February 7, 2008

MITT ROMNEY
Romney Abandons Bid for GOP Presidential Nomination
Jennifer Parker and Matt Stuart/ABCNews (02/07/2008)
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will suspend his Republican presidential campaign, ABC News' John Berman has learned. Romney is expected to make the announcement today at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a yearly gathering of conservatives in Washington, D.C.

Romney suspends presidential campaign
John King/CNN (02/07/2008)
Mitt Romney suspended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, saying if he continued it would "forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Sen. Clinton or Obama to win."

Republican Romney pulls out of presidential race
Reuters (02/07/2008)
WASHINGTON - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who focused his bid for the party's nomination on turning around the U.S. economy, said in remarks prepared for a speech on Thursday he must "stand aside" and pull out of the race.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Evangelicals Still in Flux After Super Tuesday
Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service (02/06/2008: pewforum.org)
WASHINGTON -- The day after Super Tuesday, when so much was supposed to become so clear, evangelicals are as divided -- and sought after -- as they were the day before.

EDUCATION
Speakers at Academy Said to Make False Claims
Neil MacFarQuhar/New York Times (02/07/2008)
The Air Force Academy was criticized by Muslim and religious freedom organizations for playing host on Wednesday to three speakers who critics say are evangelical Christians falsely claiming to be former Muslim terrorists. The three men were invited as part of a weeklong conference on terrorism organized by cadets at the academy’s Colorado Springs campus under the auspices of the political science department.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Revised Good Friday prayer reignites old tensions
Cathy Lynn GrossmanUSA Today (02/07/2008)
As the season of Lent began this week, Pope Benedict XVI has reignited tensions between Catholics and Jews with his newly edited version of an ancient prayer for the conversion of the Jews.

FAITH LEADERS
Disgraced Evangelical Leader Ted Haggard Breaks Counseling Ties With His Former Megachurch
Associated Press (02/07/2008: foxnews.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The megachurch founded by Pastor Ted Haggard said Tuesday he has prematurely ended a 'spiritual restoration' process begun when he was fired for sexual misconduct.