Romney Quits Race  —  Says time of war is not the right time to continue GOP fight: “I feel I have to stand aside.”  —  Read full remarks from CPAC conference here. … AP: Decision effectively cedes nomination to McCain. … HALPERIN'S TAKE: TEN THINGS MITT ROMNEY COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY The Page, 2:12 PM

Clinton Campaign Staffers Not Going Without Pay  —  Staff Had Offered to Go Without Pay to Save Campaign Money But Never Did  —  So it turns out the Clinton campaign may not be so cash-strapped after all — at least not at this very moment.  —  After offering on Wednesday to go without paychecks …

And Obama Wept  —  Inspiration is nice.  But some folks seem to be getting out of hand.  —  It's as if Tom Daschle descended from on high saying, “Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city …

CPAC to all CPAC-ers: Don't boo McCain  —  John McCain may have it easier than he expected today when he commandeers the podium at CPAC this afternoon.  Conservatives from all over will predictably fill the room to the brim to listen to what the now GOP front-runner has to say, despite a hate/love relationship with the guy.

The Beast is Red, Chapter 4: In a Mad Frenzy, Stinging Themselves to Eternal Death  —  Before Cheney comes on, a bunch of CPAC dignitaries are introduced.  Who gets the biggest applause?  Wayne LaPierre, the human bulldozer of the National Rifle Association.

“EXCLUSIVE!”  JOHN McCAIN CPAC SPEECH  —  A secret operative working for this website has gotten a hold of the speech John McCain will deliver to attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference.  She says I shouldn't ask how she got it although she mentioned that she had a real …

MARK THIS DAY  —  Attorney General Michael Mukasey is back on the Hill today, testifying to the House Judiciary Committee.  Paul Kiel is covering it at TPMmuckraker.  —  So far, he's dropped two big bombshells.  DOJ will not be investigating:  —  (1) whether the waterboarding, now admitted to by the White House, was a crime; or

Sun Stays Sluggish as Weathermen Fight for Anti-Ice Age Funding  —  Every day, scientists hoping to see  —  an increase in solar activity train their instruments at the sun as it crosses the sky.  This is no idle academic pursuit: A lull in solar action could potentially drive …

The Democrats In Trouble  —  I just finished reading Howard Dean's latest fundraising appeal (you can read it here), and it looks like the Democrats will have trouble against John McCain in the fall.  Why?  Dean's letter attempts to portray a McCain presidency as a third term for George W. Bush.

Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrest mother for sitting with a man  —  A 37-year-old American businesswoman and married mother of three is seeking justice after she was thrown in jail by Saudi Arabia's religious police for sitting with a male colleague at a Starbucks coffee shop in Riyadh.

From the Jaws of Victory  —  The U.S. just dodged a bullet in Iraq.  —  Recently it was reported that Pentagon leaders were considering Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Force Iraq since February 2007, for a prestigious redeployment to Europe.