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Everything You Heard Last Night Was Bull, Perry Might Want to Stay In, & a Newtlear Attack — As you wake up this morning, Rick Santorum only lost to Mitt Romney by 8 votes. Santorum spent about a dollar per vote and Romney spent hundreds of dollars for his votes.
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Hot Air, Slate, TalkLeft, National Review, Washington Examiner, The Politico, Democracy in America, Taylor Marsh, Ballot Box, American Spectator, The Huffington Post, Weekly Standard, Talking Points Memo, Patterico's Pontifications, Campaign Stops, Ross Douthat, The Gateway Pundit, Pundit & Pundette, Riehl World View, BizzyBlog, Sister Toldjah, GOP 12, Daily Pundit, Erick's blog and New York Times
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Winning Ugly, but Winning — I don't care if you call it a win or a tie. In Iowa on Tuesday, Mitt Romney had a performance that looks ugly on the stat sheet , but which accomplished quite a bit when you consider it in its broader context. — The two most important things that Mr. Romney accomplished are as follows:


Bachmann Ends Presidential Run — Source — Rep. Michele Bachmann is suspending her presidential campaign, said a senior Republican official with direct knowledge of the lawmaker's plans. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Minnesota lawmaker, a favorite …


Romney Wins Iowa Caucus by 8 Votes — “Onto New Hampshire, let's get that job done!” Mitt Romney told supporters before being declared the winner. More Photos » — DES MOINES — Mitt Romney's quest to swiftly lock down the Republican presidential nomination with a commanding finish …
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, The Caucus, Campaign 2012, The Politico, Los Angeles Times, ABCNEWS, Associated Press, CNN, Boston Globe, Ballot Box, CBS News, Pressthink, Reuters, The Iowa Republican, No More Mister Nice Blog, Shakesville, Outside the Beltway, pandagon.net, Firedoglake, Scared Monkeys, Capital New York, msnbc.com, Marbury, Wake up America, Gothamist and The Page, more at Mediagazer »

Michele Bachmann Drops Out of Presidential Race — Rep. Michele Bachmann will “suspend her campaign,” a senior campaign official told ABC News today, hours after placing last in the Iowa caucuses and vowing to continue in South Carolina. — Bachmann cancelled plans to travel to South Carolina …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Above the Law, Datechguy's Blog, The Moderate Voice, The Other McCain and American Spectator

McCain To Endorse Romney Tomorrow — The 2008 Republican nominee will endorse his former rival in New Hampshire, a source tells BuzzFeed. The move will give Romney some high-profile good news after a close and ambiguous finish in Iowa. — (Getty Images / Mark Wilson)


Ron Paul May Have Secretly Won The Iowa Caucuses — DES MOINES — Ron Paul may have officially come in third tonight, but if the campaign's caucus strategy went off as planned, then Paul may actually be the real winner of the first Republican voting contest.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, NPR, Washington Monthly, CNN, Wake up America, Guardian, Hit & Run, The Hill, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, americanthinker.com, New York Times and The Politico


Rickrolled: Three Lessons from Iowa … - Is the Virginia Law Keeping Perry and Gingrich Off the Ballot Constitutional? — The Real Threat to Marriage Isn't Gay Marriage—It's Straight Civil Unions — The App That Keeps You Going to the Gym by Charging You Money When You Don't
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The Huffington Post, Investor's Business Daily, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Austin American-Statesman, The Mahablog, The Atlantic Online, The Politico, Wonkette, Iowa Caucuses, Don Surber, FrumForum, The New Republic, LifeNews.com, Political Mojo, The Spectacle Blog, Weekly Standard, The Daily Dish and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

Bachmann ends GOP presidential bid — (CNN) - Michele Bachmann ended her bid for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday, hours after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. — The Minnesota congresswoman suspended her campaign, a legal technicality that will allow …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Breitbart.tv, Bleeding Heartland, Wonkette, The Gateway Pundit and Taylor Marsh


Iowa Results Show Romney's Weakness Even Against GOP ‘Unelectables’ — What can you say about an alleged frontrunner who could barely top the Man-on-Dog guy? If Mitt Romney can't beat Rick Santorum, he ought to find another party to run in. — You gotta love a party in which Mitt Romney …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE and Saint Petersblog

First Thoughts: What we learned from last night
Discussion:
Washington Wire, The Politico, NationalJournal.com, Associated Press and The Atlantic Online

Bachmann Ends Presidential Bid
Discussion:
Esquire, CNN, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice and Political Watch

Bachmann ends campaign
Discussion:
The Politico, Pundits Blog, The Political Carnival and Outside the Beltway

McCain Expected to Endorse Romney in New Hampshire
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New York Times, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos

Bachmann cancels South Carolina trip
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Associated Press, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Daily Kos, Nice Deb and PoliPundit.com

Palin: GOP better not marginalize Ron Paul and his supporters
Discussion:
Mediaite, GayPatriot, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air and Campaign 2012

Gingrich Commits Political Malpractice
Discussion:
NO QUARTER and Hot Air

Iowa caucus results: Reality check coming for Santorum
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, New York Times, The Week, ABCNEWS, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal and USA Today


AP sources: Obama bucks GOP, OKs consumer watchdog — WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defiant display of executive power, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will buck GOP opposition and name Richard Cordray as the nation's chief consumer watchdog even though the Senate contends the move is inappropriate …
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America's Consumer Watchdog — Today the President will appoint Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has one important job: look out for the best interest of American consumers. He'll work on behalf of millions of families across the nation to ensure they're …

GOP blasts Obama for ‘unprecedented power grab’ with appointment — Republican leaders in the House and Senate are blasting President Obama's move to recess-appoint a key nominee as an “unprecedented power grab.” — Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the president …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Pat Dollard and The Volokh Conspiracy


Boehner: Richard Cordray appointment ‘unprecedented power grab’ by Obama
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Balloon Juice

Obama to GOP: Get the heck out of the way
Discussion:
U.S. Senate Republican …, Political Mojo and Campaign 2012

Defying Republicans, Obama to Name Cordray as Consumer Agency Chief
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Associated Press, ACS Blog and DealBook

Conservative elites to huddle — A group of movement conservatives has called an emergency meeting in Texas next weekend to find a “consensus” Republican presidential hopeful, POLITICO has learned. — “You and your spouse are cordially invited to a private meeting with national conservative leaders …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, GOP 12 and Ballot Box
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Newt the Destroyer — Gingrich is now on a single-minded mission to detonate Mitt Romney's presidential prospects. Will he blow up the GOP in the process? — Newt Gingrich has finally reached his destiny: destroyer of the GOP. — In a bitter and spiteful concession speech last night in Iowa …
Discussion:
CNN and Indecision Forever

Gingrich Floats Idea of Anti-Romney Alliance
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Wake up America, Atlas Shrugs and Michelle Malkin

DNC chairwoman: Romney's Iowa caucus win is ‘a loss’
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Politico, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers and CNN

Army soldier rallying for Paul violated military ban on political activity — (CNN) - Ron Paul spent Tuesday heralding his support among members of the military, but one active-duty supporter may be in trouble after lauding Paul on stage while wearing his Army uniform.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
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Ron Paul calls Newt Gingrich a ‘chickenhawk’
Discussion:
Hot Air and The Hinterland Gazette

TRENDING: Paul: Gingrich a ‘chickenhawk’
Discussion:
The Hill, Indecision Forever and CBS News


Santorum: Conservative Technocrat — Rick Santorum, like most Republican candidates, fashions himself the one true conservative running in 2012. If the thought of big, intrusive liberal government offends you, he might just be your man. And if you favor a big, intrusive Republican government, he's unquestionably your candidate.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Enterprise Blog, Washington Post, Hot Air, Lawyers, Guns & Money and GayPatriot
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Santorum's Big-Government Conservatism
Discussion:
The Week, The Atlantic Online, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, ThinkProgress, Eunomia, The Volokh Conspiracy and Outside the Beltway

Perry: ‘Here we come, South Carolina!’ (Updated) — Despite his announcement last night that he would return to Texas and “reassess” his campaign, Rick Perry's tweet just now suggests he's not done just yet: … Perry's continued presence in the race is a net positive for Romney …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, LifeNews.com and GOP 12
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Rick Perry not suspending campaign, going to South Carolina (Reader poll added)
Discussion:
The Politico, American Prospect, The Hill and Marathon Pundit

The Great Golden State Business Exodus — States: California's in trouble. Businesses are leaving along with intellectual and investment capital and skilled workers. But rather than face up to serious problems, legislators pass silly laws. — One would think that given the serious nature …


The Meaning of Mitt — Mitt Romney has long been a front-runner for the G.O.P. nomination—even if no one really knows who he is. Digging into the candidate's record as a Mormon leader, his business deals at Bain Capital, and that infamous car trip with the family dog strapped to the roof …
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FishbowlDC and Craig Crawford's Trail Mix