Top Items:
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 — “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States.
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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.
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.
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.
The Campaign Spot:
He Should Have Punched More Hippies. — There will be a lot of post-mortems written about the Fred Thompson campaign, an effort that put together a lot of bright, hardworking people. — But for now, a variation of something I said to some other conservative bloggers earlier today …
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:Thompson Ends Campaign for G.O.P. Nomination
Discussion:
Marc Ambinder, The Reaction, DownWithTyranny!, BuzzFlash.org, CBS News, Truthdig and The Palmetto Scoop
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.
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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:
Sister Toldjah, The World Wide Rant, My Two Sense, Alterdestiny and Shakespeare's Sister
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 …
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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.
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Clinton's Key Strength — Kevin Drum thinks Americans simply don't want to move on: … This is the relevant issue, I think. I wrote: … My own view is that America's crisis is a very deep one. The markets are reflecting the fact that seven years of Bush have added $32 trillion to future debt …
Discussion:
Crunchy Con
CNN:Anti-Obama push-polling alleged in South Carolina
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Change of Subject, Wonkette, TPMmuckraker, D-Day and Ben Smith's Blogs
Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
Huckaproblems — As Fred Thompson departs and frees up a share of conservative voters, Huck's difficulties in trying to compete in one large state and then in a slew of others are coming to the fore. — He confirmed today that some of his aides aren't getting paid anymore and adviser Ed Rollins said others had quit.
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The Brody File:
Barack Obama Talks to The Brody File — I just finished my sit-down interview with Sen. Barack Obama here in Greenville, S.C. We talked about everything from last night's debate, his troubles with Sen. Hillary Clinton and continuing Internet rumors that he's a Muslim.
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:Obama: Muslim smear a “systematic political strategy”
Discussion:
The Raw Story
Philip Giraldi / The American Conservative:
Found in Translation — FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds spills her secrets. — Most Americans have never heard of Sibel Edmonds, and if the U.S. government has its way, they never will. The former FBI translator turned whistleblower tells a chilling story of corruption at Washington's highest levels …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Will the Democratic presidential candidates adhere to their rhetoric? — (updated below - Update II) — Time's Massimo Calabresi predicts the likely outcome of the imminent FISA and telecom immunity fight, to begin this week or next: … Here we have a perfect expression …
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!
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Jo Mannies / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Gov. Blunt won't seek second term — Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, just announced that he's not running for re-election this fall. — In a statement that shocked political leaders, in both parties, Blunt released a TV address “announcing that having achieved virtually everything …
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, Fired Up! Missouri, Gateway Pundit, AMERICAblog and Swing State Project
Amanda / Think Progress:
Petraeus: I Need Another Six Months To Determine Whether 'We've Reached A Turning Point' — In the past few months, conservatives such as Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have been quick to declare victory in Iraq. In November, McCain said that “we've succeeded militarily.”
stephenbainbridge.com:
Dow Plunges then Recovers; Fed Lowers Rates; The Case Against Fiscal Stimulus — Today, as expected after the foreign markets plunged over the MLK holiday, the Dow started off by plunging almost 500 points (just about what the prediction markets expected, btw). But then it gained most of it back:
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