The Clinton-Obama exchange  —  CNN is providing transcript, and the full transcript of their first exchange is after the jump.  —  It began with this line from Obama, on his taxing and spending plans: “What she said wasn't true."  —  MODERATOR: She says that the new programs that she proposes she essentially

Huckabee trims costs, press travel  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - Battling to stay competitive after his weekend loss in South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is taking new steps to save money, including no longer scheduling planes and buses for journalists trying to cover his presidential campaign.

Election 2008: New York Republican Presidential Primary  —  New York: McCain 26% Giuliani 20% Romney 13%  —  When Rudy Giuliani and his campaign team came up with the strategy to skip the early states and wait until Florida before entering the fray, they probably never expected to be trailing in New York State.

CNN readers respond angrily to ‘race or gender’ story  —  (CNN) — Within minutes of posting a story on CNN's homepage called “Gender or race: Black women voters face tough choices in South Carolina,” readers reacted quickly and angrily.  —  Many took umbrage at the story's suggestion …

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS  —  It's hard for me to think of much good from this debate.  If you view debates like a boxing match, I guess it was lively and perhaps entertaining, in the sense that a good boxing match can be, though the fighting was more intense than well executed.

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.

Attorneys probe deepens  —  The federal investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys could jolt the political landscape ahead of the November elections, according to several people close to the inquiry.  —  Washington's attention has been diverted from the scandal since …

Martin Luther King III to John Edwards: I challenge all candidates to follow your lead  —  On Saturday afternoon, John Edwards met with Martin Luther King III, son of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the King Center in Atlanta.  He received this note (.pdf) from him the following day:

Some fact-checking: GOP ideas, Rezko, boons  —  There's going to be a lot of it going on tonight — I'm looking forward to broad swathes of inside pages in the morning — but here are some that my colleague Avi Zenilman and I have been able to kick up.  —  First, what did Obama say about Reagan and the Republicans?

Earmarks Seen Likely to Continue  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush is unlikely to defy Congress on spending billions of dollars earmarked for pet projects, but he will probably insist that lawmakers provide more justification for such earmarks in the future, administration officials said Monday.

BILL HAS A ‘DREAM’  —  EX PREZ NODS OFF DURING MLK AWARD PRESENTATION  —  Bill Clinton showed yesterday why he made it into the book “The Art of Napping."  —  During an appearance at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, the former president was caught nodding off.

Despite Blog Support, Flake Bid a Long-shot  —  Every so often, the liberal or conservative blogospheres will get excited and mobilized to make something happen that probably never will.  Such is the case with the growing movement to get Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake (R) onto the House Appropriations Committee.

In Matters Big and Small, Crossing Giuliani Had Price  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani likens himself to a boxer who never takes a punch without swinging back.  As mayor, he made the vengeful roundhouse an instrument of government, clipping anyone who crossed him.  —  In August 1997, James Schillaci …