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Pope Benedict XVI Says He Will Resign — ROME — Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who took office in 2005 following the death of his predecessor, said on Monday that he will resign on Feb. 28, the first pope to do so in six centuries.
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Pope Benedict XVI resigns: pontiff's statement in full — The full statement from Pope Benedict XVI, who has announced he will resign on February 28. — Pope Benedict XVI is to step down on February 28 — Dear Brothers, — I have convoked you to this Consistory …
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Guardian, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Law Blog, KSHB-TV, NBCNews.com, WorldViews, The Lonely Conservative and msnbc.com


Pope Benedict XVI — Born in Germany in 1927, joined Hitler Youth during WWII and was conscripted as an anti-aircraft gunner but deserted — As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger spent 24 years in charge of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition
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Da Tech Guy's Blog, Twitchy, The Anchoress, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Guardian, Scared Monkeys, Red Alert Politics and The PJ Tatler


What Did Pope Benedict Do, Anyway? — Pope Benedict XVI, who took office in 2005, announced on Monday that he will resign on Feb. 28, the first pope to leave the papacy since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. The 85-year-old pontiff is in poor health and has been advised by doctors “not to take any more transatlantic trips.”
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NPR, NBCNews.com, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Mashable! and FIRST DRAFT


Pope Benedict to resign at the end of the month, Vatican says
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NBCNews.com, Little Green Footballs, Guardian, This Just In, Outside the Beltway, Babalú Blog and Reuters

What Political Science Says About Papal Elections
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Washington Post, Spectator, Daniel W. Drezner, Taegan Goddard's …, The Dish, National Review and Blazing Cat Fur

Pope Benedict XVI to resign, citing age and waning energy
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WorldViews, The Fix, Guardian, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller and FIRST DRAFT

Pope Benedict XVI to resign
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The Reaction, The Awl, The Agonist and The Latest Word

Pope Benedict to become first pontiff in 600 years to resign
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The Jawa Report, Telegraph, Guardian, Achenblog and NewsBusters blogs

Can a pope resign? — Yes, a pope can resign — up to 10 popes …
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Firedoglake, The Dish and NPR

Pope's sudden resignation sends shockwaves through Church
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BBC, his vorpal sword, Firedoglake and Dependable Renegade

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation: Live Report
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The Moderate Voice


Obama's State of the Union: Aggressive — President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech will be less a presidential olive branch than a congressional cattle prod. — Emboldened by electoral victory and convinced the GOP is unwilling to cut deals, Obama plans to use his big prime …
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CNN, NBCNews.com, The Plum Line, USA Today, First Read, Hot Air, The Huffington Post and msnbc.com
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Release Detail — February 11, 2013 - Obama Should Focus State …
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Business Insider, msnbc.com, Taegan Goddard's … and The Hill


McCain Says He'll Consider New Revenues To Offset Sequester Cuts
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The Maddow Blog and Balloon Juice

Obama weighing executive actions on housing, gays and other issues
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The Week, Prairie Weather and The Hill


The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden... Is Screwed — For the first time, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden tells his story — speaking not just about the raid and the three shots that changed history, but about the personal aftermath for himself and his family.
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Politico, alan.com, Wonkblog, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

Sen. Inhofe threatens filibuster to block Hagel — Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) on Sunday threatened to filibuster former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)'s nomination for Defense secretary, if necessary to prevent his confirmation. — “I want a 60-vote margin and you don't have to filibuster to get that …
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The Right Scoop, americanthinker.com, The Maddow Blog, Israel Matzav and Mock, Paper, Scissors
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GOP threatens walkout on Chuck Hagel vote — Defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel could get a vote in committee as early as Tuesday, but Republican aides reacted to that idea by suggesting that some members could walk out in protest. — Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin …
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Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, The Week, The PJ Tatler and ThinkProgress


Obama Prepares To Screw His Base — Young people re-elected the president. Now they get to pay disproportionately for ObamaCare. — President Obama talks with college students while waiting for an order of fries at OMG Burgers in Coral Gables, Florida last September. — Image by C.W. Griffin/Miami Herald/MCT
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Wonkblog, The Mahablog, BizzyBlog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Taylor Marsh, Balloon Juice and Right Wing News


Menendez Discouraged Giving Port Security Equipment to Dominicans — WASHINGTON — Senator Robert Menendez sought to discourage any plan by the United States government to donate port security equipment to the Dominican Republic, citing concern that the advanced screening gear might undermine efforts …
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Armed Pro-Gun Protesters Occupy Oregon State Capitol — A few hundred pro-gun demonstrators rallied outside the Oregon state Capitol on Friday to protest efforts to enact gun safety laws. A handful of protesters also entered the Capitol building itself and brandished assault rifles and other guns in the Capitol rotunda:


The Absentee Commander in Chief — The Defense secretary told the president that Americans in Benghazi were under attack. Then: nothing. — We've both had the honor to work in the White House. We've seen presidents, vice presidents, chiefs of staff and national security advisers during moments of international crisis.
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Althouse, americanthinker.com and msnbc.com


Virginia Cuts State Employees' Hours To Avoid Providing Obamacare Coverage — As part of his state's new budget, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his administration are trying to force potentially tens of thousands of public sector employees in the state to work fewer hours so that the government …
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Outside the Beltway, BREITBART.COM and Balloon Juice


3 dead in Wilmington courthouse shooting (PHOTOS) … wilmington, delaware, shooting, local/state — Three people, including the alleged shooter, are dead after gunfire erupted inside a Wilmington courthouse Monday morning. — The shooting happened at 8:00 a.m. in the public lobby …
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The Raw Story

The Ignorance Caucus — Last week Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, gave what his office told us would be a major policy speech. And we should be grateful for the heads-up about the speech's majorness. Otherwise, a read of the speech might have suggested that he was offering nothing …
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Prairie Weather and Daily Kos