Below The Beltway

Apparently, Los Angeles Police have taken Britney Spears to the hospital again:
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — A police motorcade the length of a football field escorted troubled pop star Britney Spears to a Los Angeles hospital early Thursday to get her some help, a law-enforcement official told CNN.
This is the second hospital visit for Spears [...]

It looks like Gerry Connolly has the resources to give Leslie Byrne a run for her money:
Gerald E. Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, still hasn’t moved past the “exploratory” phase of his bid for Congress. But his committee very proudly shared some early fundraising numbers to make the point that [...]

Starbucks is taking steps to stop the downturn in it’s business over the past two years:
As it begins a major turnaround effort, Starbucks on Wednesday announced a slight gain in quarterly profits and a significant slowdown in the rate of growth in the United States as it seeks to recapture its former glory.
Howard D. Schultz, [...]

One of the enduring mysteries of the 2008 Republican race has been why the ostensibly conservative candidates — Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney — are failing to capture the attention of Republican voters. Jennifer Rubin examines the issue in the New York Observer.
First of all, Rubin correctly points out that the problem wasn’t the voters, [...]

The Washington Examiner handicaps the race in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District now that Tom Davis has announced his retirement:
Davis’ departure is widely regarded as bad news for the Republican Party, which is likely to face Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly or former U.S. Rep. Leslie Byrne in a general election, both of whom [...]

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd says Mitt Romney didn’t do what he needed to last night:
There were a few moments where it appeared McCain and Romney would really started tangling in tonight’s CNN/L.A. Times/Politico debate, but it was just that, a precious few moments.
Romney wasn’t happy about the criticism McCain leveled at him about timetables in Iraq. [...]

Some reports out today seem to indicate that Mitt Romney isn’t putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to competing in the Super Tuesday states:
WASHINGTON - In a major boost for John McCain, Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney signaled Wednesday he’s not ready to finance a costly campaign in the states holding [...]

Tomorrow, John McCain is expected to garner key endorsements in two Super Tuesday states:
SIMI VALLEY, California (CNN) — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will announce Thursday he is endorsing Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, two GOP sources familiar with the situation told CNN.
Schwarzenegger will make the announcement in California, a day after the four Republican [...]

Before I get into the analysis of what happened in Simi Valley tonight, I’ve just got to say —- best debate backdrop ever.
I mean, seriously, how can a stage somewhere in Florida, New Hampshire, or Podunk, Iowa compete with a stage that looks out on the plane that served as Air Force One for nearly [...]

As expected, Rudy Giuliani has dropped out of the race for President and thrown his support to John McCain:
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the Republican presidential campaign on Wednesday and endorsed Sen. John McCain for the nomination.
Giuliani made the announcement at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library a day after suffering a [...]