Secret papers reveal slow death of Middle East peace process  —  • Massive new leak lifts lid on negotiations  —  • PLO offered up key settlements in East Jerusalem  —  • Concessions made on refugees and Holy sites  —  The biggest leak of confidential documents in the history …

Speech Will Highlight Obama the Author  —  The State of the Union address President Obama will deliver on Tuesday was developed during months of deliberations with a small group of White House advisers who helped Mr. Obama channel his instincts as an author.

Statement of Events: Bradley Manning's Primary Visitor Detained at Quantico  —  At roughly 1:00 pm, upon driving onto the base at Quantico, David House and blogger Jane Hamsher were detained by military guards.  House, who is on the Quantico Brig's visitation list, has been visiting Bradley Manning in confinement since last September.

George Allen to announce Senate bid Monday  —  Former Sen. George Allen will end weeks of speculation and formally declare his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Virginia on Monday, two Republican advisers tell POLITICO.  —  Allen, who has been making all the moves of a candidate in recent weeks …

George Will rejects SOTU ‘pep rally’: ‘Every president ... tries to stroke every erogenous zone in the electorate’  —  We're just days away from President Barack Obama's second State of the Union address and while there is a lot of media attention focused on what direction the president …

China Grooming Deft Politician as Next Leader  —  BEIJING — President Hu Jintao of China returned home this weekend after a trip intended to repair relations with the United States.  But the next time the White House marches out the honor guard and polishes the crystal for a Chinese leader, it is unlikely to be for Mr. Hu.

The Competition Myth  —  Meet the new buzzword, same as the old buzzword.  In advance of the State of the Union, President Obama has telegraphed his main theme: competitiveness.  The President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board has been renamed the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

The World from The Hill: U.N. funding an early target for House Republicans  —  A key House Republican is quickly pressing forward with her goals to scale back U.S. funding for the United Nations.  —  Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee …

Increasingly Confident Fed Is Set for First Meeting of 2011  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve will use its first policy meeting of 2011 this week to revisit its economic projections amid a climate of modest but increasing confidence about the recovery.  —  The statement it will issue on Wednesday …

Top senators seek deal on rules for nominations  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior senators are negotiating to reduce the 1,400 presidential appointments subject to time-consuming Senate confirmation, hoping to streamline a system that has frustrated administrations of both parties, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Union Power  —  Kevin Drum says: … That's definitely true.  But in large part that's because if you allowed more unionization in exchange for some tax cuts, the stronger unions would just turn around in the future and create a political dynamic that's friendly to tax hikes.  Which if you ask me would be great.