Sarah Palin displays her pitch-perfect populism  —  The snows that obliterated Washington in the past week interfered with many scheduled meetings, but they did not prevent the delivery of one important political message: Take Sarah Palin seriously.  —  Her lengthy Saturday night keynote address …

Protests at Iran anniversary celebrations - LIVE  —  The Iranian opposition movement is planning to hijack official celebrations to mark the 31st anniversary of the revolution, despite threats of a widespread crackdown and restrictions on phone and internet networks.  Follow live updates  —  12.31pm:

Iran to Suspend Google's Email  —  Iran's telecommunications agency announced what it described as a permanent suspension of Google Inc.'s email services, saying a national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled out.  —  It wasn't clear late Wednesday what effect the order …

Clueless  —  I'm with Simon Johnson here: how is it possible, at this late date, for Obama to be this clueless?  —  The lead story on Bloomberg right now contains excerpts from an interview with Business Week which tells us: … Oh.  My.  God.  —  First of all, to my knowledge …

Joe Biden: ‘Two-state solution’ for D.C.  —  Vice President Joe Biden, who has served under eight presidents, for more than three decades in the U.S. Senate and now with the president, concedes that he has no expectation of achieving the sort of bipartisanship that may have existed long ago.

Pelosi Aide: Health Care Summit a Trick, Strategy on Pro-Abortion Bill Decided  —  Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Barack Obama has proposed a bipartisan health care summit for later this month that Republican detractors bill as a publicity stunt designed to generate more support …

Sept. 11: New Photos of Dark Day  —  Newly Released Sept. 11 Pictures Offer New Perspective on Attacks  —  Twelve images newly released by the government of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists' attacks on the World Trade Center provide a fresh look at the tragedy and its impact on New York City.

Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson dead at 76  —  Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, a hard-partying Democrat who played a key role in the United States' covert war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, has died.  He was 76.  —  Wilson was taken to Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin …

Snowstorm: East Coast Blizzard Tied to Climate Change  —  As the blizzard-bound residents of the mid-Atlantic region get ready to dig themselves out of the third major storm of the season, they may stop to wonder two things: Why haven't we bothered to invest in a snow blower, and what happened to climate change?

A Dubai court annuls marriage to ‘bearded lady’  —  An Arabic country's ambassador to Dubai has had his marriage contract annulled after discovering the bride was cross-eyed and had facial hair.  —  The woman had worn an Islamic veil, known as the niqab, on the few occasions the couple had met.

New and improved Romney  —  He's more fiscal, less social.  And he's got millions.  But will GOP voters give a Mitt?  —  Scott Brown's unexpected victory in last month's special US Senate election captured the attention of the country — and particularly of core Republican voters …

MI5 complicit in torture - top judge  —  Legal defeat plunges Security Service into crisis over torture evidence, and it is revealed that judge removed damning verdict after Foreign Office QC's plea  —  • Breakdown of David Miliband's Commons statement  —  • Read the letter that reveals the draft ruling

Marvel admits to ‘mistake’ in controversial Captain America comic  —  It looks like Marvel Comic's Captain America is throwing his mighty shield at the Tea Party Movement.  Warner Todd Huston wrote on his Publius forum blog that the super-powered soldier who fought the Nazis in WWII goes under-cover …

Officials: UN Security Council poised to pass Tehran sanctions  —  NEW YORK - Senior United Nations officials told Haaretz that a Security Council resolution tightening the sanctions on Iran has become more likely, and that the resolution is probably going to be approved.

The U.S. Government: Willfully Blind to the Jihad  —  They knew.  Two years before the Fort Hood jihad massacre, the Army knew of jihadis in its ranks — and did nothing.  —  Investigative reporter Bill Gertz has revealed: “Almost two years before the deadly Fort Hood shooting …

Having It Both Ways on Medicare  —  One of the truly amazing things about the health care debate is the way Republicans have managed to pose as defenders of Medicare.  The death panel thing has been absolutely central to their argument.  For example, when I was debating Roger Ailes on This Week …

A Mountain of a Problem Rises in Nation's Capital  —  WASHINGTON—All plows can do here is push snow from one spot to another, displacing it into shoulder-high escarpments, walling off parked cars, confounding pedestrians and blocking drivers' lines of sight.  —  William Howland has his own plan.

Federal government shutdown extends to Thursday  —  Winds whip around the Washington Monument on Wednesday.  (Ricky Carioti/Post)  —  You're living history, Washington: Federal agencies across the nation's capital will close Thursday for a fourth straight day — taking the week-long shutdown …