The Short List

• Protests continue apace in Egypt, but the specter of violence has returned as the Egyptian foreign minister declares the army would "intervene to control the country."  Meanwhile, the United States has hardened its calls for reform in Cairo.  Despite the rhetorical escalation, the United States lost some leverage as Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah vowed to support Mubarak and his government if the U.S. withdraws it's aid.


• In the Ivory Coast, the country's recalcitrant leader Laurent Gbagbo, has banned UN radio broadcasts, and the UN's official signal is being jammed.


• Representative Chris Lee (R-NY) resigned yesterday after the gossip site Gawker broke a story of the married Rep. Lee flirting online with women he met on craigslist.  He sent shirtless photos of himself to the woman.


• The Conservative Political Action Conference kicks off today in DC, and seven potential Republican presidential candidates will be there, including Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum.  Notably absent are Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.  None of these hopefuls currently hold an office and DCExile talked about this phenomenon a few days ago.


• Iran's former President Ayatollah Rafsanjani has reportedly broken with the government line on the Egypt protests.  He is quoted as saying, "No dictator can stop popular movements ... People want democracy."