Petraeus: I "Don't Know" If Iraq War Makes U.S. Safer  —  Did General David Petraeus today suggest that the war in Iraq may not make the United States safer?  —  During his second day of appearances on Capitol Hill, Petraeus this afternoon appeared before the Senate armed services committee.

Clinton Sees Fear Realized in Trouble With Donor  —  Of all the possible vulnerabilities facing Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, Mrs. Clinton has long believed that the one of the biggest was money, friends and advisers say.  Some sort of fund-raising scandal that would echo …

Giuliani support is soft in key battlegrounds, poll finds  —  Although former N.Y. mayor is GOP leader, a new Times/Bloomberg survey shows him trailing in three early states.  Clinton maintains solid lead among Democrats.  —  WASHINGTON — "America's Mayor" Rudolph Giuliani has been well ahead …

Poll: Bin Laden tops Musharraf in Pakistan  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf — a key U.S. ally — is less popular in his own country than al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to a poll of Pakistanis conducted last month by an anti-terrorism organization.

Fidel Castro says U.S. fooled world over 9/11  —  HAVANA (Reuters) - Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said the U.S. government misinformed Americans and the world about 9/11, echoing conspiracy theories about the terror attacks against the United States six years ago.

The 'proxy war': UK troops are sent to Iranian border  —  British soldiers return to action as tensions between US and Iran grow  —  British forces have been sent from Basra to the volatile border with Iran amid warnings from the senior US commander in Iraq that Tehran is fomenting a "proxy war".

Texas City soldier killed outside Baghdad  —  KHOU.com staff report  —  Sgt. Omar Mora was the father of a 5-year-old girl.  —  It is old and worn, but for months a yellow ribbon served as a sign of hope, that one day Sgt. Omar Mora would be home.  —  "He was coming home in November.

Woolsey calls for attacks on colleagues  —  Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) is encouraging anti-war activists to find challengers to centrist Democrats, with the aim of moving the party to the left and ramping up opposition to the war in Iraq, to the chagrin of top Democratic aides.

GOP centrists get boost  —  The bloc of Senate GOP centrists whose votes are key to any effective push to leave Iraq may gain even more influence on war policy in the wake of Gen. David Petraeus's watershed Tuesday testimony.  —  Republicans were breathing easy as Petraeus …

Japan PM Abe quits after year of scandal and crisis  —  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced his resignation on Wednesday after a year in power dogged by scandals, an election rout and a crisis over Japan's support for U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

Mark Warner expected to run for Senate, sources say  —  Former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, is widely expected to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, pledging to bring a spirit of bipartisanship to Washington.  —  Warner, in around-the-clock meetings and phone calls …

U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan  —  WASHINGTON — A recent decision by German officials to withhold support for any new sanctions against Iran has pushed a broad spectrum of officials in Washington to develop potential scenarios for a military attack on the Islamic regime, FOX News confirmed Tuesday.

Freedom Fetishists  —  The cultural contradictions of libertarianism.  —  More than perhaps any other American political group, libertarians have suffered the blows of caricature.  For many people, the term evokes an image of a scraggly misfit living in the woods with his gun collection …

Video: 9/11 was a "failure of human understanding," says Mass. governor; Update: "[W]e are all part of the same human story," says NY governor  —  Thanks to Radio Equalizer for this.  Here's Mitt's successor, Deval Patrick, transparently ducking the hard lessons of 9/11 by generalizing …

Wheat Rises to Record $9 a Bushel on Global Crop Concerns  —  Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) — Wheat prices rose to a record, passing $9 a bushel in Asian trading, on concerns that declining global output will further shrink inventories at a 26-year low.  —  Reserves of the grain in Canada …

Global Swarming  —  IS IT TIME FOR AMERICANS TO START CUTTING OUR BABY EMISSIONS?  —  Oh, if we all just disappeared.  According to The World Without Us, Alan Weisman's strangely comforting vision of human annihilation, the Earth would be a lot better off.

WHAT PETRAEUS MEANS FOR DEMOCRATS:  —  In a press conference after a meeting with George W. Bush today, Democratic leaders talked tough about the Iraq war.  But one aggressive reporter, who didn't identify himself, asked Nancy Pelosi a quite pointed question: Given that it now appears likely …

Bush Nearing Choice to Lead Justice Dept.  —  The White House is closing in on a nominee to replace Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, with former Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson considered one of the leading candidates, administration and Congressional officials said Tuesday.