Iraq official: U.S. could be out by 2011  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A deadline should be set for the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces from Iraq, and the pullout could be done by 2011, an Iraqi government spokesman said Tuesday.  —  Ali al-Dabbagh said any timetable would depend on …

3 Police and 3 Gunmen Die in Attack on U.S. Post in Turkey  —  PARIS — Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Turkish security guards outside the United States Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday and at least three officers were killed, the governor of Istanbul said.

July Leader Lost in 6 of Last 9 Competitive U.S. Elections  —  Convention period could prove crucial in determining the winner  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In 9 of the past 15 U.S. presidential elections, the candidate who was leading in Gallup polling roughly four months before the election ultimately won the popular vote for president.

Networks may limit convention coverage  —  Major television networks are considering curtailing coverage of the Democratic National Convention after Monday's announcement that Barack Obama will accept his party's nomination in a Denver stadium.  —  According to several broadcast executives …

Atheist soldier sues Army for ‘unconstitutional’ discrimination  —  KANSAS CITY, Kansas (CNN) — Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.  —  Like many Christians, he said grace before dinner and read the Bible before bed.  Four years ago when he was deployed to Iraq, he packed his Bible so he would feel closer to God.

McCain jokes about killing Iranians with cigarettes  —  PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Presidential candidate John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country by saying it may be “a way of killing 'em.”

RNC Highlights Obama's Flip-Flops— Obama Denies Charges  —  He was against the surge— He said it wouldn't work— He said more troops would not make a difference.  —  Barack Obama was wrong.  —  The surge did work- We are winning in Iraq.  —  Today, thanks to the United States of America, another country is free!

Reviving Redistributionism  —  New data from the IRS will be out in a few weeks on who pays how much in taxes.  My contacts at the Treasury Department tell me that for the first time in decades, and perhaps ever, the richest 1% of tax filers will have paid more than 40% of the income tax burden.

One nation, not just speaking English  —  After a substantial speech decrying the current state of bankruptcy law in the United States, Barack Obama took a few questions from the audience in Powder Springs, Georgia on Tuesday morning.  One young woman asked whether there was anything …

Congress Feeling Pressure for Action on Oil Prices  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said anxiety over fuel oil costs is at crisis proportions in her state.  Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, said oil drilling advocates weighed in from the sidelines as she marched in a Fourth of July parade.

Outside groups pose McCain dilemma  —  Democrats say a group supporting Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) bought television ad time in Virginia that had been released by his campaign the same day, suggesting a possible connection between two groups that legally must remain separate.

Iran Test-Fires Missiles, Reports Say  —  PARIS — One day after threatening to strike Tel Aviv and United States interests if attacked, Iran's Revolutionary Guards were reported on Wednesday to have test-fired nine missiles, including one which Tehran claims has the range to reach Israel.

John McCain Thinks Social Security Is A “Disgrace”  —  On Monday, during a town hall in Denver, John McCain proposed a radical “fix” for the way Social Security is funded.  Responding to a questioner who claimed Social Security “will not be there” when current workers retire (which is wrong), McCain said this:

Ex-Rep. Condit loses a Chandra Levy defamation case  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge has thrown out former California Congressman Gary Condit's defamation lawsuit against author Dominick Dunne, extending the one-time lawmaker's costly courtroom losing streak over rumors of his relationship to murdered intern Chandra Levy.