An Unlikely Offensive  —  THE IRAQ Study Group's recommendations for shifting U.S. military tactics in the war are specific, focused and aimed at incremental improvement over the next few months; they are also close to what the Pentagon and Iraqi government already were hoping to achieve.

Talks under way to replace Iraq PM  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Major partners in Iraq's governing coalition are in behind-the-scenes talks to oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki amid discontent over his failure to quell raging violence, according to lawmakers involved.

Suspicion about imams grows as terror links pile up  —  The grounded imams incident at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been a public relations coup for the imams, their supporters and their claims that the group's only suspicious activity was saying evening prayers.

Ex-Dictator Of Chile Dies at 91  —  Gen. Augusto Pinochet, 91, the former Chilean dictator whose government murdered and tortured thousands during his repressive 17-year rule, died yesterday at a Santiago military hospital of complications from a heart attack, leaving incomplete numerous court cases …

Lebanon deal in works after mass Beirut rally  —  Arab League envoy due in Beirut Monday after announcing he received positive response from Hizbullah-led pro-Syrian opposition to proposals aimed at ending political crisis which paralyzed government and raised fears of return to civil strife

WHAT WOULD JIMMY DO?  PART 2  —  This morning Newsweek publicist Natalia Labenskyj emailed us the political stories in Newsweek's new issue.  One of the items in Labeskyj's email is Eleanor Clift's softball interview with Jimmy Carter, which I happened to read.  Here is one question and answer that caught my attention:

New Radiation Traces Linked to Associate of Ex-Spy  —  German authorities said today that they had found traces of the radioactive substance polonium in a car and two homes in Hamburg used by a Russian business associate of the murdered ex-K.G.B. agent Alexander V. Litvinenko a few days before the men met in London.

Taliban and Allies Tighten Grip in North of Pakistan  —  PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Islamic militants are using a recent peace deal with the government to consolidate their hold in northern Pakistan, vastly expanding their training of suicide bombers and other recruits and fortifying alliances …

Arab states study shared nuclear program  —  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The oil-rich Arab states on the Persian Gulf said Sunday that they will consider starting a joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes.  —  The announcement comes as the U.S. and its allies allege Iran is developing atomic weapons …

Media Ignore Foley E-mail Leaker and Possible Connection to Rahm Emanuel  —  The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct released its report concerning the Mark Foley page scandal on Friday, and the media banged the predictable drum about this all being a Republican cover-up.

Religion for a Captive Audience, Paid For by Taxes  —  Life was different in Unit E at the state prison outside Newton, Iowa.  —  The toilets and sinks — white porcelain ones, like at home — were in a separate bathroom with partitions for privacy.  In many Iowa prisons …