Why Obama has to get Egypt right  —  Revolutions usually start with enthusiasm and end in tears.  In the case of the Middle East, the tears could be avoided if President Obama stands firmly by the values that got him elected.  Although American power and influence in the world have declined …

Senate rejects healthcare repeal  —  The Senate on Wednesday voted down a repeal of President Obama's healthcare law in a 47-51 party-line vote.  —  The vote came two weeks to the day the Republican House voted 245-189 to repeal the law, and just days after a federal judge ruled Obama's …

Live blog Feb 3 - Egypt protests  —  on February 2nd, 2011.  —  From our headquarters in Doha, we keep you updated on all things Egypt, with reporting from Al Jazeera staff in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez.  Live Blog: Jan28 - Jan29 - Jan30 - Jan31 - Feb1 - Feb2 - Feb3

In Book, Rumsfeld Recalls Bush's Early Iraq Focus  —  WASHINGTON — Just 15 days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush invited his defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, to meet with him alone in the Oval Office.  According to Mr. Rumsfeld's new memoir …

President Carter named in $5 million lawsuit over his “Palestine” book  —  More than four years after its publication, five disgruntled readers have filed a class-action lawsuit against President Jimmy Carter and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, alleging that his 2006 book “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid” …

Street Battle Over the Arab Future  —  CAIRO — The future of the Arab world, perched between revolt and the contempt of a crumbling order, was fought for in the streets of downtown Cairo on Wednesday.  —  Tens of thousands of protesters who have reimagined the very notion of citizenship …

Crashing the party: Republican strategist turned gay rights activist ponders a White House run  —  ON ROUTE 202, N.H. — The candidate can't find his lane.  The road is a crunchy carpet of snow.  The candidate drifts too far to the right.  The rumble strip rattles his car.  The candidate drifts too far to the left.

John Thune faces tough choice on 2012  —  South Dakota Sen. John Thune just landed two plum posts in the Senate — seats on the influential Finance and Budget committees — that crystallize the decision he now faces: Stay in the Senate to climb the leadership ladder, or jump into the 2012 presidential contest.

Arizona to secede (without OFFICIALLY doing so)  —  Members of the state Legislature, including Arizona's de facto governor, Senate President Russell Pearce, have introduced a bill that essentially would have Arizona secede from the union without having to do so officially.  —  Really.

Rick Santorum's appeal to the GOP base  —  In 1994, when Rick Santorum was a second-term Pennsylvania congressman seeking a U.S. Senate seat, a columnist asked him how he was going to win.  “Guns,” he replied serenely.  Pennsylvania's legions of deer hunters do not use assault weapons …

‘Death Panels’ Revisited  —  How Sarah Palin helped defeat ObamaCare's deceptive advertising.  —  “At a time when there is virtually unanimous agreement that health care reform is needed in this country, it is hard to invalidate and strike down a statute titled 'The Patient Protection …

How Super Is Our Debt?  —  One problem political organizations often face is a wealth of complex information and the challenge of presenting that information in an easily digestible format.  Our goal, as a firm, is to help clients identify new and compelling ways to make a point.

Rep. Giffords's husband to speak at prayer breakfast  —  The husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) will speak Thursday morning at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.  —  Giffords's office said Mark Kelly, a Navy captain and NASA astronaut, will deliver the closing prayer …

Pentagon Paid Billions To Contractors Suspended For Fraud … WASHINGTON — The military paid a total of $285 billion to more than 100 contractors between 2007 and '09, even though those same companies were defrauding taxpayers in the same period, according to a new Defense Department report.

Fund Official Not Neutral, Judge Rules  —  Kenneth R. Feinberg, the administrator of the $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, should not claim that he is fully independent of BP, a federal judge overseeing litigation against the company ruled on Wednesday.

WikiLeaks: US and China in military standoff over space missiles  —  The United States threatened to take military action against China during a secret “star wars” arms race within the past few years, according to leaked documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

Mourdock to enter Senate race this month  —  Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock is taking the steps to formally launch a primary challenge against six-term Sen. Richard Lugar in the coming weeks, according to multiple Republicans familiar with his thinking.

Obama to unveil energy agenda amid mounting GOP challenges  —  President Obama will outline his latest broad energy policy goal Thursday amid uncertainty in Congress about energy legislation and mounting challenges by Republicans to the administration's climate change agenda.

Yemen protests: 20,000 call for President Saleh to go  —  President Saleh has vowed not to run again in 2013  —  More than 20,000 anti-government protesters have gathered in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, for a “day of rage” against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.