Politics

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U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly in formation as the crowd watches during the Open House and Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base, Sunday, May 22, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds streak across the sky in formation during the Open House and Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base, Sunday, May 22, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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Juan Sanchez, center, checks out the cockpit of an Air Force jet during the Open House and Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base, Sunday, May 22, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform stunts for the crowd during the Open House and Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base, Sunday, May 22, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

Irish President Mary McAleese (second from left) and her husband, Martin McAleese (second from right), welcome President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to Ireland at the presidential residence in Dublin on Monday, May 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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A Pakistani army commando mans a checkpoint while others check vehicles after an attack by militants on a naval aviation base in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 23, 2011. (Associated Press)

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Associated Press photographs A former Democrat, Jack Davis, is running as a tea party candidate in the race, complicating for Republicans what should be an easy seat to hold.

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The major-party candidates for New York's 26th Congressional District, Republican Jane Corwin (left) and Democrat Kathy Hochul, participate in a debate May 12. They and an independent are vying in a special election Tuesday.

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A fracking operation in Washington, Pa., has brought a demand for workers from across the country, and has suddenly transformed a sleepy Pittsburgh suburb into a boomtown. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times)

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Pro-Palestinian protesters knock over a "wall separating Israel and Palestine" outside of the Washington convention center where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is having its annual meeting. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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Signs and boxes mock Israeli checkpoints as pro-Palestinian demonstrators make known their displeasure with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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Former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. says he hopes to become an influential national voice on Republican politics through books, radio and television gigs. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL FOUNDATION Jewelry designer Ann Hand has created a limited edition brooch and cufflinks for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation´s centennial celebration that carry the Reagan quote "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny."

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A state trooper stands by as demonstrators on both sides of the gay-marriage issue gathered outside the Minnesota House on Thursday in St. Paul, Minn. Lawmakers cleared the way Saturday night for a voter referendum on the matter. (Associated Press)

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President Barack Obama's image is displayed as he tells delegates at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention that the bonds between the US and Israel are "unbreakable", Washington, Sunday, May 22, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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ASSOCIATED PRESS A pay raise for Interior Secretary Kennth L. Salazar is being held up by Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican, who is pressing for more energy exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and says Interior's policies are hurting energy workers.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS American journalist Lawrence Wright performs in his one-man play "The Human Scale" at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Mr. Wright, who has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize, stood before an Israeli theater audience with his one-man play about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a modest goal: to hold up a mirror to Israelis and show them why he's concerned about the future of their region.