Iraqi official: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader wounded  —  Al-Masri reportedly hurt, in custody; aide slain in skirmish north of Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was wounded and an aide was killed in a clash Thursday with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

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.

Bush Declares Iran's Arms Role in Iraq Is Certain  —  President Bush said Wednesday that he was certain that factions within the Iranian government had supplied Shiite militants in Iraq with deadly roadside bombs that had killed American troops.  But he said he did not know whether Iran's highest officials had directed the attacks.

Confronting the Global Jihad Online:  —  ISLAMIST TERRORISM, FROM CLEARGUIDANCE.COM TO ISLAMICNETWORK.COM  —  It starts to become clear, when you spend years observing the goings on at various radical Islamist, jihadist web sites, particularly the forums populated by the adherents to that ideology …

Auditors: Billions squandered in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. government has squandered as much as $10 billion in public money on Iraq reconstruction aid because of overcharges and unsubstantiated expenses.  More is yet to come, federal investigators said Thursday.

Chavez threat to seize food shops  —  Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has threatened to nationalise stores that sell meat above a government-set price.  —  The government says supermarkets have been artificially boosting prices of basic foods by manipulating stockpiles.

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 …

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.

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.

What's on the table?  —  A lot of commentary in the blogosphere today, especially from Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein about whether "all options" should be "on the table" in dealing with Iran.  —  I was (correctly) hammered last year when I said on Stephanopoulos that "all options …

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.

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 …

Smitten with Mitt TV  —  To experience why former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may be a better than even bet for next Leader of the Free World, point your web browser toward "Mitt TV," the streaming video site of Mitt Romney's presidential exploratory committee.

Housing sales drop in 40 states  —  WASHINGTON - The slump in housing deepened in the final three months of last year with sales falling in 40 states and median home prices dropping in nearly half the metropolitan areas surveyed.  —  Formerly red-hot areas were among the hardest hit …