First (?) Wave of Florida Exits, Revealed  —  The first wave of exit poll numbers, including absentees: McCain 34.3 percent, Romney 32.6 percent, Giuliani 15.3 percent, Huckabee 12 percent.  —  UPDATE: Interestingly a second source — yes, guardians of the exit poll data …

Hillary's word: It's worth nothing  —  COURTING VOTERS in Iowa and New Hampshire, last August Sen. Hillary Clinton signed a pledge not to “campaign or participate” in the Michigan or Florida Democratic primaries.  She participated in both primaries and is campaigning in Florida.

Richardson's Choice  —  SANTA FE, N.M. — Gov. Bill Richardson's phone has been ringing off the hook.  Sen. Hillary Clinton called Sunday night.  That was followed by a call from former president Bill Clinton, then a call from Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who's supporting Clinton.

Florida Primary: What to Watch For Tonight  —  Most polls will be closing in Florida at 7 p.m. ET, with some of the Panhandle counties not closing until 8 p.m. ET.  As you would expect, The Fix is chomping at the bit to find out what will happen in tonight's Republican primary showdown.

McCain Accused Of Gay Baiting In Anti-Romney Attack  —  On the eve of the Florida Republican primary, Sen. John McCain launched a robo-call campaign attacking his rival Mitt Romney that some gay rights groups say amounts to gay baiting.  —  The call, which comes at the end of a hotly contested election …

More Florida spin  —  The Clinton campaign convened a conference call this afternoon to keep pushing its line on how much Florida matters.  —  We'll be able to judge their success with this spin, my colleague David Kuhn points out, in terms of whether the television networks pay much attention to Hillary's numbers tonight in Florida.

Bush Issues Signing Statement On Defense Act, Waiving Ban On Permanent Bases In Iraq  —  President Bush yesterday signed the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act after initially rejecting Congress's first version because it would have allegedly opened the Iraqi government to “expensive lawsuits.”

Where Did All Those Gorgeous Russians Come From?  —  THE SAME PLACE AS THE UNGLAMOROUS ASSEMBLY-LINE WORKERS.  —  There was a particular historical moment, round about 1995 or so, when anyone entering a well-appointed drawing room, dining room, or restaurant in London was sure to encounter a beautiful Russian woman.

An Iraq recession?  —  One thing I get asked fairly often is whether the Iraq war is responsible for our economic difficulties.  The answer (with slight qualifications) is no.  —  Just to be clear: I yield to nobody in my outrage over the way we were lied into a disastrous, unnecessary war.

Mitt'n'Mac  —  I think I agree with Andrew Stuttaford from a gazillion hours ago this morning - that the outcome hinges on what the Dems do.  If they nominate Obama, then (as Andrew says) it will be a “narrative” election.  If the GOP nominates McCain, then it's young, gifted and black vs old, cranky and weathered.

Media Still Trying to Martyr Obama  —  We've covered this ground before.  For reasons they will not openly disclose, media worldwide are hooked on the possibility that Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama will be assassinated.  —  As noted by Mark Finkelstein this morning on Newsbusters …

A few hours left — then Florida speaks  —  Now come the final waves of voters, and then the counting, the waiting, the victories and the defeats.  —  Election officials throughout the state prepared for the evening rush of voters eager to join the abundant number of Floridians casting ballots …