Politics

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Associated press Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta underscored the alliance Tuesday when he landed in Kuwait, a staunch Persian Gulf ally, for consultations. U.S. allies in the region, notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are proxies for the U.S. against Iran.

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, right, accompanied by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington Republican, gestures as he speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, following a GOP strategy session. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Gears of War's Marcus Fenix (from Meccano's King Raven set) helps Spartan soldiers (from Mega Bloks Halo sets) on the attack. (Photograph by Joseph Szadkowski)

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Builders can create a full scale war mixing Meccano's King Raven copter from the Gears of War collection and Mega Bloks line of Halo vehicles and sets. (Photograph by Joseph Szadkowski)

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Mega Bloks' World of Warcraft: Arthas and Sindragosa and Meccano's Gears of War: King Raven are gift ideas for the builders. (Joseph Szadkowski/The Washington Times)

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Gift ideas for the builders include Mega Bloks' Warthog Resistance and Halo: Battlescape III and Meccano's Gears of War: King Raven (Photograph by Joseph Szadkowski)

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“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have,” President Gerald Ford said in the 1970s. (Associated Press)

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Libertarian Party Vice Chairman R. Lee Wrights said “killing zones” have been created in the wake of the establishment of gun-free school zones. (Libertarian Party)

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Free Syrian Army fighters aim their weapons as they chant slogans during clashes with government forces at a military academy besieged by the rebels near Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday. The rebels seek to topple President Bashar Assad’s regime. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Supporters of gun control gather on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House on Dec. 14, 2012, during a vigil for the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and to call on President Obama to pass strong gun control laws. (Associated Press)

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Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will get a second chance to lead the nation after a stint in 2006 and 2007. (Associated Press)

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A protesters wears a sticker with Arabic that reads, "no to the supreme guide's rule, void, void," in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the Egyptian uprising, in Cairo, Sunday, Dec.16, 2012. Key Egyptian rights groups called Sunday for a repeat of the first round of the constitutional referendum, alleging the vote was marred by widespread violations. Islamists who back the disputed charter claimed they were in the lead with a majority of ìyesî votes. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

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An Indian student shows the inexpensive Aakash 2 computer she received during its launch in New Delhi. The $25 basic touchscreen tablet aimed for students can be used for functions like word processing, Web browsing and video conferencing. The Indian government intends to deliver 10 million tablets to students across India. (Associated Press)