Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:
Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner. And as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague --- and our friend –-- Gabby Giffords.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 5:59 | Scott Lucas in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Tearing Down President Mubarak in Tahrir Square
Protesters Push Back Police Line in Tahrir Square in Cairo
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 1:48 | Ali Yenidunya in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Last night Al Jazeera completed three days of special broadcasts on the "Palestine Papers", the more than 1600 internal documents about the Palestinian negotiations with Israel from 1999 to 2010. The documents themselves carry on, posted not only by Al Jazeera but also by The Guardian of London.
On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, tried to strike back, calling the documents "fake". He told the crowd denouncing the Qatari regime, which owns Al Jazeera:
The Palestinian principles ... have not and will not change and the first of them is that East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine. No one in the world can make us give up on a centimeter of our land, the issue of the refugees or the issue of Jerusalem.
General Rachid Ammar, the head of Tunisia's Army, speaks on Monday to protesters in Tunis (see updates and analysis for details):
Rachid Ammar, Tunisia 2210 GMT: It is now after midnight in Egypt, and we are taking a few hours' break. We leave you for the moment with this image from tonight in Tahrir Square in Cairo,as protesters move away from a tear gas canister:
2200 GMT: Tonight's statement from protesters calling for the fall of the Egyptian Government and for a continued sit-in:
2145 GMT: Cyber-Watch. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports on how Iranian activists are welcoming the introduction of Google software, include the Chrome browser, Google Earth, and the photo-sharing service Picasa, into Iran.
2140 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Rooz Online publishes the English text of the appeal by 133 intellectuals and academics, such as Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, and Jurgen Habermas, for the freedom of Ebrahim Yazdi, the 80-year-old head of the Freedom Movement of Iran detained since last September.
2125 GMT: Leaving the Mayor at Home. Ayande News notes that Tehran has finished third out of five cities nominated for an international award in sustainable transport, awarded in Washington by a US-based non-government organisation. It mentions that Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf was not at the ceremony.
It does not mention why he was absent, however. Qalibaf was denied an exit visa by the Foreign Ministry.
In Tunisia, there continue to be dramatic developments. Amidst chatter that the interim Government would be replaced by a "council of wise men" to give the country a semblance of authority before March elections, the head of the Army, Rachid Ammar, suddenly appeared before protesters outside the Prime Minister's office (see Monday's updates).
Ammar's message was a request to the thousands of demonstrators and a warning to the politicians. He asked those assembled to finish their protest and allow a bit of space for discussions. And his declaration that the Army supported the people's revolution and would uphold the Constitution sent out the message to those inside the Government buildings: get this sorted now.
It promises to be an interesting Tuesday with potential filibuster reform and an outside chance of Republicans forcing a repeal vote on the health care plan. But in the end it will be the power of the Presidency that draws the world's attention to Washington on Tuesday. With one of his most important weapons, President Obama has the chance to remind Americans, and an international audience, of the optimism that surrounded his election in 2008.
Today at 10 a.m. the Senate will convene for the first time since 5 January. The issue of the day, hours before President Obama gives his State of the Union address will be filibuster reform.
The topic has been debated extensively over the last 12 months, and especially since the end of July after the DISCLOSE Act intended to reform campaign finance laws was defeated by "obstructionist" tactics. Possibly this afternoon, more likely later in the week, the Senate will finally decide whether or not to reform the rules that made the last two years the most filibustered in history of the chamber, with 400 bills passed by the House never reaching the floor of the Senate for debate.
