President Bush said today that extending the stay of 3,200 American troops in Afghanistan would help combat an anticipated spring offensive by the Taliban.
With President Bush unable to get much traction so far in moving his agenda through Congress or in improving his job-approval ratings with the public, White House advisers are casting about for ways to jump-start his final two years, including issuing executive orders to get things done without having to ask for support from the Democratic-controlled Congress.
AP - U.S. and Iraqi forces pushed deeper Thursday into Sunni militant strongholds in Baghdad where cars rigged with explosives greeted their advance while British-led teams in southern Iraq used shipping containers to block suspected weapon smuggling routes from Iran.
AP - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Bush lacks the authority to invade Iran without specific approval from Congress, a fresh challenge to the commander in chief on the eve of a symbolic vote critical of his troop buildup in Iraq.
AP - National Guardsmen in Humvees ferried food, fuel and baby supplies Thursday to hundreds of motorists stranded on a 50-mile stretch of highway for nearly a day by a monster storm blamed for 15 deaths.
Iraqi police have wounded the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq and killed his top aide, a spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry told CNN Thursday. The spokesman said Iraqi police have the body of the aide but he would not comment on if Abu Ayyub al-Masri was captured. The U.S. military has so far made no comment on the report. CNN has not independently confirmed the report.
The slump in home prices was both deeper and more widespread than ever in the fourth quarter, according to a trade group report Thursday. Year-over-year, it was the biggest drop on record, said the National Association of Realtors. But David Lereah, the group's chief economist indicated the worst may be over. "When we get the figures for this spring, I expect to see a discernable improvement in both sales and prices."