U.S. General in Iraq Outlines Troop Cuts  —  WASHINGTON, June 24 — The top American commander in Iraq has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the United States military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this September, American officials say.

The War's Left Front  —  The Daily Kos thinks the politics of Iraq will help him shape the Democratic Party.  —  July 3-10, 2006 issue - Markos Moulitsas Zuniga is sitting on his back porch in Berkeley, Calif., listening to the hummingbirds and explaining his plans to seize control of the Democratic Party.

FBI: Suspects Sought Help From al - Qaida  —  MIAMI (AP) — A plan hatched by seven men to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower and other buildings was ''more aspirational than operational,'' FBI officials said.  —  The group of men, who were arrested Thursday when authorities busted their alleged hide …

Iraq PM unveils unity proposals  —  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has presented a national reconciliation plan to parliament aimed at stemming sectarian tensions and violence.  —  The 24-point plan offers an amnesty to some insurgents, but not those from groups who have targeted Iraqi civilians, such as al-Qaeda.

Aaron Spelling, 83; Prolific TV Hitmaker  —  Aaron Spelling, 83, who produced a staggering number of commercial television hits over four decades and whose hallmarks were glamour, violence and sexy escapism, died Friday in Los Angeles.  —  He died at home after suffering a stroke June 18, his publicist said.

Warnings on WMD 'Fabricator' Were Ignored, Ex-CIA Aide Says  —  In late January 2003, as Secretary of State Colin Powell prepared to argue the Bush administration's case against Iraq at the United Nations, veteran CIA officer Tyler Drumheller sat down with a classified draft of Powell's speech to look for errors.

Troubles Linger in Regulation of Medicare Customer Service  —  WASHINGTON, June 24 — After enthusiastically promoting Medicare drug plans for three years, the Bush administration is having difficulty regulating these same plans to ensure they comply with federal standards for marketing, customer service and consumer protection.

Key insurgents vow to reject Iraq peace plan  —  IRAQ'S main insurgent groups intend to reject a peace plan that Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, will present today in an attempt to halt the country's spiral of violence.  —  Maliki is expected to go before parliament with a 28- point plan …

Bush's Immigration Plan Stalled as House G.O.P. Grew More Anxious  —  WASHINGTON, June 24 — For the White House, the Congressional picnic last week seemed like the perfect setting to mend strained relations with Republican allies on Capitol Hill: President Bush and his advisers eating taquitos …

Who's This 'We,' Non-Soldier Boy?  —  REPRESENTATIVE Patrick McHenry, a 30-year-old Republican from North Carolina, rose during the recent debate over Iraq in Congress and declared that the struggle against "Islamic extremists" was his generation's great challenge.

GOP Candidate's Call for Labor Camp Rebuked  —  Republican Candidate's Call for Forced Labor Camp for Immigrants Angers Two GOP Lawmakers  —  WASHINGTON Jun 23, 2006 (AP)— A Republican gubernatorial candidate's call for creation of a forced labor camp for illegal immigrants drew rebukes Friday …

'Brights'  —  Since it was brought up in the comments, I thought I'd bring back my statement on the "Brights."  —  There's a lot of noise on the net right now about The Brights, the idea that we can invent a pleasant new name for godless atheists and thereby improve our image.

Another Kennedy Living Dangerously  —  ONE of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family mementos is a boyhood photo of himself in the Oval Office with his uncle President John F. Kennedy.  Then 9, Mr. Kennedy — who is still known as Bobby — had just given the president a spotted salamander in a small vase.

The Questions Never Asked  —  According to the New York Times, global warming — excuse me, global climate change; I keep forgetting — has raised world temperatures to the warmest it's been in at least 1,000 years, maybe more.  —  But this immediately raises a number of questions that …

Issues & Insights  —  And This Guy Was Almost President?  —  Politics: Sen. John Kerry has spent a career taking the side of America's enemies.  His call last week for a pullout from Iraq was the latest evidence he is unfit to serve in the Senate — never mind the White House.

How Doctors Got Into the Torture Business  —  Andrew Sullivan on the harrowing new book "Oath Betrayed", in which a medical ethicist documents how members of his profession got caught up in the abuse of prisoners  —  Soldiers are trained to kill and doctors to heal.

British 'helpless' as violence rises in southern Iraq  —  British forces are facing rising violence among Shia Muslim factions in southern Iraq, but are powerless to contain it, military and diplomatic sources have told The Independent on Sunday.  Both British and Iraqi authorities were seeking to play down the situation, they added.

Cheney miffed, Beeb chuffed.  The BBC reports on the undermining of what it refers to as "the 'so-called war on terror'" in this story which flowed from this one based on a New York Times Pulitzer-hunting, terrorist-helping sellout.  [My opinion on the behavior of the NYT.]