Saddam Hussein Losing Friends

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Ally's Adieu
Saddam Hussein has lost his most important Kurdish ally. Jowhad Herki, chief of the Herki tribe that has supported Saddam since the 1960s, has defected to Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. And the Financial Times reports the chief has several thousand loyal fighters, whose loyalty to Saddam may now also be in doubt. As Kurdish leader Hoshyar Zebari said, "This is a major development that shows that they are abandoning the sinking ship. It will have a major influence on other tribal leaders to close ranks because they have nothing to hope for from Saddam."

Softening Stance?
Although a majority of British citizens oppose a war in Iraq, that anti-war stance seems to be softening. According to a survey published in Britain's Sunday Times, 60 percent of Britons disagree with their country's participation in a war unless a new U.N. motion is passed. But at the end of January, that number was 73 percent. In addition, the survey said 32 percent of Britons would approve a war in those circumstances, up from 20 percent in late January.

Playing Hooky on the Hill
North Carolina Sen. John Edwards missed a series of votes last week, including votes on the banning of partial-birth abortion -- a measure Edwards says he opposed, and a measure that ultimately passed. Edwards' campaign secretary said, "There are going to be times when he misses votes, but his first priority is representing North Carolina." So then where was he during the votes? He was on a fund-raising trip for his run at the presidency.

Kaptur-ing an Apology
After remaining unapologetic last week for comparing our nation's revolutionaries with Usama bin Laden and other members of Al Qaeda, Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur has now offered an apology, of sorts. Following nearly two weeks of backlash, Kaptur last Friday told a veterans of foreign wars crowd that her words were twisted and that people read the twist, not what she said. She added, "Due to the political nature of what happened with my original statements, if my remarks have hurt anyone, I'm sorry."