Senator Barack Obama said Thursday that he might ?refine? his plans for a phased withdrawal from Iraq, but later added that he was committed to withdrawing troops within 16 months of taking office.
For Michael E. O?Neill, who helped steer recent Supreme Court nominations through the confirmation process, there are signs that his nomination might be a difficult one as well.
On Thursday, three American officials in Washington, citing the sensitivity of the assistance, confirmed that the United States provided intelligence to support the operation.
AP - Democrat Barack Obama struggled Thursday to explain how his upcoming trip to Iraq might refine, but not basically alter, his promise to quickly remove U.S. combat troops from the war.
AP - The plan was nothing if not audacious: A turncoat persuades rebels to bring together their most prized hostages and march them 90 miles through Colombia's wilderness. A month later, disguised commandos primed with acting lessons land in a helicopter and trick the rebels into handing them over.
AP - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that a shake-up in the leadership of his campaign was part of a "natural evolution" as the organization becomes more national in scope.
A patient empowerment movement is under way, a researcher says, and many of its leaders are ordinary people. Armando and Victoria Nahum lost a son to a hospital infection and overcame their grief to help others avoid the same tragedy. Gilles Frydman watched his wife battle cancer and started a Listserv used by over half a million people.
The agents posed as guerrillas to infiltrate the rebel camp. Months later, they had enough power to order 15 hostages marched through the jungle to rendezvous with a helicopter, ostensibly to meet international figures. They spoke in code with the pilot and persuaded the real rebels to hand over their guns. Only then did an agent reveal his daring mission.
The uncle of a 12-year-old Vermont girl whose body was found yesterday faces kidnapping charges, a prosecutor says. Brooke Bennett's uncle, who could face the death penalty if convicted even without more charges, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting another child who told police she was recruited into a sex ring, court papers say.
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