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 …

Hillary On The Morning Shows: Surprised By Photo Of Her And Rezko  —  Hillary hits all the morning shows, gets hit with a surprise on NBC: An old photo of her and Bill next to disgraced Obama associate Tony Rezko.  NBC's Matt Lauer says that the network “received” the photo and that its date is uncertain …

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.

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 …

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.

Transcript: John Kerry On Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton And More  —  National Journal's Linda Douglass sat down with John Kerry for “National Journal On Air."  This is a transcript of their conversation.  —  Q: I'd like to introduce Sen. John Kerry, former Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, United States senator now.

Weldon will not seek reelection  —  Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) announced Friday that he will retire from Congress at the end of this session, citing a desire to return to his medical practice.  —  “I want to thank my wife Nancy and my kids for all the support over these many years …

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 …

John McCain's open-borders outreach director: The next DHS secretary?  —  Dr. Juan Hernandez, McCain Hispanic outreach director: “We must not only have a free flow of goods and services, but also start working for a free flow of people."  —  Last month, I received an e-mail from a concerned reader.

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 …

Early vote may be decisive in Florida … TALLAHASSEE - Nearly 7 percent of Florida's 10-million registered voters have already cast their ballots for Tuesday's election, suggesting the vote may buck the recent trend of lackluster turnout.  —  Nearly 700,000 voters had voted early or returned absentee ballots as of Thursday.

For Edwards, a Role as Possible Kingmaker  —  Democrat May Grab  —  Enough Delegates  —  To Sway Convention  —  LANCASTER, S.C. — As the banjo strains of his warm-up act faded to silence, John Edwards took the stage, telling the 200 assembled supporters the truth.  “The truth is, I am the underdog,” he said.

The Illustrated President  —  W.H.D. Koerner, “A Charge to Keep” (1916)  —  George W. Bush is famous for his attachment to a painting which he acquired after becoming a “born again Christian."  It's by W.H.D. Koerner and is entitled “A Charge to Keep."  Bush was so taken by it …

FISA: Take Action Today  —  Phone call photo via auer1816.  —  Emptywheel is right: what the GOP wants on FISA is failure, even more than unfettered power concentrated in a unilateral executive.  —  The GOP hopes to use FISA as an electoral cudgel.  Allow me to detail their groundwork …

Virginia's Sangria Ban At Issue in 2 Hearings  —  RICHMOND, Jan. 23 — A Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control agent conducting a routine inspection in 2006 cited La Tasca Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria for violating an obscure 75-year-old state law:  —  It's illegal to serve sangria in Virginia.

Jan. 24 Republican debate transcript  —  Boca Raton, Florida presidential debate at Florida Atlantic University  —  Speakers: Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, R-New York City; Rep. RON Paul, R-Texas Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.