memeorandum: BREAKING: Edwards Dropping Out Of Race (Greg Sargent/TPM Election Central)

10:30 AM ET, January 30, 2008

Top Items:

John Edwards to quit presidential race — DENVER - Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies, The Associated Press has learned.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Captain's Quarters, michellemalkin.com, Crooks and Liars, The Hill, Redstate, PSoTD, The Impolitic, The Carpetbagger Report, Minnesota Monitor, JammieWearingFool, Gateway Pundit, 2008 Democratic …, politburo diktat 2.0, Outside The Beltway and Blue Crab Boulevard

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: TalkLeft, The Corner, The Sideshow, Cadillac Tight, QandO and PoliBlog (TM)

Washington Post:

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 …

Discussion: The Reaction

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Edwards' Departure & A New Democratic Race

Discussion: Power Line

Guardian:
Democrat Edwards out of US presidential race

Discussion: PoliGazette

Dick Morris / The Hill:
McCain may win, Romney can't

Discussion: Open Left

The Politico:
Edwards ends where he began

Discussion: The Swamp

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
BREAKING: Edwards Dropping Out Of Race

Discussion: Attytood

Ed OKeefe / Political Radar: Edward to Drop Out of Race

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Why Is Obama Popular With 527s?

Discussion: New York Times

The Corner:

It's All Over — Assuming there is no shocking revelation or health issue, the GOP nomination is over. Conservatives need to start practicing the phrase “Nominee presumptive John McCa....." — Sorry, I can't say it. Not yet. — But it's true. When the campaign comes here to Massachusetts …

Michelle Malkin:

20% of GOP votes cast by non-Republicans? Updated — Update: Ed Morrissey has your answer: … Yesterday afternoon, I noted reports of independents voting in the closed Florida Republican primary and pointed out the state law requiring that voters establish party ID by registering 29 days before an election.

Discussion: HillaryClinton.com, Washington Monthly, Suitably Flip, HorseRaceBlog, Gateway Pundit and Right Voices

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

On Closed Primaries — A number of commenters in my threads from Florida's primary seem confused about what a closed primary means, and what its limits are. Michelle Malkin and Flip Pidot also blogged about this overnight, but miss the point of exit polling showing voter inclinations and not actual registration.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Sister Toldjah, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air and michellemalkin.com

Krooney / The Page:

THE “STOP ROMNEY” COALITION — Giuliani to endorse McCain Wednesday in California — Now that the Sunshine has set, two old friends come to an understanding. — McCain topper Rick Davis quietly negotiated the agreement. — Giuliani, in Florida concession speech …

Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:

Fox News is in for a very rough 2008 — My guess is that Fox News guru Roger Ailes has been reaching for the Tums more often than usual early in the New Year, and there are lots of reasons for the hovering angst. — Let's take an extended multiple choice quiz.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

What Part Of Not Authorized Did Khalilzad Not Understand? — The State Department reacted angrily to the appearance of UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad on a panel at the Davos Economic Forum, along with two members of the Iranian government. The US restricts diplomatic contacts with Iran …

Discussion: The Newshoggers and New York Sun

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
A MULTILATERAL CONVERSATION WITH IRAN

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

New York Times:

For Giuliani, a Dizzying Free-Fall — As Rudolph W. Giuliani ponders his political mortality, many observers point to the hubris and strategic miscalculations that plagued his campaign.

Discussion: Political Radar, NY Daily News, Blog entry, Norwegianity, AMERICAblog, New York Post, LiberalOasis, Liberal Values, TalkLeft, American Power, Brendan Nyhan, Daniel W. Drezner, Attytood, The Anonymous Liberal, Roger Ailes and New Hampshire Union Leader

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: The Newshoggers, JustOneMinute, CNN, The Politico, The Crone Speaks and At-Largely

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: TIME, Comments from Left Field and Wall Street Journal

Donald Lambro / Washington Times:

Talk radio impugns McCain's liberal record — Conservative talk radio is ganging up on presidential candidate John McCain, attacking him for joining Democrats to push liberal legislation and opposing bedrock Republican positions from tax cuts to immigration.