Meanwhile in Iraq

Iraq: More Than 41 killed in ongoing U.S. occupation: U.S.-led occupation troops killed eight suspected "insurgents," believed to be linked to members of an al Qaeda cell in Iraq.

Another 16 killed in bus bombing in east Baghdad :The bombing occurred shortly after midday in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Shaab, police Lt. Ali Muhsin said.

Iraq reconstruction needs more than $100B: The civil reconstruction of Iraq will cost at least $100 billion, U.S. officials in Baghdad told Iraqi contractors who are vying for some of the work.

Danish journalists on trial for publishing leaked intelligence reports on Iraq: The reports said there was no evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction during Saddam Hussein's rule — one of the main reasons behind the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Iraq: More Than 160 Killed as Bloody U.S. occupation Grinds On: Four British occupation force troops were killed in the southern city of Basra. Three U.S. soldiers died on Saturday from wounds suffered in combat in the western Anbar province

Suicide Bombs Kill 35 Iraqi Police Recruits: At least 33 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack Sunday morning in occupied Baghdad and police fear the toll will rise.

Somber analysis of Iraq's future: The situation in Iraq is ``even worse than we thought,'' with key Iraqi leaders showing no willingness to compromise to avoid increasing violence, said Leon Panetta, a member of the high-powered advisory group that will recommend new options for the war.

Forget democracy and bring home troops, Bush will hear: A commission of experts appointed by President George W Bush will advise him to abandon his dream of cementing a new democratic system in Iraq and instead tackle the security crisis so that the withdrawal of American troops can begin.

A vicious monster rises in Iraq's sectarian war – 'the Shia Zarqawi' : As the White House begins to rethink its policy on Iraq, savage new warlords are battling for power and the country is starting to splinter

Democrats seeking planned US troop withdrawal from Iraq: A week after taking control of both houses of Congress, Democrats on Sunday started talking about a plan to pull US troops from Iraq in four months from now, but the White House said the idea might be harmful to US national security.

Confession of Chalabi’s top assistance: An American Army colonel, Ted Seal, was assigned to be with Chalabi and his fighters as a liaison officer, and every day he would get on the phone and report back to CENTCOM the status of Chalabi’s fighters, unvetted. A lot of them were from Iran, by the way — Iraqis who had fled to Iran.

ACLU Applauds Rumsfeld’s Resignation,: The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation from his post as Defense Secretary, and called on Congress to investigate the gross abuse of power committed under his watch.

That way son: By nominating Robert Gates to the Pentagon, Bush Jr was reduced to asking one of his father’s closest friends to clean up the mess. What was Gates’s last job? As president of Texas A&M University, Gates hosted Poppy’s own presidential library. What was his previous claim to fame? Poppy had appointed him CIA director.