Somalia: Al Qaeda militant killed … MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A senior al Qaeda suspect wanted for bombing U.S. embassies in East Africa has been killed, a Somali official said Wednesday as witnesses said U.S forces launched a third day of airstrikes.  —  Also Wednesday …

Democrats to challenge Bush's Iraq plan  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush is telling lawmakers he will send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq's two most troubled regions, in a plan that Democrats are resisting as a major escalation of a 31/2-year-old war.  On Tuesday, Senate Armed Services …

Vilsack wants funding for more troops blocked  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack called Tuesday for Congress to block funding for additional troops in Iraq.  —  But he said he's leery of using purse strings to shrink the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Governor Mitt Romney on Iraq  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  Boston, MA - Governor Mitt Romney, in direct consideration of the proposed increase in troop deployments in Iraq, issued the following statement today putting an emphasis on the need for clear and measurable strategic objectives.

"I'm not afraid, I've lost everything in Iraq:" An Interview with a Fallujan Civil Servant  —  An Interview with a Fallujan Civil Servant  —  Note: Please consider this interview a companion piece to my second dispatch for the Examiner.  Taken together, they provide a good primer …

Troops Sent in Surge to Have Limited Role, Bush Aide Says  —  President Bush will announce tonight that the additional American troops he plans to send to Baghdad will act only in support of Iraqi forces, and that they are being sent only because the Iraqi government has promised a "fundamental" …

Venezuela's Leap Backward  —  BEFORE HIS reelection as Venezuelan president last month, Hugo Chávez declared that his goal was to receive 10 million votes and thereby a mandate to greatly accelerate what he calls a 21st-century socialist revolution.  In the end, despite a one-sided campaign …

Fox News Anchor Calls Ted Kennedy A 'Hostile Enemy Right Here On The Home Front'  —  This morning on Fox News, anchor Gretchen Carlson called Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) a "hostile enemy" of the United States because he has demanded that Congress vote on whether to approve funding for escalation in Iraq.

Leak Probes Stymied, FBI Memos Show  —  A lack of cooperation from one or more intelligence agencies led the FBI to abandon several recent criminal investigations into leaks of classified information to the press, records obtained by The New York Sun indicate.

With Iraq Speech, Bush to Pull Away From His Generals  —  When President Bush goes before the American people tonight to outline his new strategy for Iraq, he will be doing something he has avoided since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003: ordering his top military brass to take action they initially resisted and advised against.

Did the 9/11 Commission receive all the documents it requested?  Davis Releases Berger Report  —  Washington, D.C. - Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Tom Davis (R-VA) released the following statement today on a committee report that sheds important new light …

A Hopeful Ponders Where to Plant Her Flag  —  Choices, choices.  The Four Seasons in Georgetown or the Four Seasons in Midtown?  A town full of political leaks or a town full of mysterious odors?  Easy access to hundreds of gabby Democratic strategists or easy access to the one gabby Democrat …

STEALTH RUDY BUTTONS LIP ON TROOP SURGE  —  Rudy Giuliani, a front-runner in several recent polls for the 2008 GOP nomination, has been mum about President Bush's expected Iraq troop-surge proposal - an issue that could be big in the presidential sweepstakes.

Terminatorcare  —  Gov. Schwarzenegger writes a prescription for disaster.  —  MONTEREY, Calif.—On Monday, Arnold Schwarzenegger presented his proposal for reducing the number of Californians who lack health insurance.  His proposal is almost indistinguishable—except in details …

House Passes Bill to Implement More of 9/11 Panel's Suggestions  —  Lieberman to Draft a Measure for Senate Consideration  —  In a lopsided vote that masked underlying divisions, House Democrats approved legislation yesterday to implement many of the remaining recommendations …

Bombings kill 6, hurt 27 in Philippines  —  MANILA, Philippines - Three bombs within hours of each other rocked the southern Philippines on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding 27 others, officials said, amid warnings that Muslim militants may try to disrupt this weekend's Asian regional summits.

Ex-Interior Deputy a Target in Abramoff Probe  —  Federal prosecutors have notified a former deputy secretary of the interior, J. Steven Griles, that he is a target in the public corruption investigation of Jack Abramoff's lobbying activities, sources knowledgeable about the probe said.

What Can be Done?  —  I taped a diavlog with Ann Althouse on Monday during which we wound up mostly agreeing that the Democratic congress was unlikely to change very much about Iraq, largely because they can't change very much.  As I noted yesterday, however, after we recorded the episode …