Sunnis Boycott Iraq Reconciliation Event [Progress?] Iraq's main Sunni bloc boycotted a conference Tuesday aimed at reconciling the nation's sectarian groups, a sign of the deep schisms still facing this country. Members of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front said they would not participate in the Read Full Story

Petraeus: Iraqi Leaders Not Making 'Sufficient Progress' Pretty sure David "pants on fire" petraeus said that the Iraqi gov't was using the surge to progress... Must be time to face congress again. Read Full Story

Data on violence point to stalemate in Iraq Newly declassified statistics on the frequency of insurgent attacks in Iraq suggest that after major security gains last fall in the wake of an American troop increase, the conflict has drifted into at least a temporary stalemate, with levels of violence Read Full Story

McCain's Consistent Folly on Iraq McCain portrays himself as uniquely clear-eyed about the war. In fact, those eyes have often been full of stars. Read Full Story

Iraqi Council Strikes Down Key Law ...a major setback to U.S.-backed efforts to promote national reconciliation. The ruling came despite a reported last-minute telephone call by Vice President Dick Cheney to the main holdout on the three-member panel, which has to sign off on laws passed b Read Full Story

Religious hard-liners out in Pakistan voters in turbulent North West Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan, gave their support to secular parties that promised to pave the streets, create jobs and bring peace through dialogue and economic incentives to the extremists. That may conflict Read Full Story

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk A female lobbyist had been turning up with McCain at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from h US: Bombers Didn't Have Down Syndrome The U.S. military said Wednesday that two women used as suicide bombers in attacks earlier this month had undergone psychiatric treatment but t... Read Full Story

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk A female lobbyist had been turning up with McCain at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from h US: Bombers Didn't Have Down Syndrome The U.S. military said Wednesday that two women used as suicide bombers in attacks earlier this month had undergone psychiatric treatment but t... Read Full Story

Second Baker-Hamilton waiting on Baker Legislation pushed by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), which is now law, directs the U.S. Institute of Peace to support a second version of the commission that would send former Rep. Lee Hamilton and former Secretary of State James Baker III and two other commiss Read Full Story

Study: False Statements Preceded War President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds [935] of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks. Pentagon Weighs Top Iraq General as NATO Chief The Pentagon is considering Gen. David H. Petraeus for the top NATO command later this year, a move that would give the general, the top American commander in Iraq, a high-level post during the next administration Read Full Story