Petraeus, Crocker Face Skepticism on Drawdown  —  Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker went before Congress for a second day today to deliver a progress report on the war in Iraq and explain a new military plan to withdraw the 30,000 reinforcements sent there earlier this year to improve security.

BREAKING NEWS: New Times poll examines 3 early states  —  At the beginning of the autumn dash to the primaries, a new Times/Bloomberg Poll of 3,211 Democrats and Republicans in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina shows that Hillary Clinton maintains a strong lead in all three states (28%, 35% and 45%, respectively).

Olbermann's Win A Surprise Even Inside MSNBC  —  Phil Griffin knew it would happen, he just didn't think it would happen this quickly.  On Friday night, MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann was the top-rated cable news show in the 25-54 demo.  That means Olbermann beat his cable rival …

Sources confirm Israeli airstrike on Syria  —  (CNN) — Israeli aircraft carried out an airstrike inside Syria last week, possibly targeting weapons that were destined for Hezbollah militants, according to sources in the region and in the United States.  —  Syria reported that its aircraft fired …

Republicans introduce measure condemning MoveOn ad  —  House Republican leaders introduced a resolution Monday condemning a full-page newspaper ad from MoveOn.org that criticizes the character of Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Resistance "is a normal thing, and a right for everyone"  —  Perhaps more than any other element, contextual local perspective is missing from analysis about Iraq as a whole and Fallujah in particular.  Western media, media consumers, and the political class offer strategic assessments …

Can Gen. Petraeus and Ryan Crocker Save the Next Democratic President?  —  Despite what the pundits will say, I fear the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on the Hill Monday and Tuesday is not a turning point, does not give Bush breathing room, and is largely irrelevant.

U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan  —  WASHINGTON — A recent decision by German officials to withhold support for any new sanctions against Iran has pushed a broad spectrum of officials in Washington to develop potential scenarios for a military attack on the Islamic regime, FOX News confirmed Tuesday.

Rudy Planning To Spend Part Of 9/11 Anniversary With Noted Basher Of 9/11 Widows  —  Rudy Giuliani may be running for President on his 9/11 performance, but that hasn't stopped him from planning to spend part of the sixth anniversary of the attacks with a high-profile pundit who's repeatedly bashed …

9/11 and the cult of death  —  Our correspondent contends that our response to September 11 has been deficient.  Radical Islam, he argues, must be recognised as a fanatical death cult, such as Nazism or Bolshevism  —  "In my humble", as one of Updike's Pennsylvanians likes to put it …

Minnesota Senate  —  Coleman at 46% Democrats Close Behind  —  Minnesota is likely to host one of the more interesting and competitive Senate races in Election 2008.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone poll of the race shows incumbent Senator Norm Coleman (R) attracting just 46% support …

What the BBC is telling children about the 9/11 attacks  —  Here is what the BBC's widely-read children's section of their website (CBBC) is telling kids about the 9/11 attacks, the 6th anniversary of which falls today.  —  It is not quite the al-Qaeda view, but it almost is.