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 …

GOP Convention Planners Want Bush Out of the Picture  —  Give the president a first-night speech, and then get him out of town before McCain arrives  —  Sen. John McCain's plans are gradually unfolding for the Republican National Convention in September as he tries to walk a tightrope between conflicting demands.

Iran missile test ratchets up regional tensions  —  Iran test-fired a missile capable of reaching Israel early this morning, as part of war games that escalate the sabre-rattling between the Islamic Republic and the West.  —  The new version of the Shahab-3 missile was one of nine medium …

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 …

Dallas County meeting turns racial  —  A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.  —  County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Obama Donors Aren't Rushing to Aid Clinton  —  A prominent donor to Senator Barack Obama recently sent an e-mail plea to other supporters, asking them — for the sake of Democratic unity — to write checks to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to help retire her $23 million in campaign debt.

Losing the Latino Vote  —  McCain's prospects don't look good.  —  PLENTY OF COMMENTATORS, including yours truly, argued during the Democratic primaries that Barack Obama had shown a weakness with Latino voters which could last through the general election and help John McCain on Election Day.

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.

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.

AFL-CIO aims to split vets from McCain  —  The AFL-CIO is launching a new television ad tomorrow in six states trying to deter union members who happen to be veterans from supporting Sen. John McCain, a decorated Navy fighter pilot who was shot down over Hanoi and held as a prisoner of war.

McCain Plan to Aid States on Health Could Be Costly  —  PIKESVILLE, Md. — If Senator John McCain's radical plan for remaking American health care is to work, he will have to find a way to cover people like Chaim Benamor, 52, a self-employed renovator in this Baltimore suburb.

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.”

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.

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.

Clinton, Bush Advisers Steeped in Crisis Join Forces  —  Penn and Hughes Also Have Sights Set on Comeback  —  WASHINGTON — Two hard-charging political operatives are teaming up to create a bipartisan consulting organization to advise corporations in crisis — as they work to burnish their own reputations as well.