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 …

White Political Ralliers Call for Lynching of Black Justice (Sorry MSM, No Tea in this Blend)  —  I recently took a two-day trip down to Palm Springs to attend an event called “Uncloaking the Kochs” hosted by Common Cause.  Accompanied by my dear friend, former assembly candidate Alvaro Day …

GOP loses ‘forcible rape’ language  —  House Republicans plan to sidestep a charged debate over the distinction between “forcible rape” and “rape” by altering the language of a bill banning taxpayer subsidies for abortions.  —  The provision in question, written as an exemption from the ban …

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” …

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 …

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 …

Charlotte charred by FLOTUS roast reference  —  Charlotte residents were ecstatic to hear this week that their city was selected to host the Democratic convention.  But there was one line in the e-mail announcement from First Lady Michelle Obama that made locals say, “Huh?”

Sarah Palin Turns Down Coveted Keynote Speaking Slot At CPAC Conference  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone:  —  After skipping the popular Conservative Political Action Conference for the past three years, Sarah Palin has once again turned down the invitation of CPAC officials to address the conference this year.

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 …

Muslims Attack Two Christian Families in Egypt, 11 Killed  —  (AINA) — News of a massacre of two Christian Coptic families by Islamists just emerged from Upper Egypt with the return of the Internet connections after a week of Internet blackout by the Egyptian regime.

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.

Mayor Curses the Beast, and It Didn't Even Bite Him  —  Showing that he can hold a grudge as well as the next politician, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg hurled a mild vulgarity at Staten Island Chuck, the groundhog who bit him two years ago, at the conclusion of Wednesday's otherwise uneventful Groundhog Day ceremony.

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.