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An Army of More

By Daniel PolitiPosted Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, at 5:01 AM ET

(Continued from page 1)

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The papers mention one of Iraq's vice presidents said the Bush administration has made the creation of a new political coalition a top priorities. Tariq Hashimi said Bush and other senior officials told him that, for now, this new coalition is "the only solution we have" to strengthen the country's central government.

Meanwhile, a congressional delegation led by Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman arrived in Baghdad to meet with U.S. and Iraqi officials. McCain reiterated his call for more boots on the ground and, according to the NYT, said military commanders are currently discussing the possibility of sending as many as 35,000 more troops to Iraq.

The NYT notes a suicide bomber killed four civilians in Afghanistan yesterday.

The NYT fronts word out of the Homeland Security Department that the United States is giving up on efforts to track visitors and determine whether they actually leave the country. Officials say creating the program with the existing equipment would be too expensive and reports say it will take anywhere from five to 10 years before new technology is created.

The NYT fronts, and everyone else mentions, the New Jersey legislature voted to allow same-sex unions. Lawmakers had a mandate from the state's highest court to come up with a system that would allow gay couples to have the same rights as heterosexuals. The move was criticized both by gay rights advocates, who complain the law doesn't go far enough, and by conservative groups.

The WP fronts, and the LAT goes inside, with news that Israel's Supreme Court upheld the military's use of "targeted killings" of Palestinian militants. The court, which ruled on the controversial topic for the first time, said the military should take extra care to make sure civilian deaths are minimized. In addition, the court also said an independent judicial review should follow each operation and recommended that the military compensate civilians who are caught in the crossfire.

Everybody mentions Israel blocked Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh from entering the Gaza Strip with $35 million. After a long standoff, Haniyeh was allowed through, but only after he left the money with Hamas officials in Egypt. Palestinians say the money is desperately needed to pay salaries, but Israel insists the money would be used to fund terrorist attacks.

The NYT fronts, and everyone else mentions, a long-awaited investigation in Britain concluded Princess Diana's death was a "tragic accident."

The LAT fronts, and everyone mentions, the death of Ahmet Ertegun, who co-founded Atlantic Records and was responsible for supporting and shaping the careers of some of the biggest names in music. He made his name with such acts as Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, and Aretha Franklin. Ertegun died as a result of a brain injury he suffered when he fell backstage at a Rolling Stones concert on Oct. 29. "Few people have had a bigger impact on the record industry than Ahmet," said David Geffen. Ertegun was also a founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was 83. Slate interviewed Ertegun last year.

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