Politics

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY J.M. EDDINS JR. / THE WASHINGTON TIMES Sir John Scarlett was director general of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 2004 to 2009. He commissioned the book "The Secret History of M16, 1909-1949," written by Belfast-based historian Keith Jeffery, who was granted unfettered access to the organization's archives up to the outbreak of the Cold War.

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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn talks to reporters Thursday in Chicago. Mr. Quinn's win was seen as sparing President Obama more embarrassment after Democrats failed to hold Mr. Obama's old Senate seat. (Associated Press)

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Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio chats with ABC anchor Diane Sawyer in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Mr. Boehner is unlikely to be challenged for the position of House speaker. (Associated Press)

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RESOLUTE: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell puts Democrats on notice Thursday that Republicans in the Senate will keep trying to repeal the Obama health care law. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Democrat, acknowledges her supporters during her concession speech on Tuesday in Little Rock, Ark., as her husband, Steve, looks on. (Associated Press)

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Jim Webb of Virginia is one of the few remaining Southern Democratic senators to survive the Republican wave. (Associated Press)

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomes Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Orly airport, south of Paris, on Thursday. The three-day state visit by Mr. Hu marks a dramatic turnaround from the tense ties of two years ago, when Mr. Sarkozy threatened to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics out of anger about China's treatment of Tibet. (Associated Press)

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In this photo, provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agent crawls through a 600-yard-long tunnel found in a warehouse along the border between the United States and Mexico. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** An open bundle of marijuana seized at a warehouse in San Diego along the border between the United States and Mexico on Nov. 3, 2010, is seen here. A 600-yard tunnel was discovered in the warehouse. U.S. authorities found 20 tons of marijuana near the tunnel. (Associated Press)

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This image provided by GeoEye Satellite Image shows Washington D.C.'s National Mall and the United States Capitol, far right, Washington D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 taken at 12:25PM EDT during the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear." Two of America's most well known comedians entertained thousands at the "sanity" rally, poking fun at the nation's ill-tempered politics just days before the congressional election. (AP Photo/GeoEye Satellite Image)

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Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley pulls down a rebound between Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, and Pau Gasol during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Oct. 29, 2010, in Phoenix.(AP Photo/Matt York)

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Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (left) and presumed House Speaker-to-be Rep. John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, leave a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, basking in the afterglow of the huge GOP gains in the House, Senate and governorships. (Associated Press)

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VIEWS AT VARIANCE: In assessing Democrats' midterm congressional losses, a chastened President Obama said, "We were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done. And I think that frustrated people." Mr. Obama wouldn't concede the blowout was a repudiation of his policies, but likely incoming House Speaker John A. Boehner, a Republican, is calling for a new direction. (Associated Press)

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President Obama gestures as he moves off stage at the conclusion of a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, at which he conceded Democrats took a "shellacking" by the voters Tuesday. (Associated Press)

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AS MAINE GOES ...: Maine Republicans, including state House Minority Leader Josh Tardy (center) and state Senate Minority Leader Kevin Raye (left), hail the party's electoral sweep in Augusta. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** A U.S. Predator drone (Associated Press)

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Pakistani tribal elders hold a jirga, or a grand meeting, in May in Mandi Bakka Kheil, near Bannu, Pakistan, to review the situation after Pakistan's government announced its intention to extend operations against the Taliban and militants in the North Waziristan tribal area. (Associated Press)