By JOHN E MULLIGAN The Democratic presidential candidate concedes that the troop surge he opposed reduced the level of violence, but notes that Iraqi leaders also favor a U.S. troop withdrawal by 2010. WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's talks with U.S.

By The Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq said Saturday that al- Qaida's network in the country has never been closer to defeat, and he praised Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for his moves to rein in Shiite and Sunni militant groups.

By Will Lester Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The growing cost to the United States of fighting the war in Iraq "is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it," a Democratic congressman said Saturday. Rep.

Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker proffered the U.S. Congress a stay-the-course plan for the Iraq war this week, Rep. John Yarmuth says. The Kentucky congressman said during Saturday's weekly Democratic radio address that the top U.S. military leader in Iraq and U.S.

WASHINGTON _ The hours of congressional testimony, the speeches and the press conferences this week were all, nominally, about Iraq. But another, equally explosive question _ what to do about Iran _ loomed over the presentations by Army Gen.