SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) – Republican Mitt Romney said John McCain used dirty tricks by suggesting shortly before the Florida primary that the former Massachusetts governor wanted a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, as the two men squared off in a spirited debate Wednesday night.

Coming 24 hours after McCain defeated him in the Florida election, Romney vented his frustrations over the Arizona senator’s claims.

“I have never, ever supported a specific timetable” for withdrawing troops, Romney said. McCain’s accusation on the eve of Tuesday’s presidential primary, he said, “sort of falls into the dirty tricks that I think Ronald Reagan would have found reprehensible.”

The debate was held in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

McCain stuck to his guns, saying, “of course he said he wanted a timetable” for a withdrawal.

McCain made the allegation over the weekend as he tried to shift the debate from the ailing economy, a stronger issue for Romney, a former venture capitalist and businessman.

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Romney, McCain Spar Over Iraq Timetable 

I have to say, after tonight I have got to believe that Mitt Romney will be the best choice the Republicans can make, McCain is a doddering old man, he rambles, he repeats himself, he’s still McCain/Feingold and McCain/Kennedy and he’s still the ultimate RINO.

Huckabee was decent in his answers I thought, but I still don’t trust him, he turned Arkansas into a ’sanctuary’ state for ILLEGALS and no matter what he says now, I am afraid he’d turn over a different side of his ‘leadership’ if elected and would push to make this a sanctuary nation.

Ron Paul fired off a couple of damn good shots when he was given the opportunity to speak, and that didn’t happen too often, but he did make a good showing for himself in my opinion, at least tonight he did.

And another tidbit to come out tonight, Gov. Schwarzenegger to Endorse McCain, well, that’s NO surprise at all, Schwarzenegger is as much of a RINO as McCain is, neither is a Conservative, neither is a REAL Republican and BOTH are a lot closer to the Dems than they care to admit and this, Giuliani Abandons Bid, Endorses McCain, this was no surprise either, RINOs supporting RINOs, and any Conservative worth his salt will see right through the whole facade, but here’s the really sad part of the entire equation, without the Conservatives and Republicans sticking together, the Dems WILL win the White House.

Romney is not the ‘perfect’ candidate, none of them ever will be, but he’s likely the best the RNC can offer up, and I will officially go on record, here and now, and I make this a public disclosure to any and all that have doubts as to where I stand, IF John McCain is the candidate chosen by the RNC to run for the White House, I will NOT support the Republican choice, I won’t vote Dem, that’s not even an option, but I may very well be writing in a candidate for POTUS.

And yes, I DO realize that’s giving the Dems a vote, but be that as it may, if the Repubs DO nominate McCain, then it’s time for all of the Conservatives of this nation to stand and let their feelings be known, and if it costs us the White House for 4 years, so be it, but you can bet that if it does, come election time in 2012, the Repubs will either listen to what we have to say or there will be a viable, Conservative party in the race.

And I am seriously starting to believe that we MUST have a strong, viable, honest and incorruptible 3rd party Conservative offering.

DENVER (AP) – 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.

The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two aides. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning – Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

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John Edwards to Quit Presidential Race

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Following his third place finish in Florida, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is expected to drop out of the presidential race today and endorse Sen. John McCain.

Last night, Giuliani stopped short of announcing he was stepping down, but delivered a valedictory speech that was more farewell than fight-on.

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Giuliani to Exit Presidential Race Today

No surprises here, I don’t know why Edwards even bothered, more money than good sense maybe??

Rudy Giuliani, now that is one man I am glad to see out of contention for the top job, in MY opinion the only person more dangerous to this nation is John McCain, and that’s who Giuliani is going to support…

Maybe Giuliani is looking for a possible V.P. or Cabinet slot??

Rudy had absolutely NO business running for POTUS, he was the mayor of NYC for crying out loud, he had NO qualifications on a national or international level, and I am guessing that the people have spoken loudly enough now that he has received the message…

The only surprise in Florida was the fact that McCain won the Republican slot, I guess the folks in Florida figured out how to vote and then left their good sense at home when they did it…

Conservatives have some work to do now, and that work is the job of keeping McCain OUT of the White House, it’s not going to be an easy job, but it’s a job that I feel MUST be done, keeping McCain out is as important as keeping Hillary or Obama out, Romney may not be the perfect candidate but he is a hell of a lot better than ANYTHING being offered up by either party now, McCain is more of a libber Dem than the libber Dems running for POTUS, and that my friends is a sad state of affairs for the Republican party and the Conservatives of this nation…

And here we sit, pretty much looking at the lesser of all evils, again…

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A vagrant wanted for questioning in a rape overpowered a police officer who was trying to handcuff him, then shot her to death with her own weapon Monday, police said.

The officer’s death was a blow to this city, where hopes were high that a new year could hold back a wave of crime that has been a dark backdrop to the rebuilding effort since Hurricane Katrina.

“When it hits home like this, it hits you tremendously,” said Police Superintendent Warren Riley, who was charged with energizing a demoralized police force in the 2005 storm’s wake.

Officer Nicola Cotton, 24, approached the suspect in her police cruiser and began questioning him. When she tried to handcuff him he attacked her, and a seven-minute fight ensued, Riley said.

The officer managed to use her radio during the struggle to call for backup, but the man grabbed her weapon and shot her repeatedly, Riley said.

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New Orleans police officer killed by vagrant