Mubarak Refuses to Step Down  —  CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak told the Egyptian people Thursday that he would delegate more authority to his vice president, Omar Suleiman, but that he would not resign his post, contradicting earlier reports that he would step aside and surprising hundreds …

This is Too Much For Me  —  I have, for me, shown an amazing amount of restraint in keeping my mouth shut on an issue about which I can stay silent no longer — GOProud and CPAC.  —  RedState's parent company, Eagle Publishing, Inc., is a long time sponsor of CPAC.

FOX NEWS INSIDER: “Stuff Is Just Made Up”  —  Asked what most viewers and observers of Fox News would be surprised to learn about the controversial cable channel, a former insider from the world of Rupert Murdoch was quick with a response: “I don't think people would believe it's as concocted as it is; that stuff is just made up.”

Jon Kyl announces retirement  —  Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) photo by Linda Davidson for The Washington Post  —  Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl (R) announced his retirement at a press conference in Phoenix Thursday morning.  —  “I will not seek reelection the United States Senate but will retire from public service in January 2013,” Kyl said.

DNI Clapper: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood ‘largely secular’  —  During a House Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called Egypt's branch of the Muslim Brotherhood movement “largely secular.”  —  In response to questioning from Rep. Sue Myrick …

Democrats Can't Filibuster ObamaCare Repeal  —  The GOP needs 51 Senate votes, and a new president, to get it done.  —  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin likes to taunt his Republican colleagues, arguing that ObamaCare can't be repealed because 60 votes are required to end debate in the Senate on any measure.

Palin calls potential rival ‘Neanderthal’ … (CNN) - Sarah Palin is mixing it up with potential rival Rick Santorum, suggesting the former Pennsylvania senator and presidential hopeful is a “knuckle-dragging Neanderthal.”  —  The eyebrow-raising slap came in response to Santorum's recent comments …

Paul Ryan's Republicanomics  —  YESTERDAY, Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, appeared on Capitol Hill to field questions from the House Budget Committee.  The committee's new Republican chairman, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, pressed Mr Bernanke to defend the Fed's efforts …

Freshmen to GOP leadership: We were serious about ‘read the bill’  —  Republican leadership stumbled this week with two bills going down in defeat on the House floor, a highly unusual occurrence in a chamber where the majority rules nearly absolutely and leadership rarely calls votes without knowing in advance they will win.

Under Fire From Right, House GOP Proposes $100 Billion in Cuts  —  Appropriators scrap original plan for $74 billion in cuts to soothe tea party members.  —  House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers.  R-KY, scrapped his original plan for spending cuts today and vowed to cut $100 billion instead.

License To Beg  —  Montgomery County's not run by neoliberal sellouts, that's for sure.  They're true friends of the working man: … This business about where the beggars stand is a microcosm of one of the most prominent conceptual problems here.  If the issue is people violating traffic laws …

Bill Burton for Congress?  —  White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton has been approached by some party insiders about the possibility of running in the likely special election to replace former New York Rep. Chris Lee (R) and is weighing the possibility of a bid, according to several sources familiar with his thinking.

Mitt Rewrites Himself  —  A new Apology  —  When Mitt Romney's second book, No Apology, came out a year ago, it looked like he was moving away from the far-right demagoguery of his 2008 bid for the presidency, and toward a more moderate centrism for the 2012 election cycle.

House Republican on health law repeal: Time for GOP to “put up or shut up”  —  In another sign that the politics of repeal are far from a slam dunk for many Republicans, a House GOPer went way off the national Republican Party's message on the health law, dismissing the House vote for repeal as merely …