Tehran's Iraq role unclear, U.S. now says  —  But Bush calls it irrelevant that no solid evidence links Iranian officials to alleged weapons aid.  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. officials from President Bush to a top general in Baghdad said Wednesday that there was no solid evidence that high-ranking officials …

Reid Schedules Saturday Vote on House's Iraq Resolution  —  Senate Democratic leaders abruptly switched course in the Iraq war debate today, shelving a complicated non-binding resolution that has run into procedural hurdles, in favor of a House version that simply states Congress's objections to President Bush's troop escalation plan.

GOP Looks Beyond War Measure to Fight on Funding  —  With Republicans speaking out against President Bush's war policy on the House floor yesterday, GOP leaders and the White House conceded defeat on a resolution opposing sending additional U.S. troops to Iraq and began looking toward the coming battle over the war's funding.

Tapping Ahmadinejad's Egg  —  We all know the Iranian M.O. - nuclear proliferation, Holocaust denial, threats to wipe out Israel, vicious anti-Western rhetoric, lavish sponsorship of terrorists at work attacking Israel and destabilizing Lebanon.  —  If that were not enough …

Giuliani Says He Is Running for President in '08  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday removed any lingering doubts that he was running for president, and, without mentioning President Bush by name, offered pointed criticism on how the Iraq war has been handled.

Rudy's New Social Conservatism  —  Pundits of all political persuasions have been chattering about whether Rudy Giuliani, whose name is invariably modified by the description "social liberal," can overcome the objections of many religious conservatives to win the Republican nomination.

Iraqi terror leader reported wounded … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has been wounded and his top aide killed in a clash with police, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman told CNN Thursday.  —  The spokesman said Iraqi police encountered an insurgent group …

Keith Olbermann, NBC agree on second term  —  'Countdown' host extends through 2011; will contribute more to network  —  MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft  —  NEW YORK - Keith Olbermann will continue to be a thorn in Bill O'Reilly's side for at least four more years.

U.S. to allow 7,000 Iraqi refugees … WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Bush administration hopes to resettle about 7,000 Iraqi refugees to the United States this year, the State Department said Wednesday.  —  The decision comes amid pressure from the U.S. Congress and the international community to do more about the growing refugee crisis.

Libertarians in America  —  Free to choose, and a good thing too.  —  Scores of books have been written on the role of communists and socialists in the U.S., dour chronicles of welcome failure.  But very few writers have devoted much attention to the role of libertarians …

Quest to Heal Iraqi Boy Became a Final Mission  —  HILLA, Iraq — Hours before getting killed the way he feared most, Capt. Brian S. Freeman looked up and smiled when Abu Ali dropped by his office.  —  After nearly six months of overcoming financial and bureaucratic hurdles in a war zone …

Where the Stars Hide Their Money  —  Come Visit Your Money, Stay for the Heineken Tour — the Netherlands Is the Latest Tax Shelter Hot Spot  —  U2, the Rolling Stones, movie stars, sports figures and a host of corporations have turned to an unlikely accountant, the Netherlands …

FDL's Libby reporting forces a re-evaluation of blogs  —  It is virtually impossible to closely follow the Libby trial without relying upon the work of the blogging team assembled by Jane Hamsher and FireDogLake.  Hamsher built FDL by becoming (along with her blogging partner …

MOOK'S SPOOKED  —  IRAQI MILITIA BULLY BAILS OUT  —  LOOKS like our team won this round of Spook-the- Mook.  A best-in-show source in Baghdad confirms that Muqtada al-Sadr took off on a road-trip to Iran.  And he wasn't just cruising in search of a Reuben sandwich.  —  The game ain't over until the fat mullah's scared.

Libby's cynical defense  —  In the courtroom, I watched Libby's lawyers grill Bob Woodward and Robert Novak, trying and failing to obscure the charges against the vice president's man.  —  In this artist's rendering, members of the jury, left, are dressed in red on Valentine's Day as Judge Reggie Walton …

Operation Baghdad Update.  —  After being technically in progress for about over a week, Operation Imposing the Law officially started yesterday.  —  Al-Maliki who's been on a tour in the mid-southern region announced the beginning of the operation from Kerbala.

Bush Guru Says President's Bond with U.S. 'May Be Lost'  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: In the forthcoming issue of Texas Monthly, former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd writes that President Bush's "gut-level bond" with the American people "may be lost" and that "wholesale change" is needed in Iraq.

Democrats should beware of the post-Vietnam syndrome  —  WASHINGTON - Reading the polls, congressional Democrats are racing to distance themselves from the war in Iraq, competing over who has got the best proposal for a speedy exit of U.S. troops.  —  History suggests, however, they should look down the road.