Obama's State of the Union Was Tantamount to Plagiarism  —  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, what can be said of plagiarism?  President Obama's second State of the Union address contained enough recycled ideas and lines lifted from speeches of others to make historians wince.

Boehner: Saying retirement age needed to be raised was ‘mistake’  —  House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he “made a mistake” when he suggested raising the retirement age to 70 last year.  —  The Speaker indicated he was premature in suggesting raising the legal age at which retirees …

Dealing With Assange and the Secrets He Spilled  —  This past June, Alan Rusbridger, the editor of The Guardian, phoned me and asked, mysteriously, whether I had any idea how to arrange a secure communication.  Not really, I confessed.  The Times doesn't have encrypted phone lines, or a Cone of Silence.

What Caused the Financial Crisis?  —  Congress's inquiry commission is offering a simplistic narrative that could lead to the wrong policy reforms.  —  Today, six members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission—created by the last Congress to investigate the causes of the financial crisis—are releasing their final report.

O, Mark Salter!!  —  McCain wordsmith revealed as “anonymous” author of “O” the novel.  —  Confirmed by sources, but there were lots of in-plain-sight clues that led to Salter's Maine door.  —Simon and Schuster topper Jonathan Karp was Salter's editor on books he did with Senator McCain.

Obama Poised to Intensify U.S. Criticism of Egypt's Mubarak  —  Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) — The White House is prepared to step up its criticism of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a key Middle East ally, if his government intensifies its crackdown on protesters, said an administration official.

Uganda gay rights activist David Kato killed  —  David Kato led condemnation of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill  —  A Ugandan gay rights campaigner who last year sued a local newspaper which outed him as homosexual has been beaten to death, activists say.  —  Police have confirmed the death …

SURPRISED BY THE DEGREE OF SURPRISE.... The day of President Obama's inauguration, the federal budget deficit left by the Republican administration was $1.3 trillion.  After some additional economy-saving measures were added to the mix, the 2009 deficit reached $1.4 trillion.

G.O.P. Splits Over Plans to Cut Defense Budget  —  WASHINGTON — To hear the Republican leadership tell it, the once-sacred Pentagon budget, protected by the party for generations, is suddenly on the table.  But a closer look shows that even as Speaker John A. Boehner and Representative Eric Cantor …

HHS grants 500 new healthcare waivers  —  A week after Republicans announced plans to investigate waivers granted to organizations for healthcare reform provisions, President Obama's health department made public new waivers for more than more than 500 groups.

Celebrity Journalist: I Never Spoke to Hawaii Gov About Obama Birth Certificate  —  A celebrity journalist now claims he misspoke when he said last week that Hawaii's governor told him he was unable to find President Barack Obama's original birth certificate after a search of state and hospital archives.

Rep. Paul Ryan 1, ObamaCare 0  —  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) held an important hearing on ObamaCare, showing just how important is the process for educating the public, and thereby setting defenders of ObamaCare back on their heels.  —  As he did last night …

Where's Mitt Romney?  —  The 2012 presidential campaign hasn't started in earnest, and that suits the perceived front-runner just fine.  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — As presidential candidates jockey for position ahead of next year's nominating contests, Republicans in New Hampshire believe …

Bill Aimed at Protecting S.C. From Foreign Law Introduced in Legislature  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. - A legislative initiative aimed at preventing “a court or other enforcement authority” from enforcing foreign law in the Palmetto State was introduced today in both the S.C. House and Senate by Rep. Wendy Nanney …

Border authorities arrest controversial Muslim cleric east of San Diego  —  U.S. border authorities have arrested a controversial Muslim cleric who was deported from Canada to Tunisia three years ago and was caught earlier this month trying to sneak into California inside the trunk of a BMW, according to court documents.

Governors put state jobs on the chopping block  —  New York (CNNMoney) - There will be lots more state workers joining the unemployment line this year.  —  Public employees are getting hit hard in the latest round of spending cuts as state officials look to close billion-dollar deficits.

Slopes behind ropes: fear of lawsuits closing great New Jersey sledding hills … It's one of the simple, most wonderful pleasures of life: zooming down a snow-covered hill just fast enough for a touch of fear to quicken your pulse.  Maybe it's a solo run.  Maybe you're clinging to a loved one as you tear down the hill tandem.