postmodern Conservative and Patterico's Pontifications

CNN:

Actor Heath Ledger dies at 28 — NEW YORK (CNN) — Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. — The Academy Award nominated actor was 28. — “Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed,” police spokesman Paul Browne told CNN.

Discussion: The World Wide Rant

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, Political Radar, MyDD, PoliGazette 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: The Swamp, FRAMESHOP, Ben Smith's Blogs, The Carpetbagger Report, TPM Election Central, The Democratic Daily, Firedoglake, QandO, The Opinionator, Outside The Beltway, Shakespeare's Sister and Guardian

CNN:
Bill Schneider's take on last night's Democratic debate:

Discussion: The Swamp, The Trail and MyDD

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

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
Huckaproblems — As Fred Thompson departs and frees up a share …

Discussion: race42008.com

Ron Word / Associated Press:
Some Huckabee Aides Forgoing Paychecks

Discussion: The Page

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: The Moderate Voice, Weekly Standard, The Belmont Club, Neptunus Lex, Empire Burlesque, Wake up America, The Newshoggers, JammieWearingFool, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air, Dr. Sanity, Right Wing Nut House, rubber hose, QandO, Brave New Films blog, Israel Matzav and NO QUARTER

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: NY Daily News, New York Times and Pat Dollard

The Smoking Gun:

Hey Kids, Shoot Your Favorite Candidate! — Clinton, Obama pace gunners in “Presidential Paintball” online game — For the aspiring young assassin, a popular online games site offers kids the opportunity to assume the identity of a leading presidential contender and then shoot …

Discussion: Gawker, Pat Dollard and Hot Air

Byron York / National Review:

Why Republicans Fear Obama — Columbia, South Carolina — I went to Barack Obama's rally here, on Sunday night, with a Republican friend who had never seen the Illinois senator in action before. Watching the crowd of more than 3,000 fill up the convention center, watching the people send …

Discussion: Eunomia, Washington Post, Donklephant and The Plank

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

OBAMA vs. CLINTON....AGAIN....It's possible — likely, even — that everyone is tired of conversations about whether Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would be more effective if they win the presidency. That's doubly true since it's essentially unknowable at this point.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, D-Day and The Carpetbagger Report