Losing Ugly  —  There's losing.  There's losing honorably.  And then there's John Edwards.  —  Mike Huckabee is not going to be president.  The loss in South Carolina, one of the most highly evangelical states in the union, made that plain.  With a ceiling of 14 percent among nonevangelical Republicans …

Primary Choices: John McCain  —  We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president.  The leading candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq.  They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush.

The Ideas Bill Forgot  —  It was a remarkable moment: A young, free-thinking presidential hopeful named Bill Clinton sat down with reporters and editors at The Post in October 1991 and started saying things most Democrats wouldn't allow to pass their lips.  —  Ronald Reagan, Clinton said, deserved credit for winning the Cold War.

Weldon won't be seeking re-election  —  Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) will be announcing his retirement today, according to a GOP operative, becoming the 25th House Republican not to run for re-election this election cycle.  —  Weldon, a physician, was elected in the Republican wave of 1994 …

Was that a whisper in Romney's Ear?  —  What's a debate without a little blogging fun?  During the GOP Presidential Debate on MSNBC, a very curious thing happened during a Tim Russert question to Mitt Romney.  You can hear what seemed like an on air-whispered answer directed at Romney …

An Even More Partisan Agenda for 2008  —  Election-Year Economic Ratings Lowest Since '92  —  Summary of Findings  —  With the economy slowing and the stock market reeling, there is greater agreement among Republicans and Democrats that strengthening the nation's economy should be a top priority …

Obama: Clinton ‘Knives’ Came Out After Iowa  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Barack Obama made jokes yesterday on the campaign trail after a particularly nasty week of back-and-forth between himself and the Clintons.  —  Obama said “the Clintons coudln't say enough nice things” when he was down in the polls.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do  —  We begin, as one always must now, again, with Bill Clinton.  The past week he has traveled South Carolina, leaving discord in his wake.  Barack Obama, that “fairytale,” is low, sneaky.  “He put out a hit job on me."  The press is cruelly carrying Mr. Obama's counter-jabs.

Bush plan for Iraq would be a first  —  No OK from Congress seen; Constitutional issues raised  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan to forge a long-term agreement with the Iraqi government that could commit the US military to defending Iraq's security would be the first time such a sweeping …

Edwards: ‘Grown Up’  —  Edwards' new ad uses his rivals' pettiest moments in the recent debate, and Edwards' scolding.  —  “This is not about us personally — it is about what we are trying to do for this country,” he says.  —  A radio ad (.mp3) (script after the jump) touches the same theme …

In Senate, a White House Victory on Eavesdropping  —  WASHINGTON — A White House plan to broaden the National Security Agency's wiretapping powers won a key procedural victory in the Senate on Thursday, as backers defeated a more restrictive plan by Senate Democrats that would have imposed more court oversight on government spying.

How Real Was the Prosperity?  —  We're just beginning to figure out how much of the nation's recent growth was the result of a credit-induced frenzy.  Here are some guideposts  —  Mark it down.  Clear the slate.  Get it all behind us.  That's what the big banks are trying to do now.