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 — “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States.
Discussion:
Fred File, You Decide 08!, The Politico, The Campaign Spot, Marc Ambinder, Think Progress, Pajamas Media, alicublog, Weekly Standard, Redstate, Sister Toldjah, Middle Earth Journal, GINA COBB, The Democratic Daily, Pandagon, Right Wing Nut House, Classical Values, Wake up America, UrbanGrounds, Connecting.the.Dots, Gateway Pundit, Slog, Riehl World View and BobKrumm.com
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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.
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.
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:Thompson Ends Campaign for G.O.P. Nomination
Discussion:
The Reaction, BuzzFlash.org, DownWithTyranny!, Truthdig, The Palmetto Scoop and CBS News
Sewell Chan / City Room:
The Death of Heath Ledger — The actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday 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. [Now online: Comprehensive coverage prepared for Wednesday editions of The Times.]
Discussion:
Us Weekly, Megan McArdle, The Palmetto Scoop, Postmodern Conservative, Soup Cans, Suburban Guerrilla, The Plank, Associated Press, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Gawker, Scared Monkeys, Patterico's Pontifications, New York Post, The Corner, TMZ.com, Jezebel, On Deadline, Pat Dollard and KyleSmithOnline.com
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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, Alterdestiny, My Two Sense 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 …
Discussion:
MyDD, The Palmetto Scoop, Political Radar, The Democratic Daily, PoliGazette and Boston Globe
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Gabor Steingart / Spiegel Online:The End of the Obama Revolution
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, The Moderate Voice, FRAMESHOP, The Democratic Daily, Washington Post and The Heretik
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Senator Edwards, We Need You To Lead — John Edwards should challenge his rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to go back to Washington, DC and fight against retroactive immunity for the telecoms. — The Republicans are not going to let Reid punt and extend the Protect America Act …
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:Will the Democratic presidential candidates adhere to their rhetoric?
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!
Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:
The blog swarm Chris Matthews never saw coming — “I get it." — Chris Matthews, January 17 — When Chris Matthews' long-winded monologue at the opening of the January 17 Hardball program eventually touched down with an apology to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) …
Discussion:
Firedoglake
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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.
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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 …
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.
RELATED:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:Obama: Muslim smear a “systematic political strategy”
Discussion:
The Raw Story
John H. Cushman Jr / New York Times:
Web Site Assembles U.S. Prewar Claims — WASHINGTON — Students of how the Bush administration led the nation into the Iraq war can now go online to browse a comprehensive database of top officials' statements before the invasion, connecting the dots between hundreds of claims …
RELATED:
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:
Fired Up! Missouri, DownWithTyranny!, 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.”
Peter Y. Hong / Los Angeles Times:
State posts record 31,676 foreclosures — A record 31,676 Californians lost their homes to foreclosure in the three months ended Dec. 31, the third-straight quarter of record-breaking foreclosures, records released today show. — Foreclosures were more than double the level of the worst quarter …
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