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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Showing impatience, President Barack Obama on Thursday openly and sharply questioned whether Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's pledge to shift power to his vice president is an "immediate, meaningful or sufficient" sign of reform for a country in upheaval. Without naming Mubarak, Obama issued a written statement that criticized the leader for not offering clarity to his people or a concrete path to democracy.

The White House has shown disdain for what officials call the "theatrics" the punditocracy is demanding of the president -- more emoting, more visits to the Gulf, fewer administration spokespeople. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told ABC News: "If the president thought that yelling at the top of his lungs would solve this crisis, he would stand on top of the White House and do that. But he believes this crisis will be solved by plugging the hole and responding to the damage done, not by method acting." And what of the myriad ceremonial events President Obama has hosted...

Comic book publisher praised for reflecting 'tolerance of Islam' Washington (CNN) -- Kuwaiti publisher Naif al-Mutawa is having a week even his comic book superheroes might envy. On Monday, President Obama singled him out for special praise for promoting international understanding with his "The 99" comics. "His comic books have captured the imagination of so many young people with superheroes who embody the teachings and tolerance of Islam," Obama said. And on Tuesday, Mutawa was treated like a rock star at the president's Summit on Entrepreneurship, with people lining up to get his flashy, superhero-embossed business cards and polite words...

President Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged to bring his own party along to reform the nation's broken immigration system, pleading with Republicans to join in as the only realistic hope to solve a politically volatile problem. Obama also offered fresh, stern criticism of a new Arizona law that allows police to question anyone about their immigration status if they have reason to suspect they are in the country illegally. The president said a comprehensive federal immigration effort is needed to prevent "bad laws" like Arizona's. "I will bring the majority of Democrats to the table in getting this done," Obama...

PHOENIX - Gov. Jan Brewer ignored criticism from President Obama on Friday and signed into law a bill supporters said would take handcuffs off police in dealing with illegal immigration in Arizona, the nation's busiest gateway for human and drug smuggling from Mexico. With hundreds of protesters outside the state Capitol shouting that the bill would lead to civil rights abuses, Brewer said critics were "overreacting" and that she wouldn't tolerate racial profiling. "We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer said after signing the law. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have...