CNN

Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau

Washington Post: A Scramble for Edwards and Giuliani Fundraisers
When Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudolph W. Giuliani abandoned their presidential bids yesterday, their exits marked the beginning of an open season on the supporters who had helped them raise a combined $100 million last year.

NY Times: Sprawling, Diverse State Poses Special Challenge for Candidates
The most trenchant symbol of the California presidential primary can be found on an isolated stretch of Interstate 15, smack in the middle of the Mojave Desert. There, affixed to an old trailer, is possibly the largest candidate billboard in the entire state, and it is for the Republican fringe candidate, Ron Paul.

Washington Post: Edwards Exacts Pledge as He Leaves
It was here in New Orleans in the devastated Ninth Ward that John Edwards launched his campaign for president a year ago, and it was here Wednesday that he ended it, vowing that his quest for economic justice would be carried forward by his fellow Democrats.

Boston Globe: Mass. Vote Will Test If Romney Is A Favorite Son
As he tries to regain his footing after a tough loss in Florida's presidential primary, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney faces an unusual problem for a presidential hopeful: making sure he carries his home state.

WSJ: Rove: The New Rules of Politics
In the aftermath of the Florida primary, some new rules for winning the nomination have emerged and some old rules have been ratified. As we head toward the 23 contests next Tuesday, it's worth considering a few of them.

Washington Post: Kennedy's Endorsement of Obama Had Family Roots
There's more to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama than meets the eye. Apparently, part of the reason the liberal lion from Massachusetts embraced Obama (Ill.) was a perceived slight at the Kennedy family's civil rights legacy by the other Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

WSJ: Giuliani Fund-Raisers Sit on Fence for Now
Rudy Giuliani, the onetime Republican presidential front-runner, retreated from the race and backed John McCain. But Mr. Giuliani's well-heeled supporters might not throw their money behind the cash-strapped Arizona senator so fast.

NY Times: The New Race: Four Candidates, 24 States and One Hectic Week
For most of the year, the race for president has been a muddle for both parties: An amorphous cast of candidates seeking to distinguish themselves and win attention from voters, donors and the news media. That phase of the campaign ended decisively on Wednesday. With Rudolph W. Giuliani and John Edwards withdrawing from the race, the two parties now have what is, in effect, clean two-way battles for the nomination as they roar into this week leading until Tuesday, when more than 20 states will vote. And rarely has either party witnessed a contest between two such formidable and evenly matched candidates.

Washington Post: McCain vs. Romney on Iraq
The Iraq war again emerged as a flash point between Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in a debate Wednesday, after McCain accused Romney of supporting timetables for withdrawing U.S. troops from the battlefield.

Washington Post: Move Over YouTube, Here Comes YouBama
Never mind YouTube. Now there's YouBama. Yesterday, Stanford grads Chris Pedregal and Erik Park launched what amounted to their winter-break project: YouBama, a hub of a pro-Obama videos which users can vote up and down, Digg-style. Most of the videos are culled from YouTube. At the moment, the top video is of George Clooney's interview with Charlie Rose in which the Oscar-winning actor calls Sen. Barack Obama "the best candidate I have ever seen."

NY Times: A Face-Off, Not Necessarily Televised
The Democrats may be planning a traditional use of television advertising, but their Republican counterparts are approaching the contest differently.

WSJ: Climate on Agenda of Candidates
The narrowed field of presidential candidates increases the likelihood that the winner will favor stepped-up efforts to fight global warming and change how the nation uses energy.

WSJ: Are Republicans Losing Panhandle Grip?
Even as Tuesday's primary in Florida gave Arizona Sen. John McCain new momentum going into next week's Super Tuesday voting for the Republican presidential nomination, it revealed signs of stress in the party's pivotal grasp on Florida.

NY Times: Like Giuliani, New York G.O.P. Rushes to McCain
New York’s Republican establishment rushed to embrace Senator John McCain on Wednesday, with party leaders expressing confidence that his appeal to independents could help fend off a Democratic sweep that might cost them the State Senate in November.

Politico: Huckabee Gets Love From The Ladies
The media called it a “victory lap” for John McCain, touting him as the winner of Wednesday night’s Republican debate. But for 11 Republican-leaning women in a California conference room, the underdog—former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee—came out ahead.