memeorandum: Shattered Hopes — As Pakistan's parliamentary elections approach … (Weekly Standard)

3:10 PM ET, January 30, 2008

Top Items:

John Edwards to Quit Presidential Race — John Edwards will end his presidential bid today, a source close to the Edwards campaign confirmed. — The former North Carolina senator is scheduled to speak in New Orleans this afternoon — an appearance billed as an anti-poverty speech …

CNN:

Edwards quitting presidential race — (CNN) — Former Sen. John Edwards is dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN has learned. — Edwards has told top advisers about his decision. It is expected he will announce it at a speech in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Shakespeare's Sister, The Sideshow, The Democratic Daily, The Carpetbagger Report, Open Left, Outside The Beltway, The Crone Speaks, Booman Tribune, Wake up America, TalkLeft, PoliGazette, Cadillac Tight, QandO and PoliBlog (TM)

Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:

Why John Edwards Won — John Edwards ends his presidential candidacy today. This is not surprising news: He finished third in every single contest except for Iowa, where he narrowly beat Hillary Clinton. Going forward, he doesn't have the money or the organization to compete with either her or Barack Obama.

Discussion: New York Times, The Caucus, Matthew Yglesias and Brian Beutler

Rick Klein / ABCNEWS:

Ralph Nader Flirts with Presidential Bid — With Harsh Words for Current Field, Nader Says Candidacy as Urgent as Ever — Ralph Nader has formed a presidential exploratory committee, and said in an interview Wednesday that he will launch another presidential bid if he's convinced …

Discussion: The Politico, Los Angeles Times, AMERICAblog, Wonkette and Outside The Beltway

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Edwards' Departure & A New Democratic Race — Former senator John Edwards (N.C.) ended his bid for the presidency today in New Orleans, bringing to a close a five-year quest for the nation's highest office. — Edwards was joined by his wife, Elizabeth, as well as his three children on stage.

Discussion: Associated Press, TPM Election Central, The New Republic, Power Line, The Campaign Spot, The Carpetbagger Report and Sister Toldjah

Associated Press:
John Edwards to Drop Out of Presidential Race

Discussion: The Swamp, Scholars and Rogues and PoliGazette

Matt / 2008 Democratic Convention Watch:
Edwards out — John Edwards is dropping out of the race today.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, michellemalkin.com and Redstate

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008 — Based on daily polling from Jan. 27-29, 2008 — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has now cut the gap with Hillary Clinton to 6 percentage points among Democrats nationally in the Gallup Poll Daily tracking three-day average, and interviewing conducted …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Spin Cycle, The New Republic, Open Left, politburo diktat 2.0, New York Daily News Blogs, The Page and TPM Election Central

Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2008: Connecticut Democratic Presidential Primary

Discussion: TPM Election Central and politburo diktat 2.0

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

US AND THEM....You already knew this, but the Bush administration is nuts. Here's exhibit #3,886: … It's dumb enough that we have a policy of refusing to speak to Iran in the first place, as if merely talking to them would give us geopolitical cooties. But to repeatedly get bent …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Matthew Yglesias

Ben / Think Progress:
Right Wing Attacks Khalilzad For Not Defending Bolton's Honor …

Discussion: New York Times and The Huffington Post

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
What Part Of Not Authorized Did Khalilzad Not Understand?

Discussion: New York Sun, The Newshoggers and Power Line

Dick Morris / The Hill:

McCain may win, Romney can't — Some may agree with Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) positions on his myriad of causes and enthusiasms. Others may embrace Mitt Romney's record as governor and his experience in business. But one fact remains pre-eminent — McCain has a much better chance …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Open Left

Redstate:
The Last Action Hero

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Washington Post:
After Romney's Barrage, McCain Stands Tall

Discussion: Power Line, Boston Globe, NY Daily News, New York Post, Sweetness & Light, TownHall Blog, New York Times, Outside The Beltway, The Corner, Brad Warthen's Blog and Real Clear Politics

Philip Shenon / New York Times:

Mukasey Offers View on Waterboarding — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said Tuesday that the harsh C.I.A. interrogation technique known as waterboarding was not clearly illegal, and suggested that it could be used against terrorism suspects once again if requested by the White House.

Discussion: Think Progress, Balkinization, The Plank, CNN, Comments from Left Field, The Newshoggers, The Crone Speaks, The Heretik, JustOneMinute, The Politico and At-Largely

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Mukasey Holds Back on Torture Issue

Discussion: Think Progress, TPMmuckraker, Daily Kos and Balkinization

Richard T. Cullen / The Politico:

Davis will not seek reelection — Blog: Republican congressman from Virginia expected to make formal announcement Wednesday afternoon.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo: REP. TOM DAVIS (R-VA) RETIRING

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Top Edwards Adviser Joe Trippi: Hillary And Obama Are “Banging Down The Doors” For Our Endorsement — Top Edwards adviser Joe Trippi just confirmed to me by phone that the Hillary and Obama campaigns are already working overtime to woo Edwards to their sides — even before his official dropout speech.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Wonkette, Salon, Open Left and The Page

The Politico:

Rudy defeat marks end of 9/11 politics — Rudy Giuliani's distant third-place finish in Florida may put an end to his bid for president, and it seems also to mark the beginning of the end of a period in Republican politics that began on Sept. 11, 2001. — Giuliani's national celebrity …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Pajamas Media, Commentary, Independent Liberal, Outside The Beltway, The Caucus, TIME, Comments from Left Field and Right Voices

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:

Compassionate to the End — When President Bush took his final walk to the rostrum of the House chamber, his speech and manner conveyed little nostalgia. He views both meditation on the past and speculation about his legacy with equal suspicion, preferring to live in the urgency of the now.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, democracyarsenal.org, Shakespeare's Sister, Suburban Guerrilla and If I Ran the Zoo

Wall Street Journal:

Terminated — Arnold Schwarzenegger's “universal” health-care plan died in the California legislature on Monday, in what can only be called a mercy killing. So let's conduct a political autopsy, because there are important lessons here for the national health-care debate.

Discussion: Donklephant, Commentary and Blue Crab Boulevard

Wall Street Journal:

The Daniel Pearl Standard — This week marks the sixth anniversary of the murder of my son Daniel Pearl, a reporter for this newspaper. It is a fitting occasion to step back and reflect on what this tragedy has taught us. — I am often asked why Danny's death has touched so many people and why he …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Media Blog and culturekitchen

Max Holland / Washington DeCoded:

Commission Confidential — EXTRA — In a revelation bound to cast a pall over the 9/11 Commission, Philip Shenon will report in a forthcoming book that the panel's executive director, Philip Zelikow, engaged in “surreptitious” communications with presidential adviser Karl Rove …

Discussion: The New Republic and The Washington Independent