Meanwhile in Iraq

Iraqi panel to mull constitution changes as at least 24 killed in bloody U.S. occupation: In the city of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, gunmen on Sunday night broke into the home of city council head Najim Abdulla Suod, killing him and his 23-year-old son, police Lt. Amer Ahmed said.

Another 8 killed as U.S. occupation continues: Mortar rounds and a suicide truck bomber targeting a police station killed three policemen and wounded 10 in the small town of Jurf al-Sakhar, 85 km (53 miles) south of Baghdad

Iraq: A journey into the 'Taliban republic' where the militias rule unchallenged : Civil war is raging through the Iraqi countryside. Sunni insurgents have largely taken control of the province of Diyala, where local leaders believe the insurgents are close to establishing a "Taliban republic".

Army Warns Rumsfeld It's Billions Short: An extraordinary action by the chief of staff sends a message: The Pentagon must increase the budget or reduce commitments in Iraq and elsewhere.

'Dummy vendors' reap $362m in Iraq: US government agencies charged with the reconstruction of Iraq allocated $362m to non-existent "dummy vendors", according to a report by the watchdog overseeing the reconstruction effort.

US Army looks for ways to send more troops to Iraq: The US Army and Marine Corps are looking for ways to send more combat units into the Iraq rotation pool and are considering accelerating the pace of deployments for some brigades in order to keep more than 140,000 troops in the country through at least the spring of 2007.

U.S. puppet : Talabani wants long-term US presence: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, in an interview published on Monday, asked for a long-term US military presence in Iraq, saying his country will need two permanent US air bases to deter "foreign interference."

Analysis: Mideast woes alarm U.S. experts: Several prominent policy analysts warned this week that America's foreign policy had to be urgently re-evaluated to prevent wider disaster.

Battle for Baghdad Hindered by Iraqi Government: American commanders are frustrated by a lack of cooperation from the Iraqi government.

Playing shell games on responsibility with Iraq: THE SAME White House that trashed generals and bean counters for saying it would take hundreds of thousands of more troops and billions more dollars to secure Iraq is now blaming the puppet government for not securing the country

Juan Cole on Civil War in Iraq: The Hyping of WMD Intel on Iran, and How The Lebanon War Has Weakened Israel

Proposal to Carve Up Iraq Moves Forward : A proposal that could carve Iraq into three autonomous states moved forward Monday after leaders of the country's feuding ethnic and sectarian groups agreed to delay any division until 2008.

Retired officers to criticize Rumsfeld: Retired military officers on Monday are expected to bluntly accused Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of bungling the war in Iraq, saying U.S. troops were sent to fight without the best equipment and that critical facts were hidden from the public.

Negroponte Highlights U.S. Successes: Intelligence View That War Is Increasing Terror Is 'Fraction of Judgments,' He Says

Soldiers in 'guns for coke' scandal: BRITISH soldiers have been caught smuggling stolen guns out of Iraq and allegedly exchanging them for cocaine and cash on the black market.

Video: Cindy Sheehan On C-Span: On April 4, 2004, Cindy Sheehan learned that Casey, the eldest of her four children, had been killed in Iraq, where he was serving in the United States Army. After struggling through crippling grief for three weeks, she came to an epiphany: "I will spend my life trying to make Casey's sacrifice count for peace and love, not killing and hate."

Eight killed, 14 corpses found in Iraq: Insurgents have killed at least eight people in Iraq, including three policemen, officials said as the war-torn country's security forces continued to bear the brunt of rebel violence.