memeorandum: Huckabee to Get Evangelical Leader's Nod (Eric Gorski/Associated Press)

1:00 AM ET, February 8, 2008

Top Items:

Mark Halperin / The Page:

Transcript of Romney's Speech Withdrawing From the Race — Governor Romney's Address to the Conservative Political Action Committee - February 7, 2008 — I want to begin by saying thank you. It's great to be with you again. And I look forward to joining with you many more times in the future.

Discussion: TBogg, The Plank, Shakespeare's Sister, Done With Mirrors, No More Mister Nice Blog, The RBC, Matthew Yglesias, The New Republic, The Heretik, Wake up America, SFGate, GINA COBB, Democratic Strategist, Political Machine and FP Passport

Krooney / The Page:

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. — Obama, kicking Romney as he heads out the door, criticizes him for saying Democrats are soft on terror.

Discussion: PERRspectives Blog, The Caucus, The Moderate Voice, PoliBlog (TM), Moue Magazine, Inside Charm City, Bookworm Room, Democratic Strategist, Hot Air, The Opinionator, bastard.logic, Outside The Beltway, Redstate, TVNewser, Wake up America and Wizbang

Brian Maloney / The Radio Equalizer:

Randi Rhodes Airs Unhinged Anti-Romney Skit — ‘KILLING RAMPAGE’ — Rhodes Skit Says Romney Supporters Will Kill Innocent People — *** EXCLUSIVE To The Radio Equalizer *** — Apparently unable to learn from past mistakes, or just too unhinged to know better, Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes …

Discussion: You Decide 08!, The Moderate Voice, Power Line, Hot Air and NewsBusters.org

John King / CNN:

GOP sources: Romney to suspend campaign — (CNN) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will suspend his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, GOP sources tell CNN. — Romney had won 270 delegates in through the Super Tuesday contests, compared with front-runner John McCain's 680.

Discussion: The Fix, Captain's Quarters, Hot Air, New York Times, The Carpetbagger Report, American Street, Buck Naked Politics, Citizen Orange, Burnt Orange Report, Washington Wire and Middle Earth Journal

Howard Fineman / Newsweek:

Burying Mitt — Romney failed because he ran as something he's not. — Here lieth the campaign of Mitt Romney, victim of the mistaken belief that the only way to succeed in national Republican politics was to turn yourself into something you are not. Or maybe the campaign revealed what his closest friends never imaged him to be.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, HorseRaceBlog and Liberty Pundit

New York Times:
Romney Drops Out of Presidential Race

Discussion: The Politico, Think Progress, The Crypt's Blogs, Commentary, The Swamp, The Carpetbagger Report, American Street and Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Byron York / The Corner:
Romney Pulling Out? …

Discussion: Boston Globe, michellemalkin.com, You Decide 08!, BizzyBlog, Pajamas Media, The Truth Laid Bear, Hot Air, TIME, Classical Values, Redstate, Wonkette and Weekly Standard

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

Justice Dept. ‘Cannot’ Probe Waterboarding, Mukasey Says — The attorney general yesterday rejected growing congressional calls for a criminal investigation of the CIA's use of simulated drownings to extract information from its detainees, as Vice President Cheney called it a “good thing” …

Discussion: Obsidian Wings and PERRspectives Blog

Terry Frieden / CNN:
Mukasey won't investigate ‘waterboarding’

Discussion: Muckraker, The Heretik, Comments from Left Field, Bad Attitudes and Truthdig

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
MARK THIS DAY — Attorney General Michael Mukasey …

Discussion: Emptywheel, Hold Fast, Hullabaloo and The Newshoggers

Paul Kiel / Muckraker:
Mukasey: No, I Will Not Investigate Warrantless Wiretapping

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

This Is London:

BROWN SLAPS DOWN ARCHBISHOP'S CALL FOR ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW TO OPERATE IN BRITAIN — The Archbishop of Canterbury caused consternation yesterday by calling for Islamic law to be recognised in Britain. — He declared that sharia and Parliamentary law should be given equal legal status …

Discussion: Wake up America, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Pajamas Media, Gay Patriot and Blue Crab Boulevard

Johnathan Pearce / Samizdata.net:

The Archbishop of Canterbury is an ass — The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is the head of the Church of England and as such, is still - amazingly - considered to be a person of some eminence. Unfortunately, he does not lend weight to that institution.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, Telegraph, Dean's World and BBC

Eric Gorski / Associated Press:

Huckabee to Get Evangelical Leader's Nod — James Dobson, one of the nation's most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, is about to endorse former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, The Associated Press has learned. — Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Focus on the Family …

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Redstate, alicublog, The Moderate Voice, The Reaction, Hot Air, Reasoned Audacity and THE LIBERAL JOURNAL

Eric Gorski / Associated Press: AP: Evangelical leader endorses Huckabee

Real Clear Politics:

John McCain's CPAC Speech — ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released the following remarks by John McCain as prepared for delivery: Thank you. Thank you for inviting me. It's been a little while since I've had the honor of addressing you, and I appreciate very much your courtesy to me today.

Discussion: Power Line, Dick Polman's American Debate and FP Passport

Redstate:
Liveblogging John McCain

Discussion: TownHall Blog, Wizbang, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Middle Earth Journal and Gateway Pundit

The Huffington Post:

Whoopi Switches From Obama To Hillary — Yesterday on “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg switched her endorsement from Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton. Whoopi cited Clinton's statement that she would end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Whoopi previously believed that Obama …

Discussion: Tennessee Guerilla Women, TalkLeft and Hot Air

Amanda / Think Progress:

McCain booed at CPAC. — Speaking to a right-wing crowd at CPAC today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was loudly booed when he mentioned his push for comprehensive immigration reform last year. (A position he has since given up.) … Watch it: — This morning, Politico reported that CPAC organizers …

Discussion: Anne Schroeder's Blogs, michellemalkin.com, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, The Sundries Shack, Right Wing News, Comments from Left Field, The Carpetbagger Report, Shakespeare's Sister, The Politico, Classical Values, Jonathan Martin's Blogs and Brains and Eggs

Hotline On Call:

Obama On Romney: An “Ineffective Candidate” — OMAHA, NE — Barack Obama called Mitt Romney's candidacy “ineffective” on the day that the former MA governor exited the presidential race. — Romney, who dropped out of the race for president today in Washington, said in his exit speech …

Discussion: Jihad Watch

Shailagh Murray / The Trail:
Obama Agrees to Debates with Clinton

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Taylor Marsh

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Impending Obama Backlash? — There will be a press backlash against media darling Barack Obama eventually, although it may not occur until six months after his inauguration. But here is a straw in the wind from Jake Tapper of ABC: … A cult - oooh, scary!

Discussion: protein wisdom, Liberal Values, Crooks and Liars, Sister Toldjah and The Heretik

Ari Melber / The Nation:

OBAMA DOWNLOADS $7.9 MILLION FROM MOVEON AND WEB DONORS... Barack Obama just shattered another grassroots fundraising record, drawing over $7.9 million in a two-day juggernaut ending Thursday. The large haul, driven by two separate Internet campaigns, fortifies Obama's political operation …

Discussion: Open Left and Salon

Matt Stoller / Open Left:
Hillary's Women — Let's put the Obama activist and donor numbers …

Discussion: Corrente

Peter Baker / The Trail:

Bush Signals Support for McCain — President Bush plans to give an implicit endorsement of onetime rival John McCain's conservative bona fides tomorrow as the Arizona senator seeks to consolidate the party behind his candidacy. — In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in the morning …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!

Kate Snow / ABCNEWS:

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 …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, About.com US Liberal Politics, Political Punch, Taylor Marsh and The New Republic

Craig Offman / NPL Sports:

Jail politicians who ignore climate science: Suzuki — Didn't mean it literally says scientist's spokesperson — David Suzuki has called for political leaders to be thrown in jail for ignoring the science behind climate change. — At a Montreal conference last Thursday, the prominent scientist …