NY NOW: “Betrayal!”  —  Whoa.  The New York State chapter of the National Organization for Women attacked Ted Kennedy for his endorsement today with some real heat.. The Times Union reported it first (writing, “'Scathing' feels inadequate here."), and I confirmed its authenticity with the president of the organization, Marcia Pappas.

Breaking News: Rudy Giuliani hints at dropping out  —  Rudy Giuliani appears to be pondering an end to his long pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination.  —  In a meeting in the back of his chartered plane en route to St. Petersburg, Fla., a short while ago, the onetime …

Today's FISA vote  —  This morning, I wrote extensively about today's vote on the FISA filibuster and related matters here, but am starting a new post now to live-blog the proceedings, which have now begun in the Senate (and can be viewed on C-SPAN here).  That earlier post should be read for background.

Winging It  —  John McCain has a golden opportunity to make peace with conservatives.  Will he take advantage of it?  —  John McCain has to decide just how comfortable he wants the conservative base of the Republican Party to be with his candidacy.  Although he touts his conservative credentials …

Huckabee challenges Romney over fried chicken  —  PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) - Mitt Romney's failure to eat fried chicken with the skin on is nothing short of blasphemy here in the South, according to GOP rival Mike Huckabee.  —  Romney, of Massachusetts, dug into a piece fried chicken at KFC …

Janet Reno endorses Clinton  —  Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who served in Bill Clinton's administration, is backing his wife in Tuesday's presidential primary.  —  Reno, who ran for governor in 2002 and served as Miami-Dade State Attorney, is one of Florida's best-known politicians.

IT SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE THAT THE CLINTONS ARE PLAYING THE RACE CARD.  —  How can one equal Bill Clinton for thuggery and opportunism when it comes to the so-called “race card”?  And where does one even start with the breathtaking nastiness of his own conduct, and that of his supporters, in the last week?

GOP Bid to Block Amendments on Surveillance Bill Fails  —  The fight goes on.  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) cloture vote failed 48-45 just now, well short of the 60 votes necessary.  —  In the end, four Dems crossed over to vote with the Republicans: Sens. Mark Pryor …

McCain hits Romney hard on Fla. radio  —  With polls showing the race too close for comfort, both McCain and Romney are ramping up the negativity.  —  Romney has sent out at least two tough robocalls attacking McCain for being insufficiently conservative.  —  And now McCain is airing …

An insider's guide to Florida's primary  —  On Tuesday, millions of Florida voters will head for the polls.  Being Floridians, many of them will become confused and drive into buildings, canals, cemeteries, other Floridians, etc.  But some will actually make it to the polls …

Bush, GOP earmark cave-in: Conservatives are a base in search of a party  —  The White House is now confirming that President Bush won't be signing an executive order that could stop the vast majority of earmarks.  Instead, he's going to sign one “directing agencies to ignore …

The Economy Is Fine (Really)  —  It is hard to imagine any time in history when such rampant pessimism about the economy has existed with so little evidence of serious trouble.  —  True, retail sales fell 0.4% in December and fourth-quarter real GDP probably grew at only a 1.5% annual rate.

New York Poll: Clinton, McCain Have Wide Leads  —  New York Republican vote appears very fluid, however  —  PRINCETON, NJ — New USA Today/Gallup polling looks at the state of the presidential race in New York, some 10 days before this state votes as part of the crucial Super Tuesday set of primaries.