Top general may propose pullbacks  —  Petraeus is expected to tell Congress that Iraqis can assume duties in some areas, freeing U.S. troops for other uses.  —  WASHINGTON —  Intent on demonstrating progress in Iraq, the top U.S. general there is expected by Bush administration officials …

Going to the Well Once Too Often  —  Photographer Wissam al-Okaili has had quite an interesting summer in Iraq, and apparently made quite a few friends.  —  In July, he published a picture carried in media around the world, as an elderly Sadr City woman held up a object that she claimed …

Democrats Need a Karl Rove  —  What follows here is an op-ed I wrote for The Hill newspaper today that makes the case for Democrats to adopt a conviction politics of principle, courage and tenacity.

A prelude to war: What's really behind Bush's Iran move  —  Last night's carefully managed leak from the White House that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is being designated as a global terrorist group is a story that — while in a sense you could see it coming for months — seemed to also catch a lot of the major news media off guard.

U.S. to Expand Domestic Use Of Spy Satellites  —  The U.S.'s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation's vast network of spy satellites in the U.S.  —  The decision, made three months ago …

Balance of Terror  —  BAGHDAD - The American soldier sitting next to me flipped open his Zippo lighter and gloomily lit a cigarette.  "Do you know why this base isn't attacked by insurgents?" he said.  —  I assumed it was because his area of operations, in the Graya'at neighborhood …

Our newest war  —  [Our newest Patton.]  — by Dave  —  According to Newt Gingrich, we're now not just at war in Iraq, and at war against terrorists, but now we're also at war with illegal immigrants: … Gingrich is obviously trying, as have so many nativists before him, to blame immigrants for bringing crime to our shores.

Gerson for cap and trade?  —  Readers probably know that I think a pundit's ideas are only influential inasmuch as they're useful to people who actually control stuff.  Thomas Friedman, for instance, is the brunt of heaps of opprobrium for being "an influential pundit" who supported the Iraq war …

U.S. agents accused of aiding Islamist scheme  —  A criminal investigations report says several U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees are accused of aiding Islamic extremists with identification fraud and of exploiting the visa system for personal gain.

Online Islamist Forum Hosted in Texas Posts Guide for Kidnapping Americans  —  The popular Islamist-jihadist forum www.alhesbah.org, hosted by RealWebHost in Texas, U.S., recently posted an anonymously written document from 2003 titled "The Excellent Summary of the Rules of the Art of Kidnapping Americans."

Chávez to Propose Removing His Term Limits  —  President Hugo Chávez will unveil a project to change the Constitution on Wednesday that is expected to allow him to be re-elected indefinitely, a move that would enhance his authority to accelerate a socialist-inspired transformation of Venezuelan society.

Pryce set to retire, GOP sources say  —  Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) will announce Thursday that she will not run for reelection in 2008, according to sources close to the congresswoman's office.  —  Pryce's office announced it will hold a press conference in her Columbus office on Thursday at 11 a.m. concerning her plans for 2008.

A newsroom reprimand at The Times  —  Seattle Times Executive Editor Dave Boardman wrote today in one of his morning notes to staff that there had been "an awkward moment at yesterday's news meeting."  That's the meeting where editors and other staff from throughout the newsroom talk about the stories planned for the next day's paper.

HAPPY DAYS HERE AGAIN  —  A surprising 94 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their lives - although far fewer in New York and other Eastern states think they're better off than they were five years ago, according to a new survey.  —  The Harris Poll of more than 1,000 people reported …