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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 …
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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 …


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.

Giuliani to Drop Out, Endorse McCain
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The Carpetbagger Report, Washington Post, TPM Election Central, Attytood, Gristmill, Gateway Pundit and PoliBlog (TM)

McCain Wins in Fla., Giuliani to Quit
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About.com US Conservative …, Redstate, Wall Street Journal, theneweditor.com, The Moderate Voice and Wizbang

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.
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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.


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.
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TalkLeft
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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.


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.
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Outside The Beltway

MEMO: A Significant Victory in Florida — Hillary Clinton won a significant victory today in the Florida primary with the biggest turnout in Florida Democratic primary history. She will end up with more votes than John McCain, the winner of the Republican primary.
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Much Ado About Not Much — Cheering supporters? Check.
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The Caucus


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.

How McCain Won — Rich, you may recall that we talked about McCain's chances in early December. I said that he could still win the nomination, but that if he did, we wouldn't be saying, Wow, what a brilliant strategy. We'd be wondering just how the heck that happened.
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Vox Popoli

All Good Blogs Must Come To An End — OK, ya'll get to decide whether Beltway Blogroll has been a good blog, but it is coming to an end. — My tenure at National Journal ends tomorrow with the final issue of Technology Daily, where I served as the managing editor for six years …


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 …
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Comments from Left Field

Re: Two-Americas Analysis — Kathryn - On this “two Americas” analysis of the Romney campaign versus the other candidates, the simple fact is that Romney's personal fortune has allowed him to avoid making some of the hard decisions that other campaigns had to make. Big TV buy here or stepped-up voter contact effort there?
Discussion:
Cadillac Tight

A MULTILATERAL CONVERSATION WITH IRAN — This past Saturday United States Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad spoke on a panel with two Iranian officials at Davos (video below). Khalilzad's participation was apparently unauthorized. Today's New York Sun and the Los Angeles Times have interesting articles on the event.

Scarborough: McCain's Platform Is ‘Less Jobs And More Wars’ — During the coverage of this evening's Florida primary results, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough discussed the impact of John McCain's victory with Pat Buchanan. The Republican establishment will rally around McCain and say “he's the guy …