Bush Daughter Barbara Comes Out In Support of Gay Marriage

B. Bush: "New York is about fairness and equality. And everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love." I gonna have to disagree there Barbara..

politico

Barbara Bush is coming out in support of gay marriage.

The 29-year-old daughter of President George W. Bush announces in a web video posted late Monday that she supports same-sex marriage. “I’m Barbara Bush and I’m a New Yorker for marriage equality,” she says. “New York is about fairness and equality. And everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love.”

The video is a 22-second spot for gay-rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign’s New Yorkers for Marriage Equality project. The group plans to show the video on Saturday at its annual gala in New York.

“Join us,” she says at the end, adding herself to a growing list of prominent New Yorkers, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who have appeared in brief videos supporting HRC’s efforts to

Here's the video she cut: "Join Us" (No thanks)

Rush: What If Bush Were President During Egypt's Uprising (Audio)

Rush: "Obama goes to a going away party for a staffer that's not going away, on Saturday night...while Egypt was in flames"...

President Obama Dispatches Former Ambassador Frank Wisner to Cairo to Discuss “Transition”

Transition to what?

blogs.abcnews.com Jake Tapper reports:

The White House on Sunday dispatched a former ambassador to Egypt, Frank Wisner, to fly to Cairo to urge the Egyptian government to, at the very least, embrace political reforms.

Senior officials would not discuss whether Wisner was charged with showing Mubarak the door. Wisner, the ambassador to Egypt from 1986 to 1991, is currently in Cairo.

A major readjustment to administration rhetoric in response to the crisis in Egypt came on Sunday when the phrase of the day was "orderly transition.”

The president issued a statement saying he supports "an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people." And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took to the Sunday shows to make that argument. “it needs to be an orderly, peaceful transition to real democracy,” she said.

But transition to what?

Michelle Dunn of the Carnegie Endowment was one of several Egypt experts called to the White House today to meet with the president's national security staff

“I do think the Obama Administration is using the word ‘transition’ over the last day or two means that they're sending the signal that they think a change in leadership, a change in the presidency, is going to be necessary to resolve the situation peacefully,” Dunn told ABC News

McConnell on Judge Ruling Obamacare Unconstitutional: "I'm Optimistic This Will Be Upheld By The Supreme Court"

Senator McConnell's reaction to today's ruling


Senator Lindsey Graham on the ruling: "It's momentum"..."It's 50/50 on the Supreme Court striking down the individual mandate as unconstitutional"

White House Calls a Florida Judge Ruling Health Care Unconstitutional 'Judicial Activism'

Posted on the WH website

whitehouse.gov

WHITEHOUSE: "Today, a judge in Florida issued a decision in a case filed by 25 Republican Attorneys General and Governors striking down the Affordable Care Act. This ruling is well out of the mainstream of judicial opinion

Today’s ruling – issued by Judge Vinson in the Northern District of Florida – is a plain case of judicial overreaching.

The judge’s decision contradicts decades of Supreme Court precedent that support the considered judgment of the democratically elected branches of government that the Act’s “individual responsibility” provision is necessary to prevent billions of dollars of cost-shifting every year by individuals without insurance who cannot pay for the health care they obtain.

And the judge declared that the entire law is null and void even though the only provision he found unconstitutional was the “individual responsibility” provision. This decision is at odds with decades of established Supreme Court law, which has consistently found that courts have a constitutional obligation to preserve as a much of a statute as can be preserved. As a result, the judge’s decision puts all of the new benefits, cost savings and patient protections that were included in the law at risk

Read the rest at whitehouse.gov

China Censors Coverage of Egypt Protests on the Web

A search for 'Egypt' on the Twitter-like service Sina brings up a message saying, 'According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the search results are not shown.


skynews

China has blocked the word 'Egypt' from the country's wildly popular Twitter-like service, while coverage of the political turmoil has been tightly restricted in state media.

China's ruling Communist Party is sensitive to any potential source of social unrest.

A search for 'Egypt' on the Sina microblogging service brings up a message saying, 'According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the search results are not shown'. The service has more than 50 million users.

News on the Egypt protests has been limited to a few paragraphs and photos buried inside major news websites, but China Central Television had a report on its midday broadcast.

China's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment Saturday on the events in Egypt

more from the csmonitor

Conservative PAC Wants Money Back From Senator Scott Brown

The trust's executive director says he and his group's conservative backers are disillusioned with Scott Brown

dailycaller

The National Republican Trust spent nearly $100,000 last year to help Scott Brown win the U.S. Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, but now the conservative political group wishes it had that money back to help kick Mr. Brown out of office.

Saying the Republican senator is no different from a Democrat, the head of the group is calling for Mr. Brown to donate to charity or disgorge campaign money equal to how much the trust spent supporting him during the 2010 campaign.

The trust’s executive director, Scott Wheeler, said supporters knew Mr. Brown wasn’t going to be a die-hard conservative when they supported him early and often in his run against Martha Coakley, the Democratic state attorney general and once heavy favorite to succeed Mr. Kennedy

But Mr. Wheeler said he and his group’s conservative backers are now disillusioned, citing Mr. Brown’s vote to ratify the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia, which the group sharply opposed

Florida Judge Strikes Down Parts of Health Care Law as Unconstitutional

cnn.com

A federal judge in Florida has struck down key parts of the sweeping health care reform bill championed by President Barack Obama as unconstitutional. Officials in Florida and 25 other states are challenging sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the "individual mandate" requiring most American to purchase health insurance in four years, or face stiff penalties

More: from Bloomberg

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson in Pensacola, Florida, declared the law unconstitutional in a ruling today. Then- Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum filed suit on behalf of 13 states on March 23, the same day Obama signed into law the legislation intended to provide the U.S. with almost universal health-care coverage. Seven states joined the litigation last year, and six signed on this year. Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli sued separately on March 23 and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt filed his own suit on Jan. 21

George W. Bush: Reason Immigration Reform Died Is Because "People Were Nervous About a Populism That Started To Emerge" (Video)

No, actually it was because people were breaking the law coming here. Bush says 'there will be a rational immigration policy eventually passed.' Get ready to hear 'doing the jobs Americans won't do' once again in this video clip. How that line could ever be repeated with 9.4% unemployment and 14.4 million people out of work in the U.S. is anyone's guess. This is painful, roll tape

This is during a Q and A at SMU that was on CSPAN

88% of Republicans Want the Tea Party to Play a Role Within the Party Going Forward

politicalticker

Washington (CNN) - As the GOP on Capitol Hill continues the process of peacefully incorporating newly-elected Tea Party members into its fold, a new poll shows close to 90 percent of Republicans says its important the Tea Party's ideas are given significant weight within the party going forward.

According to the new survey from Gallup, 53 percent of Republicans say it's very important and another 35 say it's somewhat important their party embrace Tea Party principles.

That compares to 7 percent of Republicans who say it's not too important the grassroots movement is given respect on Capitol Hill and 2 percent who flat out believe it's not important at all.

Expanded to all adults, the survey reports nearly seventy percent wan the Tea Party to play a key role within the GOP.

This comes nearly a week after one of the initial conflicts between the Republican Party and Tea members when two Republicans delivered a response to President Obama's State of the Union address.

Senator Marco Rubio to Skip CPAC Conference

The latest in a long list that will not attend CPAC. A Rubio spokesman denied that the senator's decision had anything to do with the controversy over GOProud

thehill

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the latest Republican to decline an invitation to next month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the annual gathering that typically attracts the nation's most prominent conservative names.

A spokesman for Rubio said the conference isn't on the senator's schedule, telling the St. Petersburg Times that Rubio will be focused on his work in the Senate during CPAC week and will then "return to Florida for a working weekend."

According to the paper, Rubio's spokesman denied that the senator's decision had anything to do with the controversy over the presence of the gay conservative group GOProud. Rubio was featured prominently at last year's event.

GOProud's status as one of the event's co-sponsors this year has resulted in the withdrawal of a handful of other speakers, including Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). The Heritage Foundation, the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America are also boycotting CPAC over GOProud's presence

Video of Cairo Ruins as Egypt Plunges into Lawlessness

Video of the damage and destruction in the city of Cairo

Police and garbage collectors appeared on the streets of Cairo Monday morning and subway stations reopened after soldiers and neighbourhood watch groups armed with clubs and machetes kept the peace in many districts overnight.

Everyday life in Cairo has been turned upside down by the largest anti-government protests in decades in Egypt, which began last Tuesday and have surged since. The overriding concern for almost everyone in Cairo remains the fear of lawlessness

Only 7% of Americans Think the United States Should Help The Current Egyptian Government Stay in Power

rasmussenreports

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of American Adults think it is at least somewhat likely that the unrest in Egypt will spread to other Middle Eastern countries, with 37% who say it is Very Likely. Only 11% say that’s not very or not at all likely to happen. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided

Fifty-nine percent (59%) say if the unrest in Egypt spreads to other countries, it will be bad for the United States. Just eight percent (8%) think the spreading popular discontent will be good for America, while 11% predict it will have no impact.

However, nearly one-in-four Americans (23%) aren’t sure. Seven percent (7%) of Americans think the United States should help the current Egyptian government stay in power. Seventy percent (70%) think America should leave the situation alone. Twenty-three percent (23%) aren’t sure what we should do

Chicago Mayoral Candidate Carol Moseley Braun Calls Opponent a Crack Addict At Candidate Forum (Video)

She had a small chance of being mayor if Rahm Emanuel was found ineligible, but tonight mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun lashed out at fellow candidate Patricia Van-Pelt Watkins at a candidate forum. Oddly, it was held at the Trinity United Church of Christ...Here the video of the exchange, this gets ugly...

myfoxchicago

Chicago - Carol Moseley Braun quickly exited a mayoral candidate forum at a South Side church Sunday, after lashing out at her opponent with language many in the audience found shocking.

Braun and fellow candidate Patricia Van-Pelt Watkins were in a heated discussion about which candidate was more in touch with the community when Braun went on the attack.

The former U.S. senator accused Watkins of being "strung out on crack" for the years Braun was in office.

"Patricia, the reason you didn't know where I was the last 20 years is because you were strung out on crack," Braun said from the altar of Trinity United Church of Christ at 95th and Egglesworth.

"I was not strung out on crack. I don't have a record," Braun said. "I in fact have spent years of my life working and fighting for this community as the only black United States senator from 1992 to 1998, as the only ambassador. So I don't want to hear it from you, sweetie."

Braun was set off when Watkins questioned which of the two had more experience working on the streets of Chicago.

Watkins is an admitted former drug user who has been sober 25 years. She earned a Ph.D. and now runs a church and ministers in the community.

Here's the clip on YouTube, you have to turn it up. Carol Moseley Braun also accuses Watkins of "being in a cult" in this clip here, that's not in the above clip...

In other news, it looks like Rahm Emanuel will probably avoid a runoff...

Senator Chuck Schumer: "We Have 3 Branches of Government, We Have a House, a Senate and a President"

"And all 3 of us are gonna have to come together and give some"....Chuck Schumer on CNN State of the Union, just image if Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin had said this...

townhall/tipsheet

Maybe they should start reading the Constitution in the Senate like they do in the House

Gunfire Heard on the Streets of Alexandria, Egypt After Curfew (Video)

CNN reporter Nic Robertson on the ground with demostrators in Alexandria, Robertson talks to a demostrator who says the military is not apprehending anybody and is siding with the people. "The military is not doing what the regime is asking them to do." Watch as Robertson's crew come up on people blocking the streets..


This was his tweet following the report

Venezuelan Leader Hugo Chavez Accuses U.S. of a 'Shameful' Role in the Egyptian

Accuses the United States of 'meddling' and 'wanting to take control'

reuters

CARACAS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Venezuela's firebrand leader Hugo Chavez accused the United States on Sunday of a "shameful" role in the Egyptian crisis and of hypocrisy for supporting, then abandoning strongmen round the world.

Chavez, Washington's leading critic in the Americas, said he had spoken to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Syria's President Bashar al-Assad for a briefing on the protests in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world.

"In Egypt, the situation is complicated, Chavez said.

"Now you are seeing comments from Washington and some European nations. As President Gaddafi said to me, it's shameful, it makes you kind of sick to see the meddling of the U.S., wanting to take control."

The United States has urged an orderly transition to democracy in Egypt to avoid a power vacuum but has stopped short of calling on President Hosni Mubarak, an ally of three decades, to step down.

The socialist Chavez has generally cast himself as pro-Arab and opposed to the policies of Israel and the United States

Boehner: Of Course I'm Willing To Play Golf With The President

Speaker John Boehner on Fox news Sunday

WALLACE: "You and the president talked about getting together...Are you willing to play golf with him?

BOEHNER: "Of course"

WALLACE: "Would you give him a handicap, he's not as good a golfer as you"

BOEHNER: "I'm sure I'll have to give him strokes"

George W. Bush: I'm Done With Politics, "I Don't Want To Go Out and Campaign For Candidates"

George W. Bush talks to Brian Lamb of CSPAN. Bush says he done with politics and says a former President shouldn't be criticizing his successor (I disagree)


BUSH: "I don’t want to go out and campaign for candidates. I don’t want to be viewed as a perpetual money-raiser. I don’t want to be on talk shows giving my opinion or second-guessing the current president, I think it’s bad for the country, frankly, to have a former president criticize his successor"

46% of GOP Primary Voters Who Favor Sarah Palin Might Back Third-Party Option If She Isn’t Nominated

And that 3rd party would hand Barack Obama another 4 years in the White House...

rasmussenreports

Nearly half of the Republican Primary voters who support Sarah Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for a third-party candidate if she does not win the GOP presidential nomination.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely Republican Primary Voters who favor Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote third-party if she isn’t nominated. That includes 22% who say it is Very Likely.

That puts the GOP in a tight spot since one-third (33%) of all likely primary voters say Palin is the front-runner they least hope wins the party’s presidential nomination.

Among all likely Republican Primary voters, 35% say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for a third-party candidate if their favorite candidate doesn’t win the nomination, with 13% who are Very Likely to do so. Most GOP Primary voters (56%) still say they are unlikely to vote for a third-party candidate if their favorite does not win the nomination, with 27% who say it’s not at all likely.

Muslim Brotherhood Throws Support Behind ElBaradei

jpost

Earlier Sunday, the Muslim Brotherhood threw its support behind ElBaradei to hold proposed negotiations with the government in order to form a new unity government.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Muslim Brotherhood official Essam el-Eryan said that "political groups support ElBaradei to negotiation with the regime."

ElBaradei, in an interview aired on CNN Sunday, said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak must leave the country immediately.

"It is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today, and it is non-negotiable for every Egyptian." he said. He added that it should "be followed by a smooth transition [to] a national unity government to be followed by all the measures set in place for a free and fair election."

Addressing Mubarak's Friday night move to sack his entire cabinet, ElBaradei said, "I think this is a hopeless, desperate attempt by Mubarak to stay in power." He added that it "is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today, and it is non-negotiable for every Egyptian."

The statements came as protests continued in central Cairo, where tens of thousands of protesters were reportedly gathered despite an announced curfew and strong military presence. Fighter jets swooped low over Cairo in what appeared to be an attempt by the military to show its control of a city beset by looting, armed robbery and anti-government protests

Mohamed ElBaradei: If Mubarak "Wants To Save His Skin, I Would Advise Him To Leave Today and Save the Country" (Video)

ElBaradei: "This is a hopeless, desperate attempt by Mubarak to stay in power, I think it is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today and this is non-negotiable"...Video from Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN

Boehner: President Obama Has "Got To Be Willing To Cut Up The Credit Cards"

usatoday

House Speaker John Boehner stopped short today of saying majority Republicans will refuse to raise the debt limit and strongly urged President Obama and Democrats to work with them to cut spending.

House Speaker John Boehner said President Obama has to 'cut up the credit cards' and work with the GOP on cutting spending. Boehner suggested on Fox News Sunday there is no appetite to see the United States default on its loans if Congress doesn't pass an increase in the debt limit.

"I don't think it's even a question on the table," Boehner said, in his first Sunday talk show interview since becoming speaker earlier this month.

But the Ohio lawmaker repeatedly said that Republicans, who bounced Democrats from the House majority in the November elections, will push to cut federal spending to 2008 levels or lower before holding a separate vote on the debt limit.

"We want to reduce spending. Period," Boehner said, adding that President Obama has "got to be willing to cut up the credit cards."

Boehner: "There's no limit to the amount of spending that we [Republicans] are willing to cut" (Video)

Egyptian State TV Shows Post-Curfew Arrests (Video)

Video shows the looted banks and businesses in Cairo

Jan 30 - Egyptian state television shows troops rounding up people on the streets during curfew hours. Reuters video

Video: SNL Mocks Michele Bachmann's Response To The State of the Union

SNL goes after Bachmann's SOTU response in their opening segment. IMO, it was downhill from the start and completely predictable, I'm sure all the hosts at MSNBC will love it. Here's the video from the opening of Saturday Night Live

Tonight, Obama Heads Out To a Going Away Party For David Axelrod

It's not like there anything important going on in the world. If someone calls the WH, I guess they'll just have to take a message...

gretawire

POOL REPORT:
Subject: Pool report #3

Motorcade is rolling at 8:27 p.m. en route to Linda Douglass' house (spokeswoman for the White House during the campaign and a health care spokeswoman during the beginning of the administration). Former ABC reporter who now works at...National Journal! She heads the communications team there.

POTUS is here for David Axelrod's going away party. FLOTUS did not attend.

Quiet ride -- a few young guys who looked to be in their 20s waved hello as we rode up 22nd St. But someone did try to drive through the motorcade. Obviously that didn't happen.

We arrived at 8:37.

Rebecca Kaplan
National Journal

1994 Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric Try To Figure Out What This New Thing Called the "Internet" Is (Video)

"What, do you write to it like mail?"..."Can you explain what Internet is?."
Here's a video that someone from Buzzfeed dug up from sometime in 1994, these 3 on the Today Show have no idea what this new Internet thing is...Enjoy

buzzfeed video

Death toll in Egypt's Protests Tops 100 With More Than 2K Wounded

Protesters carry the body of a man killed during an attempt to storm the interior ministry in Cairo January 29, 2011.(Reuter photo)


reuters

More than 100 people have been killed during anti-government protests that have swept Egypt, according to a Reuters tally of reports from medical sources, hospitals and witnesses.

There was no official figure, and the real figure may be very different, given the confusion on the streets.

On Saturday in Beni Suef, south of Cairo, police shot dead 17 people trying to attack two police stations and eight people were killed during protests. Eight others were killed in clashes when prisoners tried to escape from Abu Zaabal prison in Cairo. Some 68 deaths were reported killed in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria during Friday's protests.

Before then, security sources had said at least six people, including a police officer, had been killed since the protests started on Tuesday.

On Saturday, medical sources told Reuters around 2,000 people had been wounded throughout the country, however with more protests erupting, that number was almost certain to rise. The sources were unable to specify whether they were police or protesters.

----------------

Unrest also causing fuel shortage in the Gaza strip

Residents form vigilante groups to defend against looters in many Egyptian cities

Mohamed El Baradei urges Mubarak to quit

Protests spread to New York, D.C (video)

Thousands of tourists stranded at the Cairo Airport

Marc Ginsberg: Muslim Brotherhood Could Capitalize on Chance to Gain Power Should President Hosni Mubarak Be Forced Out of Power

GINSBERG: "Let's be real here...In effect, what you always had here is a tug of war between the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the largest political establishment in Egypt, and had there been a free and fair election to date, it would have probably gained more seats than the national Democratic party in Parliament and named the government"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here's a tweet from CNN's Nic Robertson giving an update of the situation on the ground in Egypt


From a few hours earlier:

Chris Matthews: "Unrest In Egypt, Proving That The Iraq War Wasn't Needed" (Video)

Yes, that's what he said. Like everybody else, I have not a clue what the hell he's talking about here. Listen to how this absolute fool opened his show on Friday's Hardball

MATTHEWS: "Leading off tonight: Unrest in Egypt. Proving the Iraq war wasn`t needed, these protests in Egypt, as well as in Yemen and Tunisia, are all aimed at dictators supported by the U.S. The demonstrations have not yet turned anti-American, but they could. These are the events the Bush administration hoped to encourage by lying about weapons of mass destruction and invading Iraq. A live report from Richard Engel at the scene coming up. And we`ll stay on this story throughout the hour as events warrant

newsbusters

Noel Sheppard writes: "Riots and a potential revolution in Egypt prove the Iraq war wasn't needed?

How does one come to that conclusion? Who on Matthews' staff decided that the perfect way to lead off Friday's program was by linking the unrest in Egypt to Bush and Iraq?

Didn't these folks learn anything from their rush to judgment over this month's shootings in Tucson?"

Kerry: It's Premature to Threaten Cutting Egypt's $1.3 Billion in Aid

John Kerry (who served in Vietnam) says "there's a lot of things before we get to that"

thehill

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) refused to commit Friday evening to cutting U.S. aid to Egypt as a result of the political turmoil in that country.

Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it was premature to consider withdrawing the $1.3 billion in yearly aid the U.S. provides to Egypt.

"Look, let's not put the cart ahead of the horse," Kerry said last night on CNN. "There are a lot of things before we get to that. We obviously have a lot of tools."

Egypt is weathering political turmoil that has captivated world attention. Protesters have taken to the streets to riot against the government, fueled by anxieties about the poor economy and corruption in the government.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak took to state television on Friday night to ask for the resignation of his cabinet, and promise reforms. President Obama made a statement shortly thereafter in which he amped up pressure on Mubarak on those promises.

GOP Weekly Address With Senator Ron Johnson: 'Government is the Problem'

The man who defeated Democrat Russ Feingold (thank you Wisconsin voters) gives the weekly address. Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson says “I hope the president and his allies in Congress accept a simple truth: Big government is blocking job creation, not helping it. The sooner Washington ends its dependence on more spending, the sooner our economy will see real growth"

Report: Hosni Mubarak's Wife and Sons Have Fled Egypt For London

President Mubarak to follow?

weaselzippers

According to the Al Jazeera news channel, there are reports that the Egyptian President’s wife Suzanne Mubarak has left for London. It is unclear who is the source for this report. Al Jazeera reported earlier that Mubarak’s two sons, Gamal and Ala, have arrived in London with their families, escaping Egypt as result of the unrest

Mubarak's son fled to London a few days ago, report

Just 38% Think Major Spending Cuts by Congress Likely In The Next Year

54% say it is unlikely


rasmussenreports

Despite talk from congressional Republicans and President Obama’s State of the Union comments about debt reduction, most voters still think Congress is unlikely to make major spending cuts in the near future.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 38% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Congress is even somewhat likely to significantly reduce government spending over the next year while 54% say such reductions are unlikely.

Those figures include only nine percent (9%) who say significant cuts are Very Likely and 15% who say they are Not At All Likely. These figures show only modest change from the beginning of December when 33% said significant spending cuts were somewhat likely in the next year.

Voters are a little more optimistic that the president can work with the new Republican-controlled House. Forty-six percent (46%) now are at least somewhat confident that the president can work with the GOP majority in the House to do what’s best for the American people. That’s an improvement from early December when just 38% of voters were even somewhat confident the two could work together.

More Video of the Night Violence, Fires and Clashes in Cairo Egypt

RT video


Saturday morning: Tanks rolling into Cairo


Massive number of protesters in the streets of Cairo today, near the end of the video there is footage of some looting and doors, windows smashed out of Cairo banks

Micheal Steele Agrees With Bill Maher That "The Knives Are Our For Sarah Palin" (Video)

Steele responds "I reject that, I reject that" to Maher's charge that Palin "is too stupid." Maher takes a few swipes at Palin in this exchange

Huckabee Leads Presidential Field in North Carolina and West Virginia

Poll released today...

publicpolicypolling

Raleigh, N.C. – While he is also typically the strongest challenger to President Obama there, Mike Huckabee continues to show strength with Republicans in rural red and swing states. He leads the presidential primary field with almost 30% support in each North Carolina and West Virginia Bucking previous polls,

Romney faces an obstacle in getting to that point, for he places fourth with only 11% in the state’s primary, behind Huckabee’s 27%, Newt Gingrich’s 18%, and Sarah Palin’s 16%, and ahead of Tim Pawlenty’s 7%, Ron Paul’s 6%, Mitch Daniels’ 3%, and John Thune’s 1%, with 10% unsure or going elsewhere.

The trend of Romney placing well with moderates (at 19% behind Huckabee’s 21%) continues, but he drops all the way to 9% with conservatives, who make up three-quarters of the electorate. That puts him in a distant fourth behind Huckabee’s 29%,

PPP Poll North Carolina: Huckabee 27% Gingrich 18%


West Virginia: Huckabee 28% Palin 23%

The West Virginia poll surprises me a bit. If you remember in the West Virgina 2008 Republican primary (Super Tuesday), McCain and Huckabee cut a backroom deal. Romney led on the first round of voting, then on the second round, McCain tossed all his delegates over to Huckabee handing him a win (defeating Romney) and giving him all of West Virginia's 18 delegates. Both Huckabee and McCain denied any involvement in a backroom deal even though McCain ended up with just 12 votes out of around 1,100. I guess the voters in West Virginia forgot all about that story...

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Says Government Will Resign, He'll Appoint New One **Obama Responds** (Video)

Mubarak will remain as President

Associated Press

CAIRO — Embattled President Hosni Mubarak says he has asked his Cabinet to resign in his first appearance on television since protests erupted demanding his ouster.

He says he will press ahead with social, economic and political reforms. He calls anti-government protests part of plot to destabilize Egypt and destroy the legitimacy of his regime.

He is defending security forces' crackdown on protesters.

Protesters have seized the streets of Cairo, battling police with stones and firebombs, burning down the ruling party headquarters, and defying a night curfew enforced by a military deployment. It is the peak of unrest posing the most dire threat to Mubarak in his three decades of authoritarian rule.

via Abc News David Axelrod: President Obama has “on several occasions directly confronted” Mubarak on human rights for the past 2 years “to get ahead of this"

thehill: Obama still has not called President Hosni Mubarack as protests rage

CNN's Wolf Blitzer on tonight's Situation Room: "Barack Obama's speech in Cairo in 2009 may have planted a seed for what's going on now"....(OMG)

Obama: "I just spoke to President Mubarak"

Charles Krauthammer: I believe Mubarak holds onto power
Weekly Standards's Stephen Hayes: Mubarak won't hold onto power

Obama statement from the White House

Robert Gibbs: "Legitimate Grievances Have To Be Addressed By the Egyptian Government"

GIBBS: "The security personnel need to refrain from violence, protesters should refrain from violence as well. The government needs to turn the internet and social networking sites back on"

Obama Defends Health Care Bill: "I Can Report, Granny Is Safe" (Video)

Obama at the Annual Health Care Conference in Washington


abcnews

President Obama defended the health care law yet again today, remarking that the bill has been portrayed over the last ten months as, “a job-crushing, granny-threatening, budget-busting monstrosity,” by opponents who wish to repeal the bill.

“That just doesn't match up to the reality,” Obama said at the Families USA’s 16th Annual Health Conference in Washington, DC today, “I can report that Granny is safe. In fact, Grandma's Medicare is stronger than ever.”

As he did in the State of the Union address before Congress on Tuesday the president said that while he is open to “tweaks” in the Affordable Care Act, but one thing he is not open to is repeal, as some Republicans have been pushing.

Rahm Emanuel's New Radio Ad Features Praise From Barack Obama (Audio)

New ad from ChicagoforRahm
New radio spot featuring President Barack Obama. He praises Rahm Emanuel for serving at his side as Chief of Staff during some of the toughest years our country has faced in generations

OBAMA: "I needed somebody at my side who I could count on to help get the job done. There was no candidate for the job of chief of staff who would meet the bill as well as Rahm Emanuel. And that's why I told him he had no choice in the matter. He was not allowed to say no."

George W. Bush Takes Swing at Former Press Secretary Scott McClellan

"I didn't think he was relevant"

Remember, Scott McClellan came out with a book slamming the Bush Adm. in 2008, he was the darling of MSNBC and the other lib media for a few days and also decided to endorse Barack Obama right before the election

politicalticker

Washington (CNN) – Former President George W. Bush is landing a stinging jab at his former longtime aide and press secretary, Scott McClellan, saying the man who served as the public face of his administration for three years was irrelevant.

In an interview with CSPAN scheduled to air this weekend, Bush says he deliberately didn't include McClellan – who held the high profile post longer than anyone else during the administration – in his memoir, "Decision Points."

"He was not a part of a major decision. This is a book about decisions," Bush told CSPAN. "This isn't a book about, you know, personalities or gossip or settling scores."

"I didn't think he was relevant," added Bush.

McClellan had been by Bush's side since his days as Texas governor and, in his role as press secretary from 2003-2006, spent the bulk of his time vigorously defending the decision to wage war in Iraq.

But two years after departing the White House, McClellan authored his own memoir, "What Happened," that constituted a scathing criticism of how the Bush administration was run.

Hillary Clinton Responds to Egypt Riots, Appeals For Calm, Restraint From Egyptian Security Forces and Protesters (Video)

Hillary earlier this afternoon

Associated Press

Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday appealed for Egyptian authorities to respect the rights of their citizens amid a crackdown on swelling anti-government protests, and urged them to heed demands for political and economic reform.

Speaking as street demonstrations rocked Egypt’s capital despite a curfew, Clinton urged calm on both sides and said the government must investigate and prosecute any allegations of brutality by security forces. She also called on Egypt to restore access to the Internet and social media sites that have been blocked.

“We are deeply concerned about the use of violence by Egyptian police and security forces against protesters, and we call on the Egyptian government to do everything in its power to restrain the security forces,” Clinton told reporters at the State Department. “At the same time, protesters should also refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully.”

“We urge the Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protests and to reverse the unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communication,” she said

Video: Bank Robber Uses Woman As Human Shield, Slips and Falls on Ice and is Shot and Killed By Police

They obviously cut away before showing the robber getting shot but this is video of a man leaving a bank in the D.C. area, he decides to take a woman hostage. While walking with her, his foot slips on some ice, the woman makes an escape but then the police open fire killing the man

myfoxdc

TAKOMA PARK, Md. - Authorities say a suspect was shot, and a police officer was grazed by a bullet after a woman was taken hostage during a bank robbery in Takoma Park.

A Maryland police official says the suspect had something that looked like a bomb taped to him during the incident Friday morning. It ended up being plastic foam. Police say the suspect was holding a gun to the hostage's head.

Montgomery County fire department Assistant Chief Scott Graham said four people were injured. He says a second civilian was also injured, possibly with a puncture wound to the shoulder.

Mary Matalin: "If Liberal Men Dismissed and Trash Talked Liberal Women The Way They Do Conservative Women, They Would Have Their Manhood in a Vice"

James Carville vs. Mary Matalin on the subject of Michele Bachmann...This is from John King USA. Mary says "there's nothing James loves more than to make fun of conservative women, trust me on this. He does it all in an effort to shut them up. 'Not going to happen"

Dramatic video as Thousands Clash With Egypt Riot Police in Cairo

csmoniter

Cairo – At Cairo's Mustafa Mahmoud mosque today, there was at first just the calm rustling of thousands going through the Muslim prayer ritual.

But when the prayer ended, first one voice and then thousands shouted, "The people want the regime to fall!" They poured out into the street, broke through a police cordon, and joined forces with other protesters to present the gravest threat to the regime of President Hosni Mubarak since he took power nearly 30 years ago.

By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands of Egyptians, braving tear gas and water cannons, were converging on Tahrir Square in central Cairo and protests were taking place across the country. Similar scenes were played out in hundreds of mosques in Cairo, Alexandria, and the gritty industrial towns of the Nile Delta.

Reuters: Ruling party headquarters on fire in Egypt

CNN: Obama eyes unfolding events in Egypt

"How Did You Feel When You Found Out Your Best Friend Keith Olbermann Lost His Job?" (Video)

Funny reaction from Rep. Allen West

shark-tank.net

More video, Allen West on the Tea Party: "It is a Constitutional, Conservative grassroots movement, they want to see effective, efficient constitutional government. They stand for national security and they stand for free market"

Laura Ingraham Tells Bill O’Reilly: Meghan McCain Is A ‘Poor Man’s Ron Reagan’ (Video)

At 4:50 O'Reilly brings up the name Meghan McCain, Laura instantly responds 'Bill, are you serious? I can't even believe you're serious with that, the only reason that Meghan McCain is getting any traction is because of her last name"

Republican Governors Urged Mike Pence To Pass on Presidential Bid

They want him to run for governor of Indiana

cnn.com

Washington (CNN) - Indiana Rep. Mike Pence's decision not to run for president came after a serious lobbying effort by the Republican Governors Association, a GOP source close to the party organization told CNN Thursday.

Pence, who finally revealed his plans to the Indianapolis Star on Thursday after a lengthy cat and mouse game, has not said for certain that he will seek the Indiana governorship, though Hoosier State Republicans widely expect him to do so.

Pence was on the other end of the first recruitment call that Texas Gov. Rick Perry made after taking over the chairmanship of the governor's group late last year. The source called the recruitment effort "intense."

And on Wednesday, hours before Pence apparently finalized his decision, two more RGA heavyweights - Vice Chairman Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Executive Director Phil Cox - met with the congressman in Washington to urge him to run for governor

Democrat Tom Harkin: "These Crazy Tea Party People That Come In Here and They Vote To Do All These Wacko Things, I Say Give Them Rope"

How about that new tone? What, did Senator Harkin miss Obama's speech in Tucson?


eyeblast.tv
Cenk Uygur and Democrat Senator Tom Harkin laugh about Harkin calling the Tea Party crazy. Interesting tone from liberals who railed against violent or mean rhetoric

Breaking: Illinois Supreme Court Says Rahm Emanuel Can Stay on the Mayoral Ballot **Update** Rahm Responds (Video)

High Court reversing a 2-1 Appeals Court decision Monday


chicagobreakingnews

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that Rahm Emanuel can stay on the ballot for mayor of Chicago.

The decision comes without a moment to spare; early voting for the Feb. 22 city election begins Monday, Jan. 31.

A cheer went up at Emanuel's headquarters when the news came out. The candidate was preparing to leave for tonight's debate with the three other leading contenders.

The high court's decision reverses a 2-1 Illinois Appeals Court decision Monday that ruled Emanuel ineligible on the grounds he did not meet the requirement of being a Chicago resident for a year before the election. Emanuel returned to Chicago last fall to run for mayor after serving as White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama.

The Chicago election board and a Cook County Circuit judge had earlier both ruled Emanuel met the residency requirements. The Supreme Court said the appellate court was in error in overrulling them.

"So there will be no mistake, let us be entirely clear," the Supreme Court wrote in its ruling today. "This court’s decision is based on the following and only on the following: (1) what it means to be a resident for election purposes was clearly established long ago, and Illinois law has been consistent on the matter since at least the 19th Century; (2) the novel standard adopted by the appellate court majority is without any foundation in Illinois law; (3) the Board’s factual findings were not against the manifest weight of the evidence; and (4) the Board’s decision was not clearly erroneous."

Ruling can be found here

The ruling was 7-0

Rahm 'happy' with the 7-0 decision. New video

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50% Now Oppose President’s New Spending Proposals, Up From 45% in the Previous Survey

49% say cutting spending is better than increasing spending, 34% say spending is better

rasmussenreports

The president’s Tuesday night State of the Union speech had little impact on support for his new spending proposals in areas like education, transportation and technological innovation.

Rasmussen Reports asked voters the same three questions about the president’s economic proposals on the two nights prior to the speech and then again on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

On the first two nights, 39% supported the proposals. On the next two nights, support was 41%.

Fifty percent (50%) of Likely U.S. Voters now oppose the federal government spending more money in areas like education, transportation and technological innovation, up from 45% in the previous survey. Forty-one percent (41%) favor the idea, a two-point increase from before.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters now say cutting federal spending is better for the economy than increasing federal spending in these targeted areas. But 34% disagree and say increasing spending is better. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.

This marks little change from the survey released Tuesday when 47% opted for spending cuts and 33% liked increased spending better. Twenty-one percent (21%) were undecided

Jim DeMint Responds "No, I'm Not" When Asked If He's Gonna Run For the Republican Nomination Sometime Next Year (Video)

A DeMint aide said this morning that Jim was open to a run in 2012, at the end of this clip, Wolf Blitzer asks him about 2012, DeMint says he's not running. A clip from a Situation Room interview tonight

V.P. Biden's Communications Director Jay Carney Expected To Be Named New WH Press Secretary

politicalticker

Washington (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden's communications director Jay Carney is expected to be named the new White House Press Secretary, likely on Friday when a series of other big staff moves will be announced by President Obama, according to a senior Democratic source familiar with the process.

Outgoing White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said at his daily briefing that his successor could be named as early as Thursday afternoon or on Friday, though he said he was not aware of Obama making a final decision on the press post yet. Other White House aides who have been considered for press secretary include Bill Burton, Stephanie Cutter, Josh Earnest, and Jen Psaki.

Several Democratic sources, however, said based on the private deliberations inside the White House Carney is the clear frontrunner for the job.

Poll: 72% want Rahm Emanuel to Stay on the Ballot, 52% Want Him To Be Mayor

Poll from the Chicago Retail Merchants Assoc.

myfoxchicago

Chicago - A new poll shows that Chicago voters overwhelmingly want Rahm Emanuel to stay on the ballot, and 52 percent want him to be mayor.

The poll was taken on Monday, Jan. 24, the same day that an appellate court said Emanuel's name could not legally appear on the ballot. Emanuel's lawyers have appealed that decision to the Illinois Supreme Court, and on Tuesday, the justices said they would take the case.

The poll, conducted by "We Ask America" on behalf of the Chicago Retail Merchants Association, found that about 72 percent of likely Chicago voters want Emanuel to stay on the ballot. Twenty-three percent did not think he should stay on the ballot

In this poll, Emanuel widens his lead substantially over the other candidates

Tea Party Express Will Not Challenge Orrin Hatch in 2012, Senator an ‘Original Tea Partier and Reagan Conservative’

nationalreview

The buzz in Utah is that Sen. Orrin Hatch may be vulnerable in 2012, especially if a Tea Party insurgent mounts a campaign to snag the nomination at the Utah Republican convention. Last year, Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater knocked off Sen. Bob Bennett on the second ballot, sending the Beehive State into a political tizzy. Lee, of course, now holds the seat and is making an early name for himself as a fiscal hawk.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a 43-year-old Provo Republican, is often mentioned as a possible Hatch challenger. But as Chaffetz and others mull a run, they will not find support from the Tea Party Express, the California-based political action committee that propelled Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, and others to primary victories last year.

Sal Russo, the group’s chief strategist, tells National Review Online that the Tea Party Express will not tangle with Hatch in 2012. “In 1976, when I was scouring the country trying to find people to stand up for Ronald Reagan, there were not very many in the Republican party that would, especially with the president being Jerry Ford. Orrin Hatch, however, stood up and was our state chairman,” Russo explains. “He is somebody who has been willing to stand up for a long time.”

“I think he was an original tea partier,” Russo says. “He has been talking about our issues from the beginning. Orrin is a Reagan conservative, as far as I’m concerned, and that’s as good as it gets

John Boehner: "If You Really Want to Talk About What Our Sputnik Moment Is, It's The Fact We're Broke"

Boehner: "The American people know we're broke and they want us to do something about spending...You can't raise taxes enough to solve this problem"...Boehner is asked about Michele Bachmann and 'the tea party people' in the interview

Speaker Boehner on Parker/Spitzer program on CNN

Gallup: More Americans View the GOP Favorably Than Unfavorably For The First Time in 5 Years

gallup

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' opinions of the Republican Party have improved to the point where now more have a favorable than unfavorable opinion of the party. The last time more Americans viewed the GOP more positively than negatively was in 2005 These results are based on a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Jan. 14-16.

For the early part of the 2000s, Americans had a net-positive image of the Republican Party. That changed in 2005, as Americans soured on the Bush administration over the ongoing Iraq war, the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, and rising gas prices, among other issues. After the 2006 midterm elections, which saw Americans remove the Republicans as the majority party in Congress, the Republicans' ratings were 35% favorable and 58% unfavorable

Allen West Hopes Obama’s References to ‘Investment’ Are Not ‘A Synonym’ For ‘Government Spending'

Allen West talks to CNS News


cnsnews

That’s one of the key things we have to do is not just about freezing these salaries, it’s about the automatic pay raises,” West told CNSNews.com.

“We have to look at – when you talk about the efficiencies of government reform, you’ve got a public sector that’s outpacing the private sector in compensation and growth period and when I hear the President start talking about investment, I hope that is not a synonym for government spending because if that is the case then we’re not for it.”

When asked if federal employees’ salaries should be cut, West said that “realigning” public and private sector compensation is one of the things Congress needs to consider”

"On Every Major Issue The Liberals Have Won, We Are a Liberal Country" Says Jerry Springer (Audio)

Springer: Liberal talk shows don't do well because the "liberals won" ..."The liberals won on every issue"..."In the 1960s all the protests were on the left because America was conservative"..."All the protests now are on the right"

Audio from sharpelbows.net

Question: "What is this red/blue state thing that's going on here?"

SPRINGER: "We feel obliged often, even liberals do, even Obama feels obliged, because somehow you seem more adult if you give a conservative speech"

Harry Reid on Obama's Call To Ban Earmarks: It's About Power, "The President Wants More Power And I Don't Want To Give Him Any" (Video)

Reid says to CBS News: Obama may be able to succeed in the short term, "but earmarks will come back"


cbsnews

Harry Reid said in an interview with CBS News Wednesday that President Obama is seeking "to get more power" with his State of the Union call for a ban on earmarks.

"Any president would love to be able to get more power, and that is what this is all about," he said. "It's usurping the power from the legislative branch of the government and giving it to the executive branch. I don't accept that."

Added Reid: "I have a constitutional obligation to do congressionally-directed spending. The president wants more power and I don't want to give him any. He may be able to succeed in the short term, but earmarks will come back."

Sarah Palin on Obama's State of the Union: "There Were a lot of 'WTF' Moments Throughout That Speech"

Sarah Palin interview on Fox News Greta

gatewaypundit video

PALIN: "His theme last night in the State of the Union was the WTF, you know, "Winning the Future," and I thought OK, that acronym is spot on, there were a lot of WTF moments throughout that speech"

Look for the leftist hosts at MSNBC to go into an absolute fit over what she said tonight

Complete interview here at foxnews.com/video

Meghan McCain: Michele Bachmann is 'No Better Than a Poor Man's Sarah Palin,' CNN Should Be Ashamed For Airing Her Speech (Video)

Megan McCain on MSNBC's 'Last Word' with Lawrence O'Donnell goes after Bachmann as a poor man's Sarah Palin, then slams CNN for airing her Tea Party response to the State of the Union. What a disgrace...

Exit question: Should MSNBC be ashamed for airing Meghan McCain?

Drug Catapult Discovered at the Mexican Border (Surveillance Video)

Surveillance video appears to show drug smugglers using a catapult to transport narcotics over the border between Mexico and Arizona near Naco. (Video courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

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