Politics

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, is pursued by a reporter on July 31, 2011, as he arrives at his office on Capitol Hill after speaking about ongoing debt negotiations on Sunday talk shows. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Libyan men carry the coffin, gesture and chant slogans July 29, 2011, during the funeral of Libyan rebels' slain military chief Abdel-Fattah Younis in the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya. (Associated Press)

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Masoud Shafiei, the Iranian lawyer for two Americans who have been jailed in Iran on charges of espionage, speaks at his office in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2011. (Associated Press)

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, speaks from the floor of the Senate on July 30, 2011, at the Capitol in Washington. (Associated Press/Senate Television)

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In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian pro-government supporters carry a giant national flag during a rally in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, Syria, on July 28, 2011. (Associated Press/SANA)

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Washington Nationals' Jayson Werth follows through on a three-run home run during the first inning against the New York Mets on Saturday. The Nats won 3-0. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

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Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks during a news conference on debt ceiling legislation on Capitol Hill on Saturday, July 30, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, returns to his office from the House floor as the debt crisis showdown continues on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, July 30, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Libyans mourn, gesture and chant slogans during the funeral of Libyan rebels' slain military chief Abdel-Fattah Younis in the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, Friday, July 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

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President Obama announces a new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks on July 29, 2011, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington. (Associated Press)

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President Obama talks about the ongoing budget ceiling negotiations on July 29, 2011, at the White House. (Associated Press)

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Washington Redskins Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan (right) talks with quarterback John Beck (3) during the first day of training camp at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., Friday, July 29, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher (59) winces as he stretches during the first day of training camp at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., Friday, July 29, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Washington Redskins quarterback John Beck (3) stretches in between center/guard Erik Cook (58) and offensive tackle Clint Oldenburg (68)during the first day of training camp at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., Friday, July 29, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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President Obama talks about the ongoing budget ceiling negotiations on July 29, 2011, at the White House. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John A. Boehner discusses the debt bill on Capitol Hill on Thursday. House Republicans' plan would cut future spending by $915 billion while instantly raising the government's borrowing authority by $900 billion. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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Public corruption "is a problem across this country," says Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, co-sponsor of a bill to strengthen exisiting laws applying to misconduct in office. "Our citizens deserve to be governed by the rule of law, not the rule of men." (Associated Press)