State of the union forecast: Atmospherics over policy  —  When President Barack Obama steps into the House chamber Tuesday to deliver his second State of the Union address, ambience will trump substance.  —  In his speech, the president will talk about jobs, the deficit and the future …

Now we know.  Israel had a peace partner  —  The classified documents show Palestinians willing to go to extreme lengths and Israel holding a firm line on any peace deal  —  Who will be most damaged by this extraordinary glimpse into the reality of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?

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.

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 …

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 …

Sarah Palin and the Battle for Feminism  —  When Sarah Palin took the podium in St. Paul to accept her nomination for the vice presidency in September 2008, calm and collected feminists might have recalled the old saw: Be careful what you wish for.  Here she was, an ambitious political woman …

Interviewing Thomas Sowell On Basic Economics  —  Interviewing Thomas Sowell On Basic Economics  —  Late last year, I wrote a column for Townhall called, 10 Life Changing Books To Give This Christmas.  One of those book was Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics 4th Ed: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy.

20 years after Desert Storm, Congress defers to the Pentagon on budgets  —  Since the swift U.S.-led victory in Operation Desert Storm, Congress largely has shown deference to Pentagon decisions on budgets, weapon programs and war plans - a trend accelerated by the 9/11 attacks, defense experts say.

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 …

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.