From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- At a 13-minute media availability here, Clinton addressed Edwards' withdrawal from the presidential field.

"I want to start by expressing my appreciation and admiration to Sen. Edwards, to Elizabeth and to their family for their years of public service and advocacy on behalf of those who needed a champion and particularly during this campaign," she said. "He has made poverty a centerpiece of his candidacy, and it needs to be on the top of the list of American priorities. And I'm very pleased that he in his announcement just a few minutes ago talked about how we're all as Democrats going to work to make sure that poverty remains on the agenda, to do everything we can during this campaign and then once we take back the White House, to address the needs of people who are invisible as I've been saying through my campaign."

"I want to wish John and Elizabeth well and thank him for running a great campaign that was really important to millions and millions of Americans."
 
In a question about how Edwards' departure might affect the race, Clinton replied, "I don't know. I'm going to leave that to the political pundits and writers, like yourself, because now is a time to really thank him for his service, to recognize the sacrifices that it takes for any family to go through a presidential campaign and to keep he and Elizabeth and their family in our thoughts and prayers as they move forward."

Later in the press conference, Clinton wouldn't comment on potential race between her and McCain. And asked about whether she's had a conversation with Bill Clinton about being more subdued on the campaign trail, Clinton replied -- as she usually says -- that she's proud of him promoting her candidacy. But that this is about her campaign and about her candidacy.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
DENVER, CO -- There were two clear targets in Obama's speech at the University of Denver on Wednesday morning -- one named (McCain), the other alluded to (Clinton).

In a speech the day after McCain won the Florida Republican primary, becoming that party's new presidential front-runner, Obama argued that the Democrats can't start the general election with half the electoral map against them -- and that they can't take on McCain when their nominee has the same positions as he does on foreign policy issues.

"It's time for new leadership that understands that the way to win a debate with John McCain is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq; who agreed with him in voting give George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran…" Obama said, also pointing to Clinton's positions on torture and diplomacy.

The fact that there were no longer two potential obstacles to the Republican nomination but one was clear when Obama began his speech with words of praise for Edwards, who dropped his bid for the presidency early this morning.

"So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives (John and Elizabeth Edwards) endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America," Obama said. He named every candidate in the race, including Senator Hillary Clinton, and called them "an all-star cast," but the praise didn't overshadow the thrust of Obama's argument that he -- and not Clinton -- is the best choice for the Democratic party.

While electability was the message that Obama wished to convey, the choice felt far more connected to one between generations of leadership rather than who could win against a Republican. The 9,500 people in the audience at Magness Arena was filled with students chanting "We Want Change" and "Yes We Can!" before Obama's arrival.

And the appearance of Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late John F. Kennedy, who introduced Obama spoke to that generational choice. Telling the crowd that over the years she had been deeply moved by people who said they were inspired by her own father, Caroline Kennedy said that the "longing" to be inspired "is even more profound today."

"Fortunately there is one candidate who offers that same sense of hope and inspiration. That candidate is Barack Obama," she said.

Obama too played upon the idea of passing the torch, setting up the choice in this election as choosing not only change but between "the past and the future."

"I know it's tempting -- after another presidency by a man named George Bush -- to simply turn back the clock, and to build a bridge back to the 20th century," Obama said.

Repeating a line from his victory speech in South Carolina Obama added, "It's about the past versus the future. And when I am the nominee the Republicans won't be able to make this election about the past because you will have already chosen the future."

Obama went into a list of eleven detailed attacks regarding Senator Clinton including her votes on bankruptcy, trade, and foreign policy. But the thrust of his argument about Clinton was to cast her as a polarizing figure.

Speaking of a woman looking for health care, he said, "She can't afford to wait another four years or another fifteen years to get health care because we've put forward a nominee who can't bring Democrats and Republicans together to get things done." Using Clinton's own line against her, he added: "It's not enough to be ready from Day One -- you have to be right from Day One."

Like in Iowa, Obama's speech felt like a closing argument a blueprint for why he should be chosen as president over someone far more well known and equally qualified for the job. In Iowa, that argument brought many audiences to its feet as he delivered the same message, stop after stop, over course of seven days before the caucuses there. Obama has seven days to do the same thing again. But unlike Iowa, the groundwork for that closing argument has not been laid out as carefully and methodically.

The Clinton campaign questioned Obama's speech as an attempt to go negative after a pledge to run a positive campaign. They pointed out that Obama -- like Clinton -- voted to fund the war in Iraq. And they noted his criticism of Clinton on voting for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment on Iran overlooked both the fact that Obama missed that crucial vote, as well as Clinton's opposition to using military force against Iran without congressional approval.

Eighteen thousand people showed up to see Obama in Denver, the site of the 2004 Democratic national convention and what Democrats see as a state that could go the Democrats' way in 2008. Obama spoke to an overflow crowd of 4,500 at an adjacent gym, and also addressed a second overflow crowd of several thousand at the university's lacrosse stadium. The Denver Broncos' Rod Smith and Federico Pena, the former mayor of Denver, were also on hand and spoke to Obama's ability to bring change.

Our friends over at Hotline's On Call have Clinton's remarks on Edwards' exit.

"Well, Sen. Edwards is a friend of mine, he was a colleague in the Senate, and I have the highest regard for him, and I'm really admiring of what he has done to make sure that poverty was on the agenda here in America," she said in an interview with WBRC. "He encouraged all of us in his passion and advocacy, and I hope he will continue that work because it is really important that we stay focused on what we're going to do to help people."

"You know, I'm out here talking about making the economy work for everybody. And it needs to work for the middle class, working people, it needs to give a life line to poor people like we did in the 1990s, so in any way that I can be part of this effort to try to target poverty I am going to be."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Obama is the first out of the gate to issue a statement on Edwards' exit. "John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who's up and who's down, he made a nation focus again on who matters - the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington."

Obama added, "John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this - that two Americans can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose. So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America."

From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
Today's news that Edwards is dropping out of the race is surprising -- in that he gave every indication he would compete in the February 5 states, and even beyond. He was a man on a mission.

But that mission ends today. While many will attribute Edwards departure to all the attention on Clinton and Obama -- and there has been a lot of attention on those two! -- the fact is that Edwards based his entire candidacy on the first four contests, especially Iowa. And after he finished second in Iowa and third in New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, he no longer had a realistic path to winning the nomination.

Winning Iowa would have changed all that. In fact, it's worth noting that the two Johns -- Edwards and McCain -- had about the same amount of media attention a month before Iowa. The difference was that McCain was able to win in New Hampshire and South Carolina, which set the stage for last night's Florida victory. (Of course, McCain also benefited by not having the equivalents of a Clinton or an Obama in the GOP field -- say a Jeb Bush or perhaps a Mark Sanford.)

All that said, Edwards and his team ran a fine campaign. They easily won the ideas primary (on health care, poverty). Edwards was an excellent debater. And the candidate displayed a deep passion that we don't see from many politicians nowadays.

But perhaps the biggest hurdle Edwards faced -- and didn't clear -- was that Democratic voters aren't too kind to repeat candidates. Look at what happened to Gephardt four years ago. Or even Biden this year. In fact, it could be an obstacle if Obama doesn't end up the Dem nominee and decides to run four or eight years from now. (Gore was a repeat candidate who won the nomination in '00, but he was the vice president.)

Compare that with a Republican Party that likes to reward repeat candidates: Reagan in '80, Dole in '96, and maybe McCain in '08.

It isn't easy being a Democrat making another presidential bid.

So where does Edwards' support go? In South Carolina, Edwards won white men. Could this become the new swing voting group? Obama does well with white men in general election match-ups, but has seen his support drop among these folks in the primary. Now, if Obama has any shot at beating Clinton, he's going to have to win this key voting bloc. It's rare white guys are considered a swing vote, but in a Clinton vs. Obama race, it appears they will. Obama needs them more than Clinton.

As for an endorsement, some Edwards folks claim anything is possible. But in chats with numerous Edwards partisans, it's pretty clear they'd be shocked if he threw his support to Clinton. So for now, the options appear to be sit or support Obama.

From NBC's John Yang and NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
The end is rarely pretty.

The morning after it was reported that Giuliani was dropping out was particularly chaotic for the campaign. The traveling press corps was asked to be in the lobby at 7:30 am to be bused to the airport for a 9:00 am flight to Los Angeles, including a refueling stop in Texas.

But the only buses that showed up were for a meeting of Wendy's franchisees.

The mayor departed the hotel -- in a pick-up truck.

Still no buses. And no campaign aides to tell us exactly where we were going and what we'd do when we got there.

Calls to officials revealed that more and more of them were heading home to New York instead of accompanying the mayor.

And still no buses.

A campaign aide said there was a problem and that we should get ourselves to the airport.

A fleet of cabs took the assembled reporters to the plane in time to see campaign officials campaign manager Mike DuHaime, campaign advisor Tony Carbonetti, former deputy mayors Randy Mastro and Joe Lhota and the ubiquitous celebrity endorser Jon Voight board the plane. Giuliani boarded carrying his own suit bag. His wife, Judith, was not with him.

And on the tarmac: The buses that were to carry the press to the plane.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** We now have a GOP front-runner: Just a month ago, McCain was in fourth place nationally in our NBC/WSJ poll (at 14%), and he was even fourth in Florida (at 13%), according to a late December Quinnipiac University survey. But after winning Florida last night -- a race that was open only to Republicans (so no independents and crossover Dems) -- McCain has now become the undisputed GOP front-runner heading into next week's Tsunami Tuesday. How did he do it? Well, he did well among his usual coalition of those over 65, veterans, folks who don't consider themselves very conservative, and people who don't attend weekly church services. But the endorsement from Cuba-born Sen. Mel Martinez (R) also seems to have helped: Per the exit polls, McCain won more than 50% of the Hispanic and Cuban vote. McCain lost white voters, but demolished Romney among Hispanics. And then there was Amendment 1, the ballot measure that would cut property taxes in the state. (While Clinton and the Florida Democratic Party are celebrating the large number of voters last night, the ballot measure played a HUGE role in driving turnout.)  As one GOP source tells us, Amendment 1 backers did two million calls the three days of the election, many of them to low-propensity Republicans (i.e., likely McCain voters). As the source says, that "helped McCain by turning out less hard-core conservatives."

*** McCain's long road back: There was a reason many didn't want to completely write off McCain last summer when he stared defeat in its face. The lesson of John Kerry was just too fresh in our minds. Still, count us as just as surprised by McCain's regained front-runner status. Now the guy has to do something he's never done before: hang on to that front-runner tag. He's at his best when he's running from behind, which may make him uniquely suited to be the GOP nominee since the party is clearly facing an uphill battle in 2008. In the spring of '07, McCain tried too hard to become the inevitable nominee. Now he can rightfully go about this strategy. Don't be surprised if the next days are filled with major Republican rank-and-file members falling in line behind McCain. The train may very well finally be leaving the station. It took eight long years, but he's on the cusp of vindication.

*** One on one? Or two on one? Romney has seven days to coalesce the anti-McCain forces. It's probably not enough time, but Romney needs to think about the future. He may very well decide that the smart play is to follow the Reagan '76 model and simply hang around. McCain still hasn't proved he can win a two-way, and Romney's camp probably has the stats to back up the idea that he can beat McCain head-to-head if the opportunity ever presented itself. The problem is, it may not with Huckabee looking to stick around for a while. McCain could wind up with some 600-plus delegates next week without crossing 50% in many places.

*** Rudy bows out: More good news for McCain will come today when Giuliani -- from the Reagan Library in California, before tonight's GOP debate there -- officially drops out of the GOP race and endorses the Arizona senator. Not only does he pick up an endorsement from America's Mayor, but he no longer has to compete with a man who was attracting many of the same voters. (The same can't be said of Romney, who will continue to compete with Huckabee for GOP conservatives.) As for Giuliani's departure from the race… While many pundits will say, "See, we told you a pro-choice, pro-gay rights Republican couldn't get the nomination," that wasn't the reason Giuliani didn't make it. He didn't make it because he didn't run very hard. He seemed to want the nomination handed to him; there was a fire missing. This wasn't the Giuliani of '89 or '93 that New York City voters came to both love and loathe.

*** Hillary Rodman Knievel: Did Clinton proclaiming "victory" last night in Florida -- which the Washington Post's Milbank said was a "political stunt worthy of the late Evel Knievel" -- actually work? It's unclear. Most of the papers this morning either buried the Dem results or prefaced them with warnings that the contest didn't really award delegates. That said, it gave her plenty of face time on the cable networks and essentially ended the two-day Ted Kennedy story. According to the exit polls, Clinton won among almost all groups, which wasn't much of a surprise given that polls for months had shown her holding a large lead in the uncontested race. But this is an interesting finding: Clinton won big among those who voted absentee or made up their minds a long time ago. But Obama won among those who made up their mind in the last month and the last week. *** UPDATE *** We forgot to mention that Clinton beat Obama, 34%-30%, among those who made up their minds on the day of the primary. The point we were making, however, is that Obama did much better among those who made up their minds late in the process, versus those who decided a long time ago.  

*** Keep an eye on Edwards: Meanwhile, Edwards gives a speech at 1:00 pm ET from New Orleans -- the place he began his presidential campaign. Could this be a possible bookend? There's a lot of chatter that Edwards could use this speech to officially bow out of the race, but we've been unable to confirm it. Is he getting out? Or is a move to grab some attention from the Clinton-Obama race? Stay tuned… *** UPDATE *** NBC News has learned that Edwards will indeed drop out today...more on that later.

*** On the trail: Elsewhere today, Clinton is in Arkansas and Atlanta; Huckabee makes four stops in California; McCain is in Florida and California; Obama's in Denver and Phoenix; Bill Clinton campaigns in Illinois, Denver, and Oklahoma; and Chelsea Clinton speaks at colleges in Utah.

Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 6 days
Countdown to Chesapeake Tuesday: 13 days
Countdown to Ohio and Texas: 34 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 279 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 356 days

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With 99% of the precincts reporting, McCain won 36%-31% over Romney. Giuliani finished a distant third with 15% and Huckabee was fourth at 13%.

The New York Times calls McCain the "frontrunner" in its lead. "The results were a decisive turning point in the Republican race, effectively winnowing the field to Mr. McCain and Mr. Romney, two candidates with very different backgrounds who have little affection for one another but share a similar challenge in winning over elements of the party suspicious of their ideological credentials."

More: "Romney made clear that he would go all-out in the coming week, as the presidential race builds toward its biggest day so far, a set of more than 20 contests across the country on Tuesday. He and Mr. McCain fought an increasingly bitter battle in Florida, and they now seem likely to take their messages to the national stage, with Mr. Romney trying to portray Mr. McCain as out of step with his party on critical issues and ill-equipped to deal with the economic downturn and with Mr. McCain suggesting that Mr. Romney's principles yield too easily to the political winds and that he cannot be trusted on national security."

McCain's win "puts him in the best position of any candidate to take control of his party's presidential campaign next week, when states containing half the country's population go to the polls," the Boston Globe writes.

The Washington Post's analysis: "On Friday, Mitt Romney accused John McCain of being the Democrats' favorite Republican. On Sunday, the former Massachusetts governor mocked McCain's endorsement in the New York Times and then observed, "If he's been a leader, where has it led us?" On Monday, Romney accused McCain of clobbering Florida taxpayers at the gas pump. Yesterday, he called him an economic novice. But last night, the senator from Arizona emerged from that negative onslaught a survivor. In money and message, Romney threw all he could at McCain in a bruising week in Florida, but it did not prove to be enough."

The New York Post looks at the exit polls. "Long considered a GOP maverick, McCain lost to Romney among party conservatives, anti-abortionists and those who consider illegal immigration and terrorism the biggest problems facing the nation. But McCain trounced Romney, 41-22 percent, among Republicans who consider themselves moderates, and also won big among voters who labeled themselves independent and those who say the Iraq war is the top issue facing the country.
 
"McCain, who co-sponsored a failed bipartisan immigration bill and won the endorsement of Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and three Cuban- American members of Congress, also did well among Florida's influential Cuban and Hispanic communities, picking up 50 percent of each of their vote."

The Boston Globe on Giuliani's speech last night: "Appearing upbeat before a subdued crowd of about 200 supporters last night at the Portofino Bay Hotel, Giuliani did not say he was ending his candidacy, but he talked about it in the past tense."

The cover of the New York Post: "Rudy's Ruin." Subhead: "Will drop out after Fla. loss. 
 
The New York Daily News cover: "The Fat Lady's Singin'." "After dismal Fla. finish, Rudy Giuliani set to pull plug and back McCain." 

On the Dem side last night, Clinton got 50%, Obama 33%, Edwards 14%.

The Washington Post's Milbank writes, "Yes, Clinton, as expected, beat Barack Obama by a wide margin in the Florida primary. But all the Democratic candidates had agreed months ago to boycott the contest after the Democratic National Committee stripped Florida of its delegates to punish the state for moving up its primary date. The result was a primary without purpose, a show about nothing. But in a political stunt worthy of the late Evel Knievel, the Clinton campaign decided to put on an ersatz victory party that, it hoped, would erase memories of Obama's actual victory Saturday night in South Carolina's Democratic primary. 'Thank you, Florida Democrats!' Clinton shouted to the cheering throng. 'I am thrilled to have this vote of confidence.'"

The New York Times: "Mrs. Clinton's victory was expected and may have largely reflected her prominence on the national political scene for almost two decades. She did well among those who cast their votes early; among late deciders, Mr. Obama matched her almost one for one, according to exit polls conducted by Edison/Mitofsky."

The New York Daily News' lead on the Dem Florida contest: "Hillary Clinton flew to Florida Tuesday night to cheer a victory here that doesn't count -- at least not yet."

CLINTON: The New York Daily News says Bill Clinton was "on best behavior" while campaigning in New Jersey.

"Noncandidate Bill Clinton got more mentions in presidential campaign coverage last week than any of the Republicans who actually have their names on ballots, according to a study of media stories released yesterday."

Maureen Dowd takes Obama's side in "the snub" controversy. "Knowing that it helped her when Obama seemed to be surly with her during the New Hampshire debate, telling her without looking up from his notes that she was 'likable enough' — another instance of Obama not being able to hide his bruised feelings — Hillary went on ABC News last night to insinuate that he was rude Monday. 'Well, I reached my hand out in friendship and unity and my hand is still reaching out,' she said, lapsing back into the dissed-woman mode. 'And I look forward to shaking his hand sometime soon.'"

"Something's being stretched here, but it's not her hand. She wasn't reaching out to him at all."

Hillary Clinton will be on Letterman the day before Super Tuesday.

EDWARDS: Edwards is trying to get back on the presidential radar screen today with a speech today in New Orleans that's focused on poverty. Remember, he announced in the hurricane-ravaged city in December 2006.

OBAMA: Per NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan, Obama will make the case for his own electability today. From prepared text, he'll speak to why he believes he's the best candidate to beat the Republican nominee. It'll be interesting to see how he addresses McCain's Florida win -- if at all. He and McCain are certainly different candidates, but they both do well with independents, and in New Hampshire they competed for the same set of voters.
 
Caroline Kennedy will also join Obama on the road today in Denver and Phoenix. Gov. Janet Napolitano (AZ) will also appear with the candidate in Arizona. Yesterday both Sen. Claire McCaskill and Kansas Gov. Katherine Sebelius joined Obama on the trail and received their own roaring receptions from crowds. They underscored Obama's message and repeatedly reminded the Kansans and Missourians that he is a Midwesterner just like them. Obama has trailed Clinton with women, and in states where he's not a familiar figure, it's interesting that he's leaning on high-profile female surrogates. Napolitano, Kennedy and McCaskill have also already cut ads for him.
 
Also, expect to hear a lot of talk of organization coming from the campaign in the next few days. There's a genuine belief that, because they were on the ground in many Feb. 5 states before Clinton's campaign, have an organizational advantage that would be better able to bring out more voters. The believe that strength will put them over the top in caucus states like Colorado, where the campaign opened offices in September. Obama has six offices across the state and say they have trained 1,500 potential caucus-goers.

One of Obama's supporters in Los Angeles, Maria Elena Durazo, the head of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, is in a bit of hot water for how she handled the rollout of her support.

Will Obama ever pay a critical price for these third-party groups popping up on his behalf?

Writes the New York Times, "After months of denouncing the influence of special-interest money in politics, Senator Barack Obama is nonetheless entering a critical phase of the presidential campaign benefiting from millions of dollars being spent outside campaign finance rules. Mr. Obama has repudiated a California group, Vote Hope, that is working on his behalf. But it has pressed on and, along with a sister organization called PowerPac.org, is planning to spend up to $4 million promoting him in California and conducting voter registration drives aimed at blacks in 11 Southern states."

GIULIANI: The New York Daily News calls Giuliani's fall a "tragic collapse."

"As Mr. Giuliani ponders his political mortality, many advisers and political observers point to the hubris and strategic miscalculations that plagued his campaign. He allowed a tight coterie of New York aides, none with national political experience, to run much of his campaign."

"After nearly a full year of leading in the polls and dodging early fumbles, his image of electability sank as his poll numbers tumbled. He faced mountains of negative stories about disgraced ally Bernie Kerik, and spent two weeks punching at shadows over reports alleging that, while mayor, he deliberately hid security expenses related to his then-mistress." 

ROMNEY: Time's Scherer looks at what Romney can do next. "This final Romney gambit is likely to determine more than just the fate of one, well-heeled candidate. It could set the course for the Republican Party. In the old days, those who supported tax cuts for the wealthy worked closely with those who wanted to amend the constitution to ban gay marriage. Those who wanted to grow the size of the military made common cause with those who saw global warming as an environmentalist scare-tactic meant to interfere with free markets. Those who wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade also wanted to overturn campaign finance reform."

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Before Romney had heard any of the speculation about Giuliani dropping out of the race or endorsing McCain, he called the former New York City mayor tonight to "congratulate him on running an honorable race," according to Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. On stage, the candidate said that he also called the Arizona senator to congratulate him on his win here.

But in a speech that seemed close to conciliatory, Romney even joked near the end that he wouldn't have any inheritance left to give all of his extended family members in the crowd, as he's spent such a large amount on his own campaign. He rattled off some of his standard stump lines to a crowd that ranged from courageously supportive to teary and downtrodden.

As for Florida, several representatives from the campaign said that they believe that the endorsements of Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist could have helped to push McCain over the edge here. But they insisted that the race was very close (the spread was five points) and that there were institutional factors -- like name recognition -- that proved helpful to McCain.

Fehrnstrom continued to push that this is now a two-person race -- Romney versus McCain. And he said the campaign will likely seek support in California, Colorado, New York, Illinois, Georgia and Missouri -- states that "are all friendly territory for us."

Spokesman Kevin Madden said no decisions have been made yet on where the campaign will target or travel in the days before Feb. 5, but that those decisions will be made tomorrow. Similarly, he said no decisions have been made about their advertising plans.

Although the campaign is banking its hopes on conservatives coming out for Romney in the 11th hour to ultimately help him overtake McCain, one telling comment from Madden suggests that even though the conservative wing of the party doesn't like McCain, they just may not be able to embrace Romney. Asked if the campaign was getting calls from conservatives worried about McCain and offering to help Romney, Madden laughed a bit and said, "I think they're calling more you guys than they are us."

As for whether this race will have concluded by the morning of Feb. 6, Madden said, "I think you take any of the historical templates that we use to judge past races, and you can throw them all out," adding, "I don't think there's any way we can make any of those guesses right now."

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
DAVIE, FL -- Hillary Clinton landed about half an hour after the polls closed in the delegate-free zone of Florida tonight, and in a six-minute speech declared her win here a "tremendous victory."

With 73% of the precincts reporting, Clinton leads Obama 50%-33%, with Edwards in third with 15%.
 
Tonight in South Florida, she challenged the rules of the game -- the delegate game, that is. Despite the fact the Democratic National Committee punished Florida (along with Michigan) for moving its primary up by stripping the state of all of its delegates, the Clinton camp has been arguing for days that the people of Florida must be heard. The New York senator made the same argument here.
 
"Thank you, Florida Democrats. You know, I could not come here to ask in person for your votes," Clinton told a noisy audience that filled a ballroom here and at times shrieked with excitement. "But I am here to thank you for your votes today. This has been a record turnout because Floridians wanted their voices to be heard on the great issues that affect our country and the world. I am thrilled to have had this vote of confidence that you have given me today, and I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure not only are Florida's Democratic delegates seated, but Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in 2008."

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D) echoed this sentiments earlier in the evening. "Someone said that our vote doesn't count. Our votes counted in 2000; our votes counted in 2004. They counted yesterday, today, and they will count in November when we elect Hillary Clinton President of the United States."
 
Not so fast, say rivals. The Obama camp was already pushing back earlier today, with supporter John Kerry headlining a conference call to tell reporters that because Florida was not offering any delegates, "It should not become a spin race. It should not become a fabricated race."
 
The Clinton camp had scheduled an afternoon conference call to discuss seating the Florida and Michigan delegates, but postponed it until further notice.
 
Even so, the speakers at Clinton's brief rally tonight were on message, talking about the importance of Florida as a swing state and about how many people came out to vote in the primary.
 
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson used the opportunity to announce his endorsement of Clinton. "So goes Florida, so goes the nation," Nelson said to wild cheers and applause. "The pundits who say that Florida doesn't count cannot ignore 2.5 million Florida Democrats that have voted today and given an overwhelming victory to Sen. Clinton. It is my privilege as a part of the Nelson family that have been personal friends of the Clintons for two decades. Our children know each other. It's my pleasure at the first opportunity that I had because of the pledge to come forth and say I endorse Hillary Clinton."
 
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz also said Florida will count. "Listen, America. Listen to the voice of Florida, because we have spoken loud and we have spoken clear for the next president of the United States of America, Hillary Clinton."
 
Clinton promised her supporters she will go on from tonight to win on Super Tuesday. "Stay with us because starting tomorrow we're going to sweep through the states across our country on to February 5th!," she said. "And, we will together, not only take back the White House, but take back our country!"
 
But the question as Clinton heads to Little Rock, AR tonight is how big of a deal Clinton's rivals will make over what some see as an attempt to change the rules of the game after it has begun.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
NBC News/National Journal has confirmed that Rudy Giuliani will endorse John McCain tomorrow in California.

From NBC's Matthew Berger
When asked twice by NBC News/National Journal whether he would participate in the debate tomorrow night, Giuliani said, "We're going to California."

Q: Will you be in the debate tomorrow night?

Giuliani: We're going to California

Q: But will you be in the debate tomorrow night?

Giuliani: We're going to California

From NBC's Chris Donvan
Just quickly looked at Rudy Giuliani's book "Leadership" online, and found a couple of lines from it that might be interesting if he ends up dropping out.  For example, did "bad breaks" have a part in his defeats? Will he be like the 1976 Yankees he talked of, and come back in a future presidential campaign?

1. "Just as an election victory needs a dozen little things to go right, a defeat can be blamed on any number of separate bad breaks." ("Leadership," page 55)

2. "There are important skills to be learned from picking yourself up after something goes wrong, to keep moving ahead without letting it throw you off course. When I lost my first race for mayor, I felt that it was like losing the World Series. I came within three percentage points, and to be that close but still lose was both exhilarating and devastating." ("Leadership," page 107)

Here are the two quotes in context:

"I lost the race for mayor in 1989 by about 40,000 votes out of almost two million cast. It was a razor-thin margin and a more than respectable showing for a first-time candidate, especially in New York, with its strong Democratic bias. Just as an election victory needs a dozen little things to go right, a defeat can be blamed on any number of separate bad breaks. In 1989, my whole team assumed I'd be facing Ed Koch. We hadn't anticipated Dinkins defeating the three-term mayor in a Democratic primary, and my preparation had been geared toward a race against the incumbent. I came awfully close that year. By the time I decided to run again in 1993, I made sure I'd be ready for anything." (Page 55)

"There are also issues of psychological conditioning. When a trial I was prosecuting went wrong, or when some strategy failed while I was mayor, or somebody made a mistake, or I said something people misunderstood, I would think of baseball, and how even the best hitters fail two out of three times. The greatest pitchers lose some games, and lose badly. There are important skills to be learned from picking yourself up after something goes wrong, to keep moving ahead without letting it throw you off course. When I lost my first race for mayor, I felt that it was like losing the World Series. I came within three percentage points, and to be that close but still lose was both exhilarating and devastating.  On the night of the election, I was reminded of the Yankees in 1976. It was their first trip to the World Series since 1964, so they were thrilled to be back on the big stage, but they were swept, losing four straight to the Cincinnati Reds, the last of the great Big Red Machine teams. In 1977 and 1978, the Yankees came back to win two years in a row, with essentially the same team, plus Reggie Jackson. All these players, like Thurman Munson, Lou Piniella, and Willie Randolph-many of whom had never been in a World Series before - gained exposure to the World Series in 1976. Battle experience is invaluable, and difficult to replicate. It's tough to know in advance whether those around you will handle pressure. Many good teams, particularly the Yankees over the years, will trade for a playoff-tested ballplayer, even one who's not having a great season." (pages 107-108)

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
According to the campaign, this is now a two person race -- it's between a conservative (i.e., Romney) and McCain.

The campaign will emphasize a southern strategy, because voters there will realize Huckabee is not viable, and they will not go for McCain

NBC News declares John McCain as the projected winner in Florida's GOP primary.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger and MSNBC's Brooke Brower
Time.com is reporting that Giuliani is expected to withdraw from the GOP race and endorse McCain as early as tomorrow.

A senior Giuliani campaign aide said he wouldn't comment on the Time.com report.

Giuliani will come on stage in Orlando, FL at top of the 9:00 pm ET hour.

 

Florida's Republican primary is too close to call.

In the contest, McCain and Romney are locked in a tight race -- with Giuliani and Huckabee running far behind. Fifty-seven delegates are at stake, and it's winner-take-all.

In the Democratic primary, no delegates are allocated based upon the results in Florida and the candidates pledged not to campaign there. That said, Clinton will finish with more votes than any other candidate today. Obama will finish second and Edwards third.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
LOS ANGELES -- As the political focus turns to Super Tuesday, Clinton's campaign in delegate-rich California touted what it said was its strong standing one week out. And it's confident that nothing -- not even controversy over Bill Clinton's role or the momentum from Obama's big win in South Carolina -- can knock them down.
 
During a conference call with state reporters, the campaign noted the importance of early voting by mail. Fabian Nunez, speaker of the California Assembly, said more votes will be cast by mail in California than were cast in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina combined. "In some cases, enough votes are gonna be banked [before Feb. 5] to win the contest," Nunez said.

The most recent figures obtained from the California Association of County Election Officials (CACEO) show that 1,132,877 mail-in ballots have been returned, out of the more than 5 million that were requested. But CACEO president Steven Weir estimates that the actual number of returned ballots is already over 2 million. Weir also predicts that 47% of all votes will be cast by mail.

In 2004, just under 3 million votes were cast in the Democratic primary, while 2.1 million votes were cast in the uncontested Republican primary. For that primary, as with this one, there were also ballot initiatives driving some of the turnout. Weir says some of the ballots that have been returned actually indicate no choice for president. "[Some] came out to vote for the props," he said. "But this is being driven by the top of the tickets."

Capitalizing on these early voters was clearly a strategy of the Clinton campaign. "The more votes we can lock in now while she's still leading with double digits, is what some would all an insurance policy," said Luis Vizcaino, spokesperson for the Clinton campaign here.

Vizcaino said state voters are fiercely independent, and wouldn't be swayed in significant numbers by Obama's significant win in South Carolina. Participants in the conference call today were also asked several times about the endorsement from Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said that she spoke with Kennedy last night, and that he denied rumors that his endorsement was a reaction to former President Clinton's recent comments about race. "He said that … Obama really has this strong sense of inspiration and hope, and this has always been part of the Kennedy legacy," Feinstein said. "I take his statement at face value."

Feinstein later forcefully rejected the idea that Bill Clinton's role would hurt his wife. "Bill Clinton is not running for the presidency. Hillary Clinton is running for the presidency. And there should be no spin that confuses the two," Feinstein said. "Hillary speaks for herself, and hers is the voice that should be listened to."

From MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell and Adam Verdugo
So far we know three things about the Republican primary in the Sunshine State:  it's a very conservative electorate, the economy is the No. 1 issue and voters are pessimistic about it.
 
In a state that has been battered by the housing crisis and the high costs of oil and gas, these numbers should come as no surprise: Economy 47%, Terrorism 19%, Illegal Immigration 17%, and the War in Iraq 13%.
 
Florida Republicans give the national economy very low marks. Sixty-three percent said the economy is in the tank. That's comparable to Michigan, which is suffering through the worst unemployment in the nation.
 
And despite these negative feelings about the economy, a majority of this Republican electorate still has positive feelings about the Bush administration: 20% are enthusiastic and 46% are satisfied. The president gets even higher marks in Florida than he did in South Carolina.  And a reminder, this is important because it is a closed primary. Only registered Republicans can participate. We're going to see many more races like this on Super Tuesday.

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
HIGHLAND HILLS, OH -- In the wake of criticism that his involvement in the presidential race has hurt his wife's campaign, President Bill Clinton campaigned in Ohio tonight with a message refocused on his wife's decision-making experience. Although the back-and-forth between Hillary Clinton and her main rival did not creep into the former president's remarks, the issue of race came up before Clinton even took the stage. He was introduced by Clinton endorser and popular local black representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who told a cheering and racially diverse crowd that Martin Luther King would have been proud of Clinton's candidacy.

"I am supporting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I owe Martin Luther King Jr. too," said Tubbs Jones, a African-American congresswoman popular in her Cleveland-area district here. "Martin Luther King said  'Judge, you, by the content of your character, and not by the color of your skin.' And if he was here, and if he was here, he would say 'I'm happy that there's a woman running for president too.'"

She went on to take a swipe at Obama's focus on hope as the centerpiece of his candidacy. "You need to know hope did not begin in 2008," she said. "Hope began in 2002 when the man from Hope, Arkansas, ran for president and made a difference in the United States of America." (She meant 1992, when Clinton first began his presidential bid. The slip, perhaps, provides some evidence of the fieriness of her comments.)

When the time came for his own remarks, Clinton stayed away from the contentious issues that have dominated chatter about the race since the run up to South Carolina. Outlining his wife's strategies to tackle education, the economy, and trade, Clinton emphasized she has "the broadest, deepest record" of the three candidates still in the race.

(RNC oppo types may salivate over a few of Clinton's lines that point towards possible short-term tax hikes for long-term hikes. He said that his wife will "spend whatever it takes to put 100-mile-a-gallon cars in your reach quickly." And on her plan to repair the impending housing crisis by giving states and cities extra cash to negotiate with mortgage companies, he admitted "That will cost you some money, probably about 30 billion dollars," he said. But he emphasized that such an early bailout would save billions of dollars and thousands of families' homes.)

Clinton's visit to Ohio, an important Super Tuesday state, comes days after his wife's defeat in South Carolina. In her introduction, Tubbs Jones downplayed Obama's win in the Palmetto State Carolina, where his overwhelming support from African-Americans was largely credited for his victory. "I congratulate Senator Obama for winning south Carolina, but we got 22 other states to make. And we're gonna take this election right on to the people and win the rest of them."

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
There may be only seven days between now and Feb. 5th, but don't be surprised if talk show diva, Oprah Winfrey, makes a return to the campaign trail. During a press availability on his campaign plane earlier today, Obama left open the possibility that Oprah could join him on the trail in California.

"There's nothing scheduled right now," Obama said.

But the two have been talking.

"I've been in contact with her consistently and she's open to helping out in any way she can," he added.

In Iowa, New Hampshire and especially in the state of South Carolina, Oprah's appearances with Obama stole the media spotlight for weekend as Obama, his wife, and Winfrey barnstormed the three states. 

The appearances organizationally benefited the campaign, allowing them to reach thousands of voters they had never been in contact with before.  In South Carolina alone,  thirty thousand people showed up to see Obama appear with the talk show host.  Obama's poll numbers in that state jumped after her appearance with him in early December.

Whether the talk show host can do the same for him in California or other February 5th states is a question that will linger, the campaign is tight lipped about any possible appearances.  However, Oprah's appearance with Obama could help him with name recognition, women, and have more voters in general tune into his message. 

Currently, Obama's campaign is struggling to match Senator Hillary Clinton's name recognition among voters in the primary states on Feb. 5th. That lack of voter knowledge was evident in the Nevada caucuses, where Clinton's name reputation and the popularity of her husband, helped her win Latino voters by a huge margin.

An appearance by Oprah could give Obama an additional boost of national exposure, but among Latinos it's questionable if Oprah could sway them.  According to Nielsen ratings, only 230,000 Hispanics watch Oprah daily compared to 5.9 million Whites and 1.4 million Blacks.

So it remains in the realm of speculation, whether there will be a surprise visit from Oprah in California or another Super Tuesday state and whether or not the appearance can make a difference. 

But perhaps no one knows this better than the talk show host herself, who told the crowd in Des Moines, Iowa on December 9th:

"You know, so much has been said about what my jumping into this arena does or does not bring to the table of politics. "I really don't know. I'm going to leave that all up to the pundits, who will say, 'will it be the same influence as her book club. Will it be like the 'Favorite Things' show.  "I don't know about all of that. Despite all of the talk, the speculation, and the hype, I understand the difference between a book club and a free refrigerator. That was a nice refrigerator." 

From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
TULSA, Okla. -- Following the president's final State of the Union address last night, John Edwards told a crowd in Tulsa this morning that he doesn't know "how he can say these things with a straight face anymore."

"Here's what I heard," he said. "What I heard was, more tax cuts for big business, more illegal spying on the American people, and if we - everything's going great in Iraq. If we just stay on course and keep doing the same thing for however many years, everything's gonna be just fine. Boy, it sounded like Groundhog's Day to me."

Edwards stopped at yet another union hall, this one belonging to the Transport Workers Union. The campaign estimated that 450 people crammed into the space. An introducer recalled meeting the former North Carolina senator when he stopped in Tulsa during the 2004 campaign.

Following the speech, a reporter again asked Edwards how much longer he would stay in the race. Another reporter followed up, asking the former top-tier candidate how it felt to be asked repeatedly when he will drop out. Edwards said that he's been getting the question since "just before Iowa" and that "it no longer affects me at all."