Mubarak Steps Down, Ceding Power to Military  —  CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt turned over all power to the military and left the Egyptian capital for his resort home in Sharm el-Sheik, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced on state television on Friday.

Thune ‘coming to final stages’ of 2012 decision  —  Washington (CNN) - South Dakota Sen. John Thune told reporters Friday that Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl's decision to retire - a move that will shake up the ranks of Republican leadership in the Senate - has “not really” changed his thinking about a possible presidential bid.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee says he won't back Orrin Hatch in GOP Senate primary  —  Sen. Mike Lee (R) said Friday that he wouldn't endorse fellow Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) for reelection in the 2012 GOP Senate primary.  —  Lee, a freshman senator allied with the conservative Tea Party movement …

Paul Ryan's Limited Imagination  —  Everyone knows that Ron Paul has some crank notions about monetary economics, but Paul Ryan's own crankitude on this score is badly underrated.  Will Wilkinson, for example, flags this alarming quote from Ryan's participation in a recent committee hearing with Ben Bernanke:

Former Bush-Cheney National Spokesman Thinks Muslims Are Incapable Of Democracy: ‘This Is The Middle East’  —  This morning on Fox News, anchor Martha MacCallum hosted a panel of three experts that was very hostile towards the idea of backing the protesters in Egypt.

ThinkProgress, SEIU and Others Targeted by US Chamber of Commerce for Smears  —  The next time you hear some lofty conservative twaddle about our freedoms, please point them to this Think Progress post and ask for an explanation.  Ask them why they think they're threatened by government …

Multiculturalism has failed, says French president  —  PARIS (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Thursday that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it.  —  “My answer is clearly yes, it is a failure,” …

Top Democrat: Obama's critics ‘have been silenced’  —  President Obama's critics “have been silenced,” a top Senate Democrat and Obama ally said Friday.  —  Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip, claimed a political rebound for the president that could propel him to a second term.

Republicans turn Congress into ‘clogged toilet,’ says Democratic lawmaker  —  One of the Democrats' fieriest voices on Capitol Hill accused the Republicans of turning Congress into a “clogged toilet.”  —  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said Friday that House Republicans were blocking …

From freedom agenda to freedom doctrine  —  Today, everyone and his cousin supports the “freedom agenda.”  Of course, yesterday it was just George W. Bush, Tony Blair and a band of neocons with unusual hypnotic powers who dared challenge the received wisdom of Arab exceptionalism …

Oprah wants ‘respect’ for Obama  —  Oprah Winfrey (left) and Barack Obama attend a campaign event in Dec. 2007.  AP Photo  —  Oprah called on President Obama's critics on Friday to “show some level of respect.”  —  “I feel that everybody has a learning curve, and I feel that the reason …

The Egypt spin  —  A Democratic official emails — a bit prematurely, I'd say — with what I take to be the official line:  —  Great news for the administration/president.  People will remember , despite some fumbles yesterday, that the President played an excellent hand …

What Egyptians Really Want  —  Islamofascism: Romantics in Western media expect “democracy” to flower from the anti-Mubarak rioting in Cairo.  But polling shows Egyptians actually seek strict Islamic rule.  —  According to a major survey conducted last year by the Pew Research Center …

WHAT HATH FLORIDA WROUGHT?.... Atrios joked the other day that Floridians “elected Lex Luthor as their governor.”  That's a good line, in large part because it's hard not to wonder if Florida's new chief executive is some sort of super-villain. … Scott's plan is certainly unique.

Relaxed, Rested, Ready  —  Strong Romney appearance at CPAC.  —  Includes glib gibes at Obama, focus on the economy, and polished/relaxed stump-speech feel.  —  Current odds that Romney leaves CPAC as the '12 frontrunner (still): 7-5.  —  Tweet  — FAN - FOLLOW - FEED … Politics