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WASHINGTON – New Pentagon details show that the first U.S. military unit arrived in Libya more than 14 hours after the attack on the consulate in Benghazi was over and four Americans, including the ambassador, were dead. A Defense Department timeline obtained by The Associated Press underscores how far the military response lagged behind the Sept. 11 attack, due largely to the long distances the commando teams had to travel to get to Libya. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his top military adviser were notified of the attack about 50 minutes after it began and were about to head into...

Many conservatives are angry with Chief Justice John Roberts, whose decisive vote in late June not only sustained a disastrous health-care law. It also interpreted the Constitution to permit Congress to penalize behavior through its taxing power that it cannot control through its power to regulate commerce. Magnifying the harm is a CBS News report—and informed suspicions from a number of sources—that Chief Justice Roberts initially voted to strike down the law but switched in the face of veiled threats from President Barack Obama and concerns about the court's reputation and his own. Some conservatives were also disappointed that Chief...

WASHINGTON — A few weeks before the Republican primary in Florida in January, the billionaire owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins hosted a fundraiser for Mitt Romney at his oceanfront home in Palm Beach. The average voter wouldn't know about the event at the home of Stephen Ross because Romney's campaign doesn't follow the practice of other major presidential candidates who have willingly identified big-money fundraisers and the amounts they collect. A review by The Associated Press of campaign records and other documents reveals hints about the vast national network of business leaders bringing in millions to elect Romney. The...

Last week was a pretty good one for Mitt Romney. He moved ahead of Rick Santorum in the polls in Wisconsin. His lead in national polls of Republicans increased as well. And he continued to get prominent endorsements from star conservatives like Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan, indicating a party moving in his direction. But despite all this encouraging news, there was a cloud on Romney’s horizon: his terrible approval ratings. How terrible? According to a new ABC News-Washington Post survey, only 34 percent of Americans view Romney favorably (“the lowest for any leading presidential candidate in ABC/Post polls in...

Illinois has come and gone, and Mitt Romney's team is plotting how best to squeeze the magic number of delegates out of the remaining primary states. But the candidate's real problem isn't geography; it is history. Friday is the two-year anniversary of Barack Obama's health-care law. Republicans spent this week highlighting this legislation's taxes, mandates, unintended consequences and partisan aims. On Monday the Supreme Court hears arguments about its constitutionality. Everywhere, the talk is ObamaCare. Rick Santorum's strongest argument is that Mr. Romney won't provide a clear enough contrast with the president, and his strongest example is the Massachusetts health-care...

WASHINGTON -- Jim DeMint, among the nation's conservative leaders, stopped just short Thursday of endorsing Mitt Romney for president as the South Carolina senator called on the former Massachusetts governor's foes to re-evaluate their campaigns. DeMint's appeal for Republicans to focus on defeating President Barack Obama came a day after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another influential conservative, endorsed Romney and urged party unity. "What I can tell conservatives from my perspective is that I'm not only comfortable with Romney, I'm excited about the possibility of him possibly becoming our nominee," DeMint told reporters on Capitol Hill. At a time...

Greenwell Springs Baptist Church pastor Dennis Terry introduces Rick Santorum

When Gov. Rick Perry began rising in the polls, Mitt Romney was ready with a potent debate-night assault: under Mr. Perry, illegal immigrants in Texas received a $100,000 tuition break. As Newt Gingrich surged, the Romney campaign dispatched colleagues of Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker, to ridicule him as “narcissistic” and “erratic” in conference calls that required a sardonic pass code: “Newt Gingrich is an unreliable leader.” And with Rick Santorum persisting as a threat as 10 states prepare to vote on Tuesday, Mr. Romney unleashed an ad in Ohio on Thursday mocking him as an unprincipled flip-flopper. The...

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has begun discussing whether to attack Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum and try to define him for a general-election audience, potentially breaking from its focus on Mitt Romney. Obama campaign aides are stepping up their examination of Mr. Santorum's record to assess his vulnerabilities and consider how their strategy might change if he becomes the GOP nominee. For example, the Obama campaign has criticized Mr. Romney for shifting his policy stances and painted him as out of touch with middle-class Americans. That line of attack might not prove as effective against Mr. Santorum, who Obama...

What we're seeing in Washington, D.C. is not "politics as usual" with the arm twisting and "horse-trading" that is typical in getting a bill passed; instead, it is ideological warfare. What Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are doing is not legislating; it is an act of tyranny -- overturning all the rules and principles of government in a representative democracy. Attempting to pass the Senate version of ObamaCare in the House under the ironically named "Slaughter Rule" (to circumvent the objections of the Stupak coalition to taxpayer funding of abortion) is an exercise in raw power akin to the many acts...

Mitt Romney won an impressive 29-percentage point victory in Saturday's Nevada caucuses. For some analysts, the triumph suggested that Romney is well on his way to winning the nomination. For me, the win was expected and confirms my forecast about where the race is heading. Romney maintains his status as the favorite for the Republican nomination, but potential trouble lurks down the road. Romney maintains a great funding and organizational advantage in comparison to his peers. If he senses any candidate (such as Newt Gingrich) might be a serious challenge, Romney can drown out his opponent with television advertising and...

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.—Local Republican activists Debbie Brown and Lynne Cottrell share a similar story. After backing other Republican presidential candidates over the past several months, they have now swung over to Mitt Romney. It boils down to this: Mr. Romney's mildness, seen as a demerit by many conservatives, is a plus for him in swing areas such as voter-rich Arapahoe County, a bellwether for this key electoral state and a place where women dominate the electoral rolls. "I have come to see him as disciplined and competent. And unlike many of the others, he doesn't carry any baggage," said Ms....

JACKSONVILLE — The candidates have circled the issue for months, throwing bantam punches that mostly missed. During Thursday night's GOP presidential debate, Rick Santorum broke through with an aggressive dismantling of Mitt Romney on health care. "Your mandate is no different than Barack Obama's mandate. It is the same mandate," Santorum said. "Folks, we can't give this issue away in this election. It is about fundamental freedom." Romney until that point had delivered a performance that re-established his claim to the Republican nomination — a goal he could leap toward Tuesday by winning Florida's primary. But Santorum drew fresh attention...

When Rick Santorum essentially tied in Iowa, he gave his campaign new life. He also guaranteed America would finally learn just how disgusting, vile and despicable the left is in this country. And how major news outlets and one of the most well-known businesses in the world – Google – are complicit in trying to destroy Santorum because he opposes gay marriage. Santorum is the victim of what Reuters partner The Wrap and many other organizations call a “Google problem.” That’s quite the understatement. He was attacked with a Google bomb from Dan Savage, a gay advocate and sex columnist...

Since Obama is a strong incumbent for the Democrats for 2012 there will not be any viable Democratic Primaries in 2012. There are 17 states with an Open Primary where many Democrats and Independents will have the opportunity to vote for Ron Paul in the Republican Primary without registering Republican. Ron Paul's anti-war message of peace and his stance against the Neo-conservatives will resonate strong with many registered Democrats and Independents. We must organize and put the strongest efforts in these states to encourage Democrats and Independents to vote for Ron Paul and capture all the Delegates of these Open...

FAIRFIELD, Iowa—Seekers of peace and personal fulfillment have streamed over the past three decades to this epicenter of transcendental meditation known for its ties to the Beatles' onetime spiritual leader. Though the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is dead now, the college he founded here, with its Golden Domes of Pure Knowledge, remains. So do the lofty ideals of his meditation enthusiasts, many of whom have found the presidential candidate who they believe best embodies their aims: Texas Rep. Ron Paul. Thanks to its uncommon history, Fairfield and surrounding Jefferson County boast a large group of transcendental meditators—forming also what is perhaps...

Jason Scherr had a lot on his mind the day after he opened his fifth Think Coffee shop in Manhattan last week. The fan was blowing too hard, the classical music was playing a little too loudly—and he was trying to figure out how to get more customers to pay with cash. A new law that was supposed to reduce costs for merchants that accept debit cards has instead sent Mr. Scherr's monthly processing bills much higher and forced him to reassess the way he does business. "My choice is to raise prices, discount for cash or get an ATM,"...

<p>For those of us who experienced the 1960s firsthand, there is something familiar about the Occupy Wall Street protests. But it isn't what the critics are harping about. Yes, there's a certain tie-dye feeling to the encampment at Zuccotti Park, where I wandered around last week. But when people refer to the protesters as "hippies" and sneer about their hygiene, they miss the point entirely. Those who focus on the look and feel of the OWS movement ignore the obvious fact that, like the early protesters of the 1960s, they are mainly educated, middle-class and completely sincere.</p>

A month after Bank of America got pummeled by consumers and politicians for introducing plans for new debit-card fees, most other big U.S. banks are steering clear of imposing similar charges. Following eight months of consumer testing, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has decided that it won't charge customers who use their debit cards to make purchases, according to a person familiar with the bank's plans. The New York bank's Chase retail unit is one of the largest U.S. consumer banks, with 26.5 million checking accounts and 5,300 branches. J.P. Morgan joins U.S. Bancorp, Citigroup Inc., PNC Financial Services Group...

TRIPOLI, Libya—Fresh evidence has emerged that fighters battling for control of Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte were responsible for numerous extrajudicial killings and other possible atrocities, raising new questions about the final moments in Libya's revolution and adding to the challenges of national reconciliation. Residents of Sirte and medical workers say that they have identified dozens of corpses of both Gadhafi loyalists and antiregime fighters, who appear to have died by shots to the back of the head while their hands were bound. They say these bodies are among hundreds of unidentified corpses littering the streets of Sirte and filling...