Daniel Hannan, the outspoken Conservative MEP for South East England, quit the Conservative frontbench in the European parliament last night in protest at David Cameron's decision not to give Britain a referendum on Europe for at least four to five years if the Tories win the general election.Hannan, seen as the new younger leader of the Tory Eurosceptic cause, made the announcement on his Daily Telegraph blog in response to Cameron's announcement that he would not hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.Hannan had been the party's legal affairs spokesman for only two months, and secured political notoriety for describing the NHS as a relic and 60-year mistake.Appealing for his fellow Conservatives to join him to fight for a referendum, he said: "This Conservative is for a referendum: a proper, deep-cleansing referendum that will settle whether our country remains subordinate, or becomes self-governing".He said he could see that Cameron had made his decision in order not to be distracte

Democrats on Capitol Hill began a nervous debate Wednesday about the course President Obama has set for their party, with some questioning whether they should emphasize job creation over some of the more ambitious items on the president's agenda.

The things that pop out of his mouth are frequently beyond the comprehension of mortals.

House leaders put in motion the machinery to hold a rare Saturday vote on the most far-reaching expansion of the health-care system in more than 40 years.

MADISON, WIS. -- President Obama marked the anniversary of his election Wednesday by speaking in unusually personal terms with schoolchildren and educators in a politically friendly state, far from the partisan fray in Washington.

The Senate voted Wednesday to renew the government's $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers through the first six months of next year as part of a broader bill designed to extend unemployment benefits.

Even before a Senate committee could begin marking up the "Kerry-Boxer" climate bill, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) announced Wednesday a separate track of negotiations over climate policy that makes his original bill look somewhat irrelevant.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- In the end, Republican Chris Christie was propelled into the New Jersey governorship by the same force that pushed him so far ahead in early polls in the year-long campaign: angry, widespread resentment over the state's finances, especially the property taxes that incumbent Jon...

Her withdrawal removes the last known Republican challenge to next year's re-election campaign of Commissioner Jerry Eversole, who has held the north Harris County seat since 1991.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Far from chastened by off-year election setbacks, congressional Democrats vowed no let-up in the drive to pass controversial health care Wednesday, arguing that the way to regain voter trust was to complete what they started in more prosperous political times....