Obama Appears to Move Closer to Israeli Position on Peace Talks  —  RAMALLAH, West Bank — President Obama, visiting the Israeli-occupied West Bank, appeared to move closer to the Israeli position on Thursday regarding resumption of long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians …

Saxby Chambliss: 'I'm not gay.  So I'm not going to marry one'  —  Support for gay marriage is picking up steam all over the country — except on Capitol Hill.  —  Take Sen. Saxby Chambliss.  When asked if his views had changed on gay marriage, the Georgia Republican quipped: “I'm not gay.

Romney campaign chief to lead new GOP research group  —  (CNN) - Post-mortems written after the 2012 campaign focused on a variety of Republican shortcomings: underwhelming television ads, an outdated voter contact model, and a message that was out-of-step with the changing face of America.

What Needless, Xenophobic Panic Looks Like  —  While researching another item, I came across a Townhall column written by Michelle Malkin in 2002, a couple years before she published her book, In Defense of Internment: The Case for Racial Profiling in World War II and the War on Terror.

West Virginia paper's anti-LGBT column wants death for ‘n*ggers, spics, kikes and wops’  —  A newspaper in West Virginia is defending its decision to publish a reader's racist and homophobic comments, which called for “queers” to be put to death along with “n*ggers, spics, kikes and wops.”

Cyprus: The Sum of All FUBAR  —  At this point the Cyprus situation is pretty clear — and clarity does not bring reassurance.  In fact, it looks as if Cyprus has managed to combine in one place everything that has gone wrong elsewhere.  —  1. Runaway banking.

How the Secret Service Almost Shot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  —  The intelligence brief on the apparent accident was three sentences long, and it scared the hell out of White House officials.  —  One morning in September 2006, during the United Nations General Assembly, President George W. Bush's …

Native American Lawmaker To Anti-Immigrant Kansas Official: ‘When You Mention Illegal Immigrant, I Think Of All Of You’  —  Left: Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R).  Right: State Rep. Ponka-We Victors (D).  —  A Native American state representative in Kansas rebuked Secretary of State Kris Kobach …

Kasich recants his support of civil unions  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. John Kasich revealed on Wednesday that he supports civil unions for same-sex couples.  But don't quote him on that.  —  A spokesman for the Republican governor said Thursday that Kasich misspoke when he expressed support for the legal partnerships.

Reid to bring gun bill to floor with expanded background checks  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will bring gun control legislation to the floor that includes a controversial expansion of background checks for private firearm sales.  —  Reid said he would on Thursday evening begin …

Cuomo Seeks to Ease a Newly Passed Gun Restriction  —  ALBANY — In the wake of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York pushed through the State Legislature gun control measures that included not only a tougher assault weapons ban but also a tighter restriction …

Democrats Plot Strategy for Budget ‘Vote-a-Rama’  —  Political warfare over the budget in Congress took a new twist Thursday as Senate Democrats openly schemed ahead of the blizzard of votes expected this week.  —  Hours after House Republicans passed the budget blueprint championed …

Why I was hoping for a government shutdown  —  I'll be honest.  I was sort of hoping for a government shutdown.  —  Congress, you're terrible at your job.  (Andrew Harrer/Bloomber)  —  It's not that I like government shutdowns.  I'm as big a fan of national parks as the next guy.

Girls complicit in Steubenville  —  Editor's note: Rachel Simmons is the co-founder of Girls Leadership Institute and the author of “Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls.”  Follow her on Twitter @racheljsimmons  —  (CNN) — Is anyone else wondering why the Steubenville …

Obama Job Approval Slips as Economic Pessimism Rises  —  Positive Signs on Stocks, Housing Have Little Impact  —  OVERVIEW  —  Barack Obama's job approval rating has tumbled since shortly after his re-election, as the public's economic expectations for the coming year have soured.

Where is today's Jack Kemp?  —  The important question isn't so much establishment or grass roots as who and where?  Mike Lee isn't Christine O'Donnell and Utah isn't Delaware, and that makes all the difference.  —  Consider Ted Cruz, whose smarts and fearlessness are quickly making him the most dangerous man in the U.S. Senate.

Michele Bachmann: Obamacare Will ‘Literally’ Kill People  —  As the country prepares to celebrate the third anniversary of health care reform, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) insisted on Thursday that the Affordable Care Act will “kill” vulnerable women and children during a speech on the floor of the House.

Congress to force Postal Service to keep Saturday delivery  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress foiled the financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service's plan to end Saturday delivery of first-class mail on Thursday when it passed legislation requiring six-day delivery.

The real warning in Syrian chemical weapons claims  —  The speed with which some US politicians and reporters are buying in to claims of chemical weapons attacks in Syria is a reminder to take a hard look at intelligence claims before rushing into another war.