Iraqi: U.S. Bodies Showed Signs of Torture  —  An Iraqi military official said Tuesday that the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of torture, and that men appeared to have been killed "in a barbaric way."  Also, the umbrella group for Iraqi insurgents claimed responsibility for the soldiers' deaths.

The Shadow War, In a Surprising New Light  —  a Washington Post staff writer who reports on intelligence and national security … Simon & Schuster.  368 pp.  $27  —  This is an important book, filled with the surest sign of great reporting: the unexpected.

AQI Top 5 Terrorist Killed (Update: Confirmed, Perhaps Plus Another AQI Leader Captured)  —  CENTCOM announced minutes ago that one of the men expected to take the place of the now-room temperature Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has also reached thermal equilibrium near Baghdad.

Safavian Trial: Guilty Verdict Was Expected, But Announcement a Surprise  —  The jury in the Safavian trial woke up this morning and decided to make life hard for us reporters.  And to send David Safavian to jail.  —  After five days of deliberations that seemed to be as stop …

US makes missile defense system operational  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has moved its ground-based interceptor missile defense system from test mode to operational amid concerns over an expected North Korean missile launch, a U.S. defense official said on Tuesday.

THE SAUDI 9/11 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM  —  This is not a joke: Saudis Offered Scholarships for Aviation Courses in US. … Do they get summer internships with the Air Marshals program, too?  —  Flashback from March 2006...Thank President Bush: … And don't forget The Diversity, The Diversity!

Kerry extends troop withdrawal date  —  Pushes 2007 deadline in proposal to remove US soldiers from Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John F. Kerry is pushing back by six months the deadline he wants to set for removing combat troops from Iraq, as he seeks to build support in the Senate for his plan for troop withdrawal.

Revived Taliban waging 'full-blown insurgency'  —  PANJWAI DISTRICT, Afghanistan — In their biggest show of strength in nearly five years, pro-Taliban fighters are terrorizing southern Afghanistan — ambushing military patrols, assassinating opponents and even enforcing the law in remote villages where they operate with near impunity.

Dan Rather Signs Off  —  Veteran Newsman Exits CBS After 44 Years With Tiffany Network  —  (CBS) Dan Rather is leaving CBS after 44 years with the Tiffany Network.  —  Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, made the announcement.  —  "Of all the famous names associated with CBS News …

High Infidelity  —  What if three admitted adulterers run for president and no one cares?  —  Last month, The New York Times published a 2,000-word, front-page dissection of Bill and Hillary Clinton's marriage.  It contained no real news, few named sources, and plenty of gossip masquerading as political coverage.

TruthNot Explains All  —  TruthNot, having promised "a more comprehensive accounting" of their "Rove Indicted" debacle from last May 13, delivers a compelling graphic explaining why Special Counsel Fitzgerald can't be stopped in his pursuit of the Evildoers.

The Way Out of Iraq: A Road Map  —  There has been much talk about a withdrawal of U.S. and coalition troops from Iraq, but no defined timeline has yet been set.  There is, however, an unofficial "road map" to foreign troop reductions that will eventually lead to total withdrawal of U.S. troops.