Politics

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FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2011, file photo Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., expresses appreciation as she puts on a gift from a supporter during the book-signing event in Aiken, S.C. Bachmann told The Associated Press Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, that she'll seek a 4th term in Congress following her failed presidential bid. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, File)

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Mark Blondin, Machinists Union national aerospace coordinator, hugs a Boeing worker after the announcement Dec. 7 that the union voted for a new contract. A Republican bill would require workers to reaffirm their faith in unions with a new vote every three years. (Associated Press)

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Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney signs autographs after addressing a crowd of supporters during a campaign rally Sunday in Naples, Fla., ahead of Tuesday's state GOP primary. The former Massachusetts governor has sought to distance his health care law in the Bay State from President Obama's national law. (Naples Daily News via Associated Press)

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An international forum sponsored by the Associated Press looked at the challenges to democratic governments in the 21st century. Participating were (from left) Associated Press Vice President Michael Oreskes, Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Ennahda Movement co-founder Rachid Ghannouchi, Rep. David Dreier, Republican of California, and Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth. (Associated Press)

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Youngsters show support for the Syrian regime and gratitude toward Moscow on Sunday in front of the Russian Embassy in Beirut. Russia has said it will use its Security Council veto to block any resolution threatening Syria. (Associated Press)

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In this photo provided by NBC News, David Axelrod, Obama Campaign Senior Political Strategist, appears on NBC's "Meet the Press" in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/NBC News, William B. Plowman)

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Former Cuban political prisoner Abel Nieves Morales, 69, takes a moment for a portrait at the Organizacion Presidio Politico Historico Cubano in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Mr. Morales, political prisoner No. 25276, was jailed from 1959 to 1980. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Former Cuban political prisoner Rene Ramos Gonzales takes a moment for a photograph at the Organizacion Presidio Politico Historico Cubano in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Former Cuban political prisoner Eddie Artze, 82, takes a moment for a photograph at the Organizacion Presidio Politico Historico Cubano in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Mr. Artze was political prisoner No. 30122 and spent 18 years in prison. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Former Cuban political prisoner Angel Pardo, 69, takes a moment for a photograph at the Organizacion Presidio Politico Historico Cubano in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2012. Mr. Pardo was political prisoner No. 34740 and spent 24 years in prison. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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A man walks past a mural featuring former U.S. Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Palestinian Hamas supporters hold banners of prisoners arrested by the Palestinian Authority and call for their release during a protest in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

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Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich talks to the media during a news conference outside the Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Herman Nackaerts, the deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in charge of the Iran file, prepares to depart for Iran from the Vienna, Austria, airport on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (left) talks with an unidentified man after arriving at Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Lutz, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (center) waves to supporters on her arrival in Dawei, Myanmar, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Thousands of supporters in Myanmar's countryside cheered Mrs. Suu Kyi as she made a political tour ahead of parliamentary by-elections. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

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Protesters shout slogans as they carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Syrian flags during a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Beirut on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, to express gratitude for Russia's support of Syria. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)