White House spied on Iraq leaders

The Bush administration has spied on the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, and other senior figures in his government, the Washington Post reported today.

The claim is one of many in a new book by the paper's associate editor Bob Woodward, who with Carl Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal that led to Richard Nixon's resignation.

"The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008" is based on more than 150 interviews with key figures in the Iraq war as well two interviews with the president himself. The books paints a picture of Bush often at loggerheads with his military advisers and other officials.

Woodward says groundbreaking surveillance techniques - and not the much-trumpeted surge by 30,000 additional troops - were the main reason for the reduction in violence in Iraq over the past 16 months.

In 2006, Bush maintained publicly that US forces were winning, while privately believing the strategy of training Iraq security forces and transferring responsibility to the new government was failing, according to the Post.

Woodward says the president lost confidence in General George Casey, then the commander of coalition forces in Iraq, and General John Abizaid, who was the head of US central command.

Meet Todd Palin, Potentially America's First Second Man

If the McCain-Palin ticket Wins, Todd Palin Would Stand by Wife and VP Sarah Palin as First Second Dude

For a man well seasoned in dealing with the Alaskan back country, Todd Palin is still adjusting to the wilderness of Washington and the searing national spotlight that was thrust on him and his family when his wife, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, was tapped to be the first ever female Republican vice presidential nominee.

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Sarah Palin lawyers are accused of stalling Troopergate inquiry

Sarah Palin's lawyers were accused yesterday of trying to delay a potentially damaging inquiry into the Republican vice-presidential nominee until after the general election.

Nearly 125 Shot Dead In Chicago Over Summer

Chicago ― An estimated 123 people were shot and killed over the summer. That's nearly double the number of soldiers killed in Iraq over the same time period.

In May, cbs2chicago.com began tracking city shootings and posting them on Google maps. Information compiled from our reporters, wire service reports and the Chicago Police Major Incidents log indicated that 123 people were shot and killed throughout the city between the start of Memorial Day weekend on May 26, and the end of Labor Day on Sept. 1.

According to the Defense Department, 65 soldiers were killed in combat in Iraq. About the same number were killed in Afghanistan over that same period.

In the same time period, an estimated 245 people were shot and wounded in the city.

Soldiers' Suicide Rate On Pace to Set Record

Suicides among active-duty soldiers this year are on pace to exceed both last year's all-time record and, for the first time since the Vietnam War, the rate among the general U.S. population, Army officials said yesterday.

Ninety-three active-duty soldiers had killed themselves through the end of August, the latest data show. A third of those cases are under investigation by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner's Office. In 2007, 115 soldiers committed suicide.

Failed relationships, legal and financial troubles, and the high stress of wartime operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are the leading factors linked to the suicides, Army officials said.