Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — President Bush arrived at an air base west of Baghdad Monday on an unannounced visit, the White House said.  —  He plans to meet face-to-face with top military commanders, the U.S. ambassador, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and provincial tribal leaders.

Edwards backs mandatory preventive care  —  TIPTON, Iowa - Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said on Sunday that his universal health care proposal would require that Americans go to the doctor for preventive care.  —  "It requires that everybody be covered.

Calderon blasts U.S. immigration policies  —  MEXICO CITY — President Felipe Calderon blasted U.S. immigration policies on Sunday and promised to fight harder to protect the rights of Mexicans in the U.S., saying "Mexico does not end at its borders."  —  The criticism earned Calderon …

Report: U.S. workers are most productive  —  GENEVA - American workers stay longer in the office, at the factory or on the farm than their counterparts in Europe and most other rich nations, and they produce more per person over the year.  —  They also get more done per hour than everyone …

WHAT EXIT?  FALLUJAH!  —  JERSEY MARINES DO U.S. PROUD  —  Jersey rules.  The Marines of 1st Platoon, Fox Company, 3rd Battal ion, 3rd Marines aren't living large, but they're making a huge difference.  Bunking in a police precinct headquarters in Fallujah, they're at the forward edge of our current successes in Iraq.

Combat deaths in Iraq decline; reasons aren't clear  —  WASHINGTON — American combat deaths in Iraq have dropped by half in the three months since the buildup of 28,000 additional U.S. troops reached full strength, surprising analysts and dividing them as to why.

The secular elite vs. the popular Islamists  —  Today's political challenge is to allow people to live according to their religion, while at the same time protecting those who are either irreligious or who have a different interpretation of the Koran  —  As a foreigner who is highly interested in …

RE: "The Former-Insurgent Counterinsurrency."  —  I read and reviewed the Gordon co-authored Cobra II, and thought as a piece of historical analysis it was too one-sided in its devastating criticisms; but like most on either side of the Iraq issue, I have always had a great deal of respect …

Soldiers evacuate babies from Israeli daycare centre as Islamic Jihad rockets fall  —  Soldiers scrambled to evacuate babies from a day care center in rocket-scarred Sderot today after a projectile fired by Palestinian militants thudded into the courtyard.  —  None of the 15 babies at the center was hurt.

Chaos in Darfur on Rise as Arabs Fight With Arabs  —  Some of the same Arab tribes accused of massacring civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan are now unleashing their considerable firepower against one another in a battle over the spoils of war that is killing hundreds of people and displacing tens of thousands.

BBC offers Palestinians 'support'  —  The BBC has been advertising for a "Project Director, Palestinian Territories" to advise Palestinian journalists.  On what?  Impartiality?  —  The BBC have devised another way to spend our money  —  "And I thought WE hated the Israelis," …