Several news outlets are reporting that Egypt president Mubarak is going to resign tonight and hand over power. It seems to be related to the news that he is planning to hand over control of the military to military leaders.

NBC's Richard Engel says two independent sources have confirmed that Mubarak will step down. In addition, the armed forces supreme council has convened to begin the orderly transition of power, NBC says.

Wonder what happens next...

Update: Probably a good idea to keep this in the "rumor" category. As ever when it comes to the Middle East, actual knowledge seems scarce and contradictory.

Apparently Reuters is quoting the Egyptian Information Minister saying that Mubarak will not be stepping down in his speech (although I can't get the actual article on the Reuters website).

There's a possibility that we're looking at two factions of the Egyptian government. The military, along with the Prime Minister, is "announcing" that Mubarak will step down at gunpoint, essentially, and the civilian government is resisting.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 06:48 AM | Comments (112)
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For 38 years, ACU has tallied congressional votes in order to provide a way of seeing if congresscritters' actions conform to their words. The 2010 Ratings of Congress were just released and they've got some surprises.

First, happily, there were twelve senators this past year with ACU ratings of 100 (that's the most conservative). In 2009 there were only ten.

Second, former Utah Senator Bennett, who was primaried for being too centrist has a score of 86 (and had an 84 in 2009). 86 is pretty conservative and it puts him in the company of Senators Chuck Grassley and Thad Cochran. The other Utah senator, Orrin Hatch, also had an 84 in 2009, but his score jumped to 100 in 2010. Clearly, he knows that the primaries are on the way.

Third, Scott Brown has a 74 rating, which is just one point higher than Alaska Senator Lina Mergonski. That's not so good, although you could look at the possibility that there could be a Democrat in their seats; the other senators from Massachusetts and Alaska have scores of 0 and 4, respectively. It also puts Brown and Markuntsky ahead of the Maine sisters, who have identical scores of 64 (in 2009 they were at 48 ).

Thanks to @scottjw for reminding me that the ACU ratings are out.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:05 AM | Comments (217)
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Sometimes you just have to throw caution and your pants to the wind.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:27 AM | Comments (153)
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Welcome to tonight's semi-half-assed hump day ONT. But even paltrier since I've been traveling all day.

Oh and I noticed at two different airports today that TSA agents were doing 'random' bag searches as people were lined up to get on the planes, and seemed especially interested in liquids. I haven't seen this since the weeks right after 9/11. Kinda curious.

Obama's Sordid Past

None of these details of Obama's past are probably a surprise to long-time readers of this site, but when you see all of them put together in a single article it's still shocking.

Obama was incubated in socialism from his early years through college and his later jobs. The MFM knew (or suspected) all of this during the campaign but suppressed it to make sure their guy got over the finish line. Read it and be amazed how a stealth socialist was elected to the presidency of the United States by a majority of Americans.

Though he's written two books about his life, Obama hid his father's background and his own career-long affiliations with radical socialists and communists. All were striving together for "economic justice" and class warfare as unreconstructed Communists.

And legacy media knew all of this -- it was common knowledge -- but refused to report it.

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:30 PM | Comments (639)
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A done deal? From NRO:

In other House Republican news, a leadership aide associates himself with the accuracy of this Roll Call story:

House Republican leaders have agreed to a key conservative demand that they make good on their campaign pledge to reduce fiscal 2011 spending to $100 billion less than President Barack ObamaÂ’s budget request, GOP aides said Wednesday.

According to a GOP leadership aide, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and other leaders are working with Republican appropriators, the Republican Study Committee and other conservatives on a “unified” strategy to reduce spending beyond the $74 billion in cuts they had already planned. The cuts, which would only apply to non-defense discretionary spending, would come as part of a continuing resolution to fund the government between March and the end of the fiscal year.

. . .

It remains unclear how Republicans will make the additional $26 billion in cuts. Cantor has reportedly directed appropriators to stay on schedule and introduce their CR on Thursday. Because Republicans are still hashing out their strategy, it appears unlikely the additional cuts would be included in the bill, and a second aide suggested they could come in the form of an amendment.

It is also unclear whether the cuts will be made across the board or whether certain areas would be targeted for deeper cuts.

This is a big early win for new Republican Study Committee chairman Jim Jordan. Oddly, it may be one for his fellow Ohioan, John Boehner early in his speakership, too.

Thanks to Miss'80sBaby.

Update: More from HotAir.

Posted by: rdbrewer at 04:27 PM | Comments (167)
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Um, ok.

Rep. Chris Lee (R-N.Y.) resigned from the House Wednesday evening effective immediately, an announcement that came just hours after a Web site reported that the married congressman had sent a shirtless image of himself to a woman he met on Craigslist.

"I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents," Lee said in a statement announcing his resignation. "I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness."

Lee's decision to vacate his Upstate New York seat came after Gawker, a gossip Web site, posted the shirtless image and what it said was correspondence between him and a 34-year-old woman.

The woman, who Gawker described as a 34-year-old government employee from Maryland but did not name, told the gossip site she posted an ad last month on the "Women for Men" forum seeking "financially & emotionally secure" men who don't "look like toads." That same day, she got a response from a person who said his name was Christopher Lee, describing himself as 39-year-old lobbyist, "a very fit fun classy guy. Live in Cap Hill area. 6ft 190lbs blond/blue." In follow-up e-mails he attached photos -- one in a blue polo, the other shirtless.

Dude, you're in Congress for God's sake, well you were in Congress. If you need a little action on the side, you don't have to go on Craigslist. Here's the photo if you're interested.

Idiot. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Lee represented NY-26 which is out in the western part of the state. He was originally elected in 2008 (so it's probably a pretty safe Republican district if he won that year) and was reelected in November with 73% of the vote, so it's likely the GOP can hold on in the special election that Gov. Cuomo will now call.

On the bright side...he didn't go full Favre, nor did he emulate Eric "The Tickler" Massa. At least we got that going for us.

Posted by: DrewM at 02:38 PM | Comments (323)
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Where he will spill all his juicy accusations of hot love with Governor Nikki Haley.

Republican South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was plagued before by allegations of an extramarital affair with Will Folks, the founding editor of the conservative blog FITSNews and now heÂ’s back again. Only this time he plans on spilling his juicy accusations in a new book, an excerpt of which has now been revealed.

The alleged tempestuous story, as described by Folks:

We never took our clothes off that first night, but the physical relationship between us progressed much faster than I expected. . . . I asked her why she let me kiss her earlier that night and she said she didn’t know – a theme that would evolve and expand over the next few months as our affair blossomed.

His sacred honor compels him to put everything in a wonderous tome of love.

more...

Posted by: rdbrewer at 02:30 PM | Comments (81)
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I keep hearing this on Fox, so I put in the five seconds required to google what it was.

A 17-year-old Moroccan girl, Karima el-Mahroug, who is known as Ruby Rubacuori or Ruby Heartstealer, told Italian investigators last year that she was often a guest at parties held by Mr Berlusconi at his Milanese villa.

One of these parties culminated in an erotic game known to the group as "bunga bunga", she told investigators.

The Daily Beast reported bunga bunga as being "an erotic ritual ... which is said to be a sort of underwater orgy where nude young women allegedly encircled the nude prime minister and/or his friends in his swimming pool. Bunga bunga has become a popular catchphrase in Italy, even inspiring a song to the tune of Shakira's Waka Waka world cup tribute song".

The term seems to have been taken from the old "Death or Bunga Bunga?" joke.

Speaking of death by bunga bunga, Lindsey Lohan seems determined to beat Charlie Sheen to the Dead Pool finals.

Speaking of Bunga Bunga With 17 Year Olds: What is up with the Jets and sex scandals?

Mark Sanchez seems to have hooked up with a 17 year old. Which is, well, legal, and he's not that much older than 17 himself, but still.

Posted by: Ace at 01:07 PM | Comments (158)
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DrewM. writes than when Paul Ryan has become the squish, that's progress.

The Overton Window has moved. I don't expect our leaders to actually lead, but they do at least have to try to keep up.

Honestly, if the leadership is going to offer up this weak shit, then the only recourse is to simply refuse to budge at all on the debt ceiling.

Posted by: Ace at 12:57 PM | Comments (70)
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Via Instapudit. Roger Simon indulges in some Zsazsaology...

Arianna has read the tea leaves. Progressivism, which was riding the crest of popularity on the election of Obama, is over. It is no longer good for business. And just as the stock market is said to be a leading indicator on business cycles, I submit AriannaÂ’s track record has shown her to be a leading indicator on the zeitgeist. She knows when to get out. Obama, and by extension progressivism, is fini.

Well, maybe. But there's a simpler explanation: She wants money and attention and this was a good opportunity to get both.

How will that deal work out for AOL? Well, the early reports say: Not too good. AOL spent $315 million (hidden surprising news: AOL still had $315 million) on Arianna Huffington's vanity project.

Over the past five days, AOL has declined in stock-based value by almost exactly $315 million.

Posted by: Ace at 12:27 PM | Comments (82)
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