Lawyers Defend Marines in [Haditha] Raid (LAT)

Attorneys for Marines being investigated for possible war crimes in the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha said Sunday that their clients did nothing wrong and were following the military's rules on how to combat armed insurgents hiding inside homes.

Details on Detainee Suicides Emerging (LAT)

With the U.S. detention camp for terrorism suspects under renewed scrutiny, a top U.S. general arrived here Sunday to review the investigation into the first three deaths at the 4 1/2 -year-old facility.

Commander Says U.S. Likely to Shrink Its Numbers in Iraq (LAT)

With the death of militant leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, the U.S. will seek to press its advantage against Al Qaeda in Iraq, even as it probably will draw down American forces in the months to come, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Sunday.

Gen. George W. Casey's comments on Sunday news shows underscored tension in the military's position. The U.S. suddenly finds itself with a chance to build on its blow against Al Qaeda in Iraq while taking advantage of the stability offered by Iraq's new government to reduce the U.S. presence.

Rice's Offer to Iran Spurs Unease From Right (LAT)

While the Bush administration's offer to negotiate with Iran was winning praise from many quarters, conservative commentator Michael Ledeen sat down last week to write a column with a far different point of view.

Under the title "Is Bill Clinton Still President?" Ledeen compared President Bush's conditional offer to Iran to the Clinton administration's "appeasement" of North Korea in the 1990s.

Adviser Has President's Ear as She Keeps Eyes on Iraq (NYT)

At the end of each day, President Bush gets a three-to-four-page memo from the National Security Council staff about developments over the previous 24 hours in Iraq. The document, said to be written in the crisp, compelling style that the president prefers, can cover a range of issues — the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, new nominees for cabinet posts or the progress, or lack of it, in ending the three-year insurgency. The person responsible for the memo is someone who is largely unknown outside the administration, but who colleagues say is instrumental in shaping Mr. Bush's views: Meghan L. O'Sullivan, the 36-year-old deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, and the most senior official working on those nations full time at the White House.

Smoke of Iraq War 'Drifting Over Lebanon' (WaPo)

The war in Iraq has generated some of the most startling images in the Middle East today: a dictator's fall, elections in defiance of insurgent threats and carnage on a scale rarely witnessed. Less visibly, though, the war is building a profound legacy across the Arab world: fear and suspicion over Iraq's repercussions, a generation that casts the Bush administration's policy as an unquestioned war on Islam, and a subterranean reserve of men who, like Abu Haritha, declare that the fight against the United States in Iraq is a model for the future.

Karzai to Arm Afghan Tribesmen In Bid to Stem Taliban Attacks (WaPo)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that his government would give weapons to local tribesmen so they could help fight the biggest surge in Taliban violence in years. . . . Speaking to a group of tribal elders from eastern Afghanistan, Karzai said he did not want to form militias that could clash with rival tribes. . . Western diplomats briefed on the plan expressed concern that the effort could fuel factional fighting by arming forces loyal to warlords with long histories of factional disputes.

And finally,

A Time and a Place (NYT Op-Ed)

As a daughter of the fallen and a friend to families of today's casualties, I implore antiwar protesters to show some respect. March to the steps of Congress and the White House. Shout your protests at the president who drummed up this war. But grant some peace to the men and women trying to heal in our military hospitals, and the families grieving at funerals and memorials. Haven't we earned a moment of silence?