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.

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 …

Army and presidency at odds - says former intelligence official  —  Both of last night's addresses by Mubarak and Suleiman were in defiance of the armed forces, a former senior official of Egyptian Intelligence tells Ahram Online  —  Maj. Gen. Safwat El-Zayat, a former senior official …

Pawlenty: Obama appeasing Muslim Brotherhood  —  Washington (CNN) - Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, an all-but-declared candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, accused the Obama administration Friday of “appeasing” the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as the country navigates …

Palin impersonator stuns CPAC  —  Just how much of a draw is Sarah Palin among conservatives?  —  A Palin impersonator drew dozens of excited, mostly young CPAC attendees around her in the hotel lobby here just as Mitt Romney, the GOP's ostenisble frontrunner, was taking the stage.

Thune jabs Palin, '12ers  —  John Thune, playing coy, took a little shot at his potential rivals in his remarks at CPAC just now:  —  I've never had a book signing.  —  I've been to Iowa plenty of times, but it's usually on the way to South Dakota.  —  And the closest I've come …

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 …

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:

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 …

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.

In Obama's Words  —  Washington, D.C. … Obama delivers remarks on Egypt  —  SPEECH TRANSCRIPT  —  Good afternoon, everybody.  —  There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place.  This is one of those moments.  This is one of those times.

Obama Housing Policy Plan Stronger Than Anticipated  —  The Treasury released its long-awaited housing finance policy report Friday morning.  Leaks suggested that the Obama administration would essentially punt on the question of what to do about the government's role in the mortgage market.

Ron Paul slams Patriot Act, backers drown out jeers at conference  —  Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) elicited the loudest reaction of any speaker so far at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, with a throng of raucous supporters drowning out audible boos emanating from the CPAC crowd.

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.

Mitch Daniels Suggests Re-Examination of End-of-Life Care  —  Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who is considering a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, veered from his party's orthodoxy on end-of-life care Friday, suggesting the nation cannot afford to provide every treatment …

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,” …