Politics

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor speaks to the media Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 at the U.S. Capitol following a conference meeting with fellow House Republican leaders about the fiscal cliff. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Speaker of the House John Boehner speaks to the media Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 at the U.S. Capitol following a conference meeting with fellow Republican House leadership about the fiscal cliff. Speaker Boehner said he is "confident" that they will be able to reach agreement with the president to avoid the fiscal cliff, although he did say that he is opposed to raising taxes on the wealthy, which is part of the president's plan. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, center, flanked by Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Steny Hoyer on the left and Vice Chairman of JP Morgan Chase Jimmy Lee on the right, holds a photo opportunity in her office at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 before a meeting between House Democratic leaders and business leaders from the Campaign to Fix the Debt. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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President Obama speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, about how Americans would see their taxes go up if Congress fails to extend the middle-class tax cuts. The president said he believes that members of both parties can reach a framework on a debt-cutting deal before Christmas. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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UN Ambassador Susan Rice arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, with Sen. Susan Collins, R- Maine and Sen. Corker, R-Tenn., to discuss the Benghazi terrorist attack. Rice continued her fight Wednesday to win over skeptics in the Senate who could block her chances at becoming the next U.S. secretary of state, while Republican lawmakers said they were even more troubled after face-to-face meetings with her over the handling of the Sept. 11 deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

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U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Sen. Corker, R-Tenn., to discuss the Benghazi terrorist attack. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

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Palestinians, foreign and Israeli activists stand in front of Israeli soldiers as they try to block a road near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, as part of a demonstration in support of the Palestinian statehood petition at the U.N. General Assembly, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)