Bad News!  —  Deaths are way down in Iraq. … What the enraged crowds of several hundred Sunnis in several different places and Saddam on a rope have to do with it, I'm not entirely sure, but it sure makes it look worse!  Here's the bad news for al-P and other defeat fans: Deaths are down in Iraq.

For Iraq's Shiites, a Dream Deferred Breeds Mistrust of U.S.  —  BAGHDAD — As a dull winter sun nibbled away at the chilly morning, Hussein Lefta stood beside the Rahman Mosque.  Before him, Shiite Muslim worshipers passed through an emerald green gate and shuffled across a stone-covered field.

Sunni anger over Saddam hanging spills into streets  —  BAGHDAD (AP) — Sunnis Muslims, angered by the execution of Saddam Hussein and the hurried and undignified way his hanging was carried out, have taken to the streets in recent days in mainly peaceful demonstrations in Sunni enclaves across the country.

As New Congress Nears, House Democrats Could Be Headed for Own Divide  —  Representative John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who with more than 50 years' tenure is the senior member of the House, is not so sure about the idea of creating an independent group to enforce ethics rules.