While many of the 2012 Republican candidates align closely on most issues– they are in the same party, after all– no pairing of candidates represents the ideological divide within the Republican Party better than Rep. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum, the most libertarian and socially conservative of the bunch, respectively. So when Santorum’s first words in the debate tonight, on a question regarding the War on Terror, were, “I agree with Ron Paul,” needless to say that came as a bit of a surprise, particularly to Ron Paul.

When news broke earlier this morning that a U.S. missile had reportedly killed Anwar al-Awlaki most reporters were focused on the details (and ethical questions) surrounding the news. But by this afternoon, cable news analysts started to consider what sort of impact this story has on the word of politics. Case in point, Fox News Chris Wallace suggested to Studio B host Shep Smith that the so-called “war on terror” is a political strength for the Obama campaign, noting his administration has taken down the “two greatest threats to America.”

President Barack Obama had long planned to be in Falls Church, Virginia today, to thank say farewell to outgoing Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, but his appearance went from a standard ceremonial one to that of a newsworthy foreign affairs moment. After welcoming other dignitaries in attendance, Obama opened with comments on the recent killing of U.S. born al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki.

In an appearance on Fox’s American Newsroom, Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall discussed the suggestion that last night’s terror alert was part of some media manipulation by The White House. Hall dismissed the premise as “unfair,” and also wondered why the Obama administration has turned the War on Terror into a “real political strength,” but shows no sign of running on it.

President Obama addressed America from the East Room of the White House today with the news that 10,000 American troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2011, and 33,000 by summer 2012. He also warned that he would not tolerate “terorrist safe-havens” in Pakistan and that his focus as the troops come home will be domestic problems.

Rapper Lupe Fiasco, né Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, appeared on The O’Reilly Factor tonight to discuss recent statements he made calling President Barack Obama a “terrorist.” The interview culminated, as one might have expected, in a shouting match between Fiasco and host Bill O’Reilly about the very nature of the so-called war on terror.

Rush Limbaugh started off humorously enough before using President Obama‘s success in killing Osama bin Laden as a crucial part of Rush’s large and strange mosaic establishing Obama as someone who “has to hide who he is and what he’s doing.” Far from the most transparent President ever, Rush believes Obama is perpetually pursuing a secret agenda. It makes you wonder is now really the time Rush expects anyone to hop aboard this crazy train?

Chris Matthews wanted to analyze the political implications of Osama bin Laden’s death with his guests Major Garrett and John Harris. Harris declared this to be an “authentic mission accomplished moment,” but Garrett warned that national security does not seem to be as prominent of an issue these days as it once was.

White House Counter Terrorism Chief John Brennan took questions today regarding yesterday’s shocking news that Osama bin Laden had been killed by Navy Seal Team Six. Brennan revealed stunning details about how the U.S. military operation worked with Pakistani forces: they didn’t, for fear that the Pakistani military would scramble jets. This is just another chapter in an ongoing narrative that is sure to become a much bigger story, namely, how is it that bin Lade was able to stay holed up in a Pakistani compound for such a long time.

At roughly 9:30 p.m. the White House released word that President Obama would make a statement to the nation via live broadcast regarding national security. CBS News has reported that the House Intelligence committee aide has confirmed that Osama Bin Laden is dead. U.S. has the body. Update: All U.S. news outlets are also confirming the report that bin Laden’s body is now in US possession.

One of the first things that any undergraduate student learns in their first undergraduate class is that when someone prefaces a comment with “I’m not saying (insert something honest, controversial, or potentially offensive), but…” what they really mean is that they actually do believe in whatever thing they are saying. For example, on Glenn Beck‘s radio program this morning, Mr. Beck made clear to his audience that he’s not saying that President Obama is with the terrorists, before clarifying that “he is sympathetic to their cause.”

All of the real action at the Conservative Political Action Conference goes on behind the scenes, and one notable trend emerged in my private conversations with prominent conservatives at the confab: most offered effusive praise for President Obama over his handling of terrorism. I related this to National Journal Hill correspondent Major Garrett during our interview, and asked if he thought the issue would come up in the 2012 campaign.

“We have concrete indications of a series of attacks planned for the end of November,” said German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, warning of a terrorist attack on par with that of Mumbi. The country is preparing for such an event, beefing up security and taking extra precautions. “What we are basically preparing ourselves for,” he said, “is that terrorists coming from abroad [will] commit an attack soon after arrival.”

President Barack Obama delivered his speech tonight on the end of combat operations in Iraq and the work ahead to re-invigorate America’s economy. Among the major talking points are already proving to be “a transition to Afghan responsibility” in the war there that the president said will begin next July, and Obama’s affirmation that “our most urgent task is to restore our economy.” Video after the jump.

Perhaps the most eccentric show on cable news (not that there isn’t competition) had one of the most eccentric media characters on as a guest today: Judge Andrew Napolitano‘s Freedom Watch on Fox Business Network interviewed the founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange about the recent flood of sensitive national security documents released by his site. Assange was unapologetic and meticulous in detailing how his site processes and confirms information.

Vice President Joe Biden is on Team Leno, picks the Netherlands to win the World Cup and was hoping the US could trade that sexy Russian spy for Rush Limbaugh. As a special guest on the Tonight Show last night, Biden, who provides so much material for late-night hosts already, really delivered on the comedy, and spoke candidly about the war abroad and the need for civility in American public discourse.

A victim of news cycle fatigue, the War on Terror is rarely a top story in 2010, barring a juicy scandal. When it does appear, the fight abroad monopolizes the coverage, with little on what happens to Al-Qaeda operatives once we find them. The New York Times has taken the initiative in profiling US Attorney Jeffrey Knox, who has been at the forefront of the messy process of prosecuting terrorists, but why are they the only ones on this story?

Faisal Shazad, the accused defendant in the Times Square bombing of several weeks ago, plead guilty today for his role in the failed attack. The remarkably quick guilty plea short-circuits a long and drawn out trial, also limits opportunities for cablers to discuss the many political facets of this story.

In a world where the creators of South Park receive death threats for dressing up the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit, it’s fairly surprising to see Sean Hannity bring author Andy McCarthy on the show to discuss his new book, The Grand Jihad, which targets not only terrorist organizations, but also mainstream Islam and the American left, who McCarthy claim are working together to take down American constitutional democracy.

During a segment on last night’s Countdown, host Keith Olbermann turned a popular right-wing talking point on its head, asking Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter if a prominent Republican like Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) might “not want to prevail in the so-called War on Terror” with a Democrat in the White House. He also defended the use of Miranda warnings by pointing to the results in the Times Square case, which produced a number of raids this week.

It’s true. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post are running articles today confirming that the Obama administration has authorized the “targeted killing” of New Mexican-born, radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. The NYT calls it extraordinary, and not in a good way.

Its the battle of Vice Presidents, past versus present, and Meet the Press vs. This Week. VP Joe Biden was a guest on MTP this morning, and fired the first salvos towards former VP Dick Cheney, who’s been a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s efforts towards suspected terrorists. Biden said “Dick Cheney’s a fine fellow. He’s entitled to his own opinion. He’s not entitled to rewrite history.” Update- excerpts of Cheney’s response on ABC’s This Week have been released.

Looks like the Taliban has gone 2.0. Over the weekend it was reported that the radical, religious, political group, has created its own YouTube channel. Apparently Sharia law, which among other things, allows for gruesome public executions and requires women to wear burqas and remain in the home, has nothing whatsoever against the Internet!