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WASHINGTON - Iraqi leaders will be hard pressed to craft a lasting political settlement or improve their security capabilities in the next year and a half, the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a report that raises new uncertainty about the prospect for withdrawing American troops. Months in the making, the collaborative assessment by 16 spy agencies says that growing and entrenched polarization between Shia and Sunni Muslims, inadequate Iraqi security forces, weak leaders, and the success of extremists' efforts to use violence to exacerbate the sectarian war all create a situation that will be difficult to improve. "We think it...

Dear Athletic Director and Coaches, The US Navy SEALs have been blessed with much, so much is expected from us. We are in Minneapolis to issue a fitness challenge, (the Navy SEAL Trident Challenge) to Men and Women 13 and over. The challenge is comprised of 5 events. Swimming, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and a run. Complete details can be found at www.tridentchallenge.com the challenge will be held this Sunday, 10 Dec at the U of M) The purpose of the event is fourfold. 1. The pursuit of excellence 2. Promoting physical fitness 3. Providing youth a challenge 4. Promoting athletics

There's already plenty of punditry about what went wrong. What did the president and the Republican Party do and when did they do it? Robert Novak summed up the consensus view of the Republican wipeout well, writing that "opposition to the war and the president had produced a virulent anti-Republican mood." My point of departure from most of the analysis that I've read would be to disagree that this election was about any single issue. I think this election was about trust. Trust is the glue that holds relationships together. The war, rather than being THE issue, was more a...

Staff Sgt. Anthony Loftus, a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, shared some MCRD discipline with one of yesterday's participants in the fifth annual Boot Camp Challenge. This year's turnout to run the three-mile obstacle course was the largest yet at 3,000. 60 drill instructors motivate runners At the Marine Corps Recruit Depot yesterday morning, a man with a long, gray ponytail ran toward the obstacle course, and into a drill instructor's line of sight. “HEY, WILLIE NELSON!” the drill instructor screamed. “YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT, WILLIE NELSOOOOON!” The ponytailed man ran off, and the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2006 -- Two Army combat veterans who both lost something dear in the war against terrorism say they are determined to keep on battling, and proving it as they prepare to run the Army 10-Miler race tomorrow. Left to right: Army Spc. James Stuck, Capt. Matthew Scherer and Spc. Joseph Keck meet the press at a Washington, D.C., suburban hotel Oct. 6. Stuck and Keck are Army combat veterans who both lost limbs in the war against terrorism. They will compete in the Missing Parts in Action team that’s competing in the Army-10-Miler race held here...

The black senator who could challenge Hillary By Alex Massie in Washington (Filed: 06/10/2006) A black senator with only two years in office has emerged as the outstanding star of the Democrats' campaign for next month's mid-term elections. Senator Barack Obama is bringing hope to Democrats Kenyan-born Barack Obama, 45, is already being touted as a challenger to Hillary Clinton for the party's presidential nomination. Another scenario sees him as Mrs Clinton's running mate, raising the possibility of a first female president and first black vice-president in one fell swoop in 2008. Mr Obama is disproving the adage that Washington...

'Cold cash' congressman facing challenge for seat8 other Dems on ballot seeking seat held by Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson Posted: September 23, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.M The fallout from an FBI investigation into allegations of bribery – and the $90,000 in cash allegedly recovered from his freezer – apparently has U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana, battling for his political future. Not only are there about a dozen challengers vying for his seat, which he's held since the early 1990s, but three of the state's former top Democrats have endorsed his chief opponent,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2006 – Though violence and crime continue to hinder progress, the challenge in Afghanistan isn’t military in nature, the commander of coalition forces serving in that country said here today. “The coalition, NATO and Afghan national security forces dominate wherever they encounter the enemy,” Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry said at a Pentagon news conference. “The critical task at this stage is strengthening the government of Afghanistan, developing the economy, and helping to build Afghan civil society.” The general acknowledged that terrorists, militant extremists, drug traffickers and a determined criminal element have hindered progress. “Their influence has...

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday called the view that President Bush has been perfect in fighting terrorism an illusion and urged Democrats to challenge the Bush administration's policies. "On the terrorism front, I'm happy to have that debate," the first-term Illinois senator said following a speech on energy at Georgetown University. "The notion that the president has led a flawless policy on terrorism is an illusion." Obama, mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate, said the nation is involved in "a war in Iraq that has vastly expanded the number of terrorist recruits, a deteriorating situation in...

Women graduates challenge Iran By Frances Harrison BBC News, Tehran The number of women graduating from Iran's universities is overtaking the number of men, promising a change in the job market and, with it, profound social change. In some subjects 70% of Iran's graduates are women Twenty postgraduate students are sitting in a plush modern classroom listening to a lecture on environmental management at the Islamic Azad University - a private institution with 1.6 million students across Iran. The room is darkened so the students can watch the lecturer's slide show comparing energy consumption around the world. Three quarters of...

WASHINGTON - Sen. Joe Lieberman's primary defeat Tuesday night came at the hands of Democratic voters angry over the war in Iraq and demanding that lawmakers stand up to President Bush rather than stand with him. It wasn't a polite message they sent their three-term senator, a former vice presidential running mate who fell to anti-war challenger Ned Lamont. It was an eviction notice, served by an electorate that has grown remarkably sour about the course their country is on. That makes the result both an opportunity and a challenge for Democrats nationally as they head into a fall campaign...

Families of soldiers killed in Iraq launch party to challenge ministers · More than 70 candidates to contest Labour seats· Bereaved to meet within two weeks to plan strategy Steve Boggan Saturday August 5, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Whenever news of British military deaths in the Middle East flashes on to their TV screen, Reg and Sally Keys become silent and you can see anxiety wash across their faces. This week has been particularly tough; three soldiers killed in Afghanistan, one in Iraq. Each time it happens, it reminds them of their son, Thomas, one of six royal military policemen...

LOS ANGELES A federal judge who previously invalidated a portion of the USA Patriot Act as too vague delayed a decision on a similar challenge to a post-Sept. 11 executive order Wednesday but indicated in a tentative ruling she was inclined to uphold wide powers asserted by President Bush under an anti-terror-financing law. U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins heard more than an hour of arguments from a lawyer for the Washington- based Center for Constitutional Rights and from a Department of Justice lawyer before delaying her final ruling to allow more briefs to be filed. In her tentative 41-page ruling,...

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 11, 2006 – Violence in southern Afghanistan is caused not just by militant extremists, but also by regional issues such as a lack of governance, the U.S. general in charge of coalition troops in Afghanistan said today. The Afghan government has not traditionally had strength and presence in certain provinces in southern Afghanistan, so the Taliban can easily gain strength, Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, commander of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan, told reporters in Tajikistan before boarding a flight here with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "It's not a question of the enemy being strong; it's very...

A judge is considering a challenge to an Arizona law creating the state crime of immigrant smuggling, an offense that has drawn about 100 prosecutions and is criticized because it has been used mostly on the customers of smugglers. Lawyers for nearly all of the first 48 immigrants charged under the 9-month-old law argued the Legislature never intended it to be used on their clients for paying someone to bring them into Arizona, the nation's busiest illegal entry point. They also called the law an unconstitutional attempt by the state to regulate immigration, a legal area they contend is under...

The Supreme Court's refusal Monday to consider a second lethal injection case suggests the justices are not ready to decide whether the drugs amount to cruel and unusual punishment, legal experts said. The denial was issued without comment, leaving court watchers to speculate over justices' reasons for rejecting an appeal by a Tennessee death-row inmate who claims lethal injection is unconstitutional. "The Supreme Court is plainly not ready to step into the lethal injection controversy yet," said Eric M. Freedman, a Hofstra University law professor. "It's kind of a puzzle," said Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal...

The Nextel All-Star Challenge is the proverbial table setter for a furious fortnight of action at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- a venue that made its name with special events. The race is set this year for Saturday night, May 20, and it's got the track's ringmaster, err, president and general manager, H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, as thrilled as ever. "The all-star race is my favorite race," Wheeler said. "I'm telling you, you talk about wild eyes and people? "You get down there before [the race], after that [Nextel] Open is done and the guys have already gone through the introductions and...

Mater Dei wins second straight gas mileage contest at IRP Indianapolis, April 25, 2006 - Evansville Mater Dei won its second straight Super Mileage Challenge at Indianapolis Raceway Park Monday, averaging more than 1,200 miles per gallon of gas. The car was designed, built and driven by its student team members. The contest was sponsored by the Indiana Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Alliance. Mater Dei won the stock class for the second straight year, improving its fuel efficiency by more than 200 miles per gallon from last year. Lafayette Harrison won the unlimited class, averaging almost 11-hundred miles per...

This week Iran presented the US with the ultimate challenge and Washington must now make a decision. Is it fighting to win? Since the September 11 jihadist attacks on the US mainland, President George W. Bush has stated repeatedly that the greatest threat to global security is the specter of rogue regimes and terror groups acquiring weapons of mass destruction. At his January 2002 State of the Union address, the president declared that the regimes of Iran, North Korea and Iraq comprised an axis of evil and a central goal — indeed the most crucial goal — of the US-led...

The Libertarian Party Washington has nominated Western Washington University instructor Bruce Guthrie to run against U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Guthrie, 42, a candidate for Congress in 2004, teaches marketing at the university in Bellingham. He also teaches ice speed skating. He can be reached at 360-647-5372 and spdsk8@aol.com. Party members also voted to get rid of its $25 annual membership fee to make it more accessible to voters, said Travis Wright, the party’s executive director. The party’s convention, which was held in Bremerton this past weekend, also delegated the power to nominate congressional candidates to its executive board, Wright...