UK, US to withdraw Iraq forces by early '07: papers  —Text+LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain are planning to pull all their troops out of Iraq by the spring of 2007, two British newspapers reported in their Sunday editions, quoting unnamed senior defense ministry sources.

White House Trains Efforts on Media Leaks  —  The Bush administration, seeking to limit leaks of classified information, has launched initiatives targeting journalists and their possible government sources.  The efforts include several FBI probes, a polygraph investigation inside the CIA …

Al Qaeda's Zawahri calls for strikes against West  —  DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims to attack the West in an audio tape posted on the Internet on Saturday, urging similar strikes as those against New York, London and Madrid in recent years.

Criminal investigation into Tillman's death  —  The Department of Defense inspector general has asked the Army to open a criminal investigation into the death of Army Cpl. Pat Tillman, the football star turned soldier who was killed in Afghanistan by his fellow Rangers nearly two years ago.

Blair under fire for evoking God in Iraq war decision  —  LONDON (AFP) - Tony Blair triggered strong reactions from parents of soldiers killed in Iraq and the political opposition, after the British prime minister evoked God in his decision to go to war.  —  Details emerged Friday …

Hillary Clinton 'unaware' of Bill's Dubai ties  —  Hillary Clinton, a leading opponent of DP World's takeover of some US port operations, was this week forced to admit that she did not know her husband had advised Dubai leaders on how to handle the growing dispute.

No Iraq Trip for Legislator Who Opposed Deal on Ports  —  WASHINGTON, March 3 — Representative Peter T. King's prominent opposition to a proposal to allow a Dubai company to take over some terminal operations at American ports may have earned him some punishment from the Bush administration: He has been grounded.

A Muslim Leader in Brooklyn, Reconciling 2 Worlds  —  The imam begins his trek before dawn, his long robe billowing like a ghost through empty streets.  In this dark, quiet hour, his thoughts sometimes drift back to the Egyptian farming village where he was born.

AP: Thousands of Federal Cases Kept Secret  —  WASHINGTON - Despite the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of public trials, nearly all records are being kept secret for more than 5,000 defendants who completed their journey through the federal courts over the last three years.

The Apostasy of Michael Brown  —  I didn't expect my post about Michael Brown to cause as much controversy as it did.  But it got a conversation going that I think is actually quite interesting so I'd like to carry it a bit further.  —  Josh Marshall is right — the release …

As Crisis Brews, Iran Hits Bumps in Atomic Path  —  When Iran defiantly cut the locks and seals on its nuclear enrichment plants in January and restarted its effort to manufacture atomic fuel, it forced the world to confront a momentous question: How long will it be before Tehran has the ability …

To Democrats Hungry for Senate, a Pennsylvania Seat Looks Ripe  —  BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership, sums up his race for re-election this year with a paradoxical pride: "The other side of the aisle wants to beat …

BARBRA STREISAND STILL HASN'T FOUND THE SPELL-CHEQ  —  Today's grammar-addled foreign policy wrapup, in which the Diva comes out in favor of profiling to oppose the UAE ports deal...  Bonus points: "political curruption," "subpoening," "impeachment preceedings," "warrented," "dictatoriship …

Washington Whispers  —  The February political footnotes included this little item: Sen. John Kerry in less than 24 hours last week raised $250,000 in an E-mail to his fans for three Democratic Iraq war vets running for Congress.  But Kerry's effort wasn't a fire-and-forget for his comrades.

Koufax Awards Voting Now Open  —  Voting in the prestigious Koufax Awards just started and I wanted to give you my thoughts and recommendations.  —  First a note on the awards themselves: The Koufax Awards are what we on the left side of the blog world strive for and, while my open disdain …

Canadian oil sloshes in  —  Rather than moving north from the Gulf, crude is coming south from Alberta's sands  —  Canada has been showered with attention for its oil sands — deposits of thick, sludgy crude in remote parts of northern Alberta — but until now most of that oil has flowed only as far south as Chicago.