The Good News Is:

Senior al-Qaeda member caught in Afghanistan - 13 Nov 2006 at 6:25am - A senior member of al-Qaeda has been arrested in southeastern Afghanistan by U.S. and Afghan forces, according to a Afghan provincial police chief.

The bad news is:

Insurgent activity rising in Afghanistan - 13 Nov 2006 at 6:37am - Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has risen fourfold this year, and militants now launch more than 600 attacks a month, a rising wave of violence that has resulted in 3,700 deaths in 2006, a bleak new report released Sunday found.

Bush meets members of group on Iraq - 13 Nov 2006 at 1:22pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush cautioned Democrats wanting to reduce the U.S. troop presence in Iraq to consider conditions on the ground as he met on Monday with a bipartisan group expected to offer a plan for changing course in Iraq.

I think conditions on the ground may be part of what makes people want to reduce the U.S. troop presence.

Iraq allies urge Bush to turn to Iran, Syria - 13 Nov 2006 at 2:54pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush, searching for a new approach in Iraq, expressed little enthusiasm on Monday for seeking Syrian and Iranian help to calm Iraq as he also cautioned Democrats against quick U.S. troop reductions.

Engaging Syria and Iran would probably make sense. This probably wouldn't:

Bush calls for global isolation of Iran - 13 Nov 2006 at 1:08pm - WASHINGTON -- President Bush, responding to concerns Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert brought to the White House, called on Monday for worldwide isolation of Iran until it "gives up its nuclear ambitions."

Rumsfeld drops plan to go to NATO summit - 13 Nov 2006 at 1:00pm - WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has dropped plans to join President Bush at a NATO summit this month in Latvia, in light of his announced resignation, a Rumsfeld spokesman said Monday.

Pentagon lacks independent watchdog - 13 Nov 2006 at 3:06pm - WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has been without its chief watchdog for more than a year, even as the military spends billions of dollars a month in Iraq and controversy simmers over warrantless surveillance, missing weapons and friendly fire deaths.

Technorati Tags:
Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, Iraq policy