Marine Says Rules Were Followed  —  Sergeant Describes Hunt for Insurgents in Haditha, Denies Coverup  —  A sergeant who led a squad of Marines during the incident in Haditha, Iraq, that left as many as 24 civilians dead said his unit did not intentionally target any civilians …

Admiral: Gitmo suicides a 'planned event'  —  First confirmed deaths follow hunger strikes at detention facility  —  (CNN) — Three prisoners at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have hanged themselves in what is being called a "planned event," the U.S. military said Saturday.

Their Man in Baghdad  —  THE LAST QUESTION to General Bill Caldwell at his briefing last Thursday on the death of Abu Musab al Zarqawi came from New York Times reporter Richard Oppel, who wanted to know about Abu al-Masri, an Egyptian whom many expect to replace Zarqawi as the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

A Mixed Bag of First Impressions by Democrats at Blog Rendezvous  —  LAS VEGAS, June 10 — Mark R. Warner, the former governor of Virginia and potential Democratic presidential candidate, went before an unconventional political audience on Saturday — a bloggers' convention …

Many in terrorists' 'next generation' dead  —  MADRID, Spain - They rose up quickly to take up Osama bin Laden's call for jihad, ruthless men in their 20s and 30s heralded as the next generation of global terror.  —  Two years later, 40 percent are dead, targets of a worldwide crackdown …

Democrats Closing Fundraising Gap With Republicans  —  Increase in Grass-Roots Support Buoys Party as GOP Efforts Falter  —  A surge in small, individual contributions is lifting Democratic campaigns this year and is helping close a Republican fundraising advantage that has existed for years …

Brent Budowsky: The Democrats: If Jack, Bobby, and Kenny Had Breakfast Today  —  When I was a young pup working for Senator Birch Bayh, who like Lloyd Bentsen was the kind of giant in rare supply in Washington today, on a few occasions, my bosses would take me to the old Mayflower Hotel where Kenny O'Donnell would hold court.

Terrorists target civilians in Iraq  —  'The US forces do not kill civilians.  Yes, civilians got killed in Haditha and other places but it is the terrorists who target civilians in Iraq," said Zebari, to a question posed by Khaleej Times on measures adopted by his government to protect civilians.

Infiltrating Yearly Kos: Tinfoil hats spotted  —  Howard Dean, Mark Warner, and a sneak peek at our foreign policy circa 2009: the mole returns, with photos.  —  Dean's speech  —  Howard wants a minimum wage, and a (snicker) balanced budget...  There are a lot of people floating the minimum-wage balloon with this crowd.

Bolton rejects 'grand bargain' with Iran  —  Time is running out for the diplomatic effort to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme and Washington has no intention of striking a comprehensive "grand bargain" with Tehran, the US's ambassador to the United Nations has warned.