In a major scoop, The New York Times reports on the plans of the Marines in Iraq. In short, they want out. While the Washington Post looks at the rumblings between Iraq and Turkey as well as attempts by the army to get its officers to stay put. There's not a single theme to today's coverage, reflecting a relatively quiet spell in Iraq, but the Times' Marine story's a big one.

The Times' Thom Shanker lands the lead story with big news: the Marine Corps is pushing to leave the Iraq War in the Army's hands while they go off to Afghanistan. The idea was raised at a session of the Joint Chiefs last week, and it's getting some favorable response from both Army and Marine commanders. As Shanker notes, "the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House last month endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq." But it also means American forces will be in Iraq "for years to come." Iraq has 25,000 Marines. Afghanistan has no major Marine units. But there are 26,000 U.S. troops there. There is some support within the Army for the plan, because it would not be fighting two wars now and it could simplify troop rotations. The Marines could bring an integrated Marine task force with combat aircraft, infantry and armored vehicles to a war with considerably more...

On the eve of the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the Fitr religious holiday, security personnel belonging to an Australian security contractor killed two Iraqi women in central Baghdad. The incident, as described by al-Quds al-'Arabi, took place when a convoy consisting of four SUVs shot and killed two Christian women who were driving through the Karrada district. The driver apparently panicked when the convoy’s security threw a smoke grenade towards her car as a warning, she failed to stop by the curbside, and bullets ripped through the car killing her and the fellow passenger. According to the paper, a member of the security detail went out of his SUV and started shooting at the car.

The incident seems consistent with a pattern of killings involving private security firms and the security personnel of Iraqi politicians and foreign diplomats: “failing” to follow the directions of security convoys within seconds, or driving “dangerously” close to the armored vehicles which traverse the streets...

Riding on the success of winning the $592-million Baghdad deal to build the largest diplomatic compound in the world, First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting last year partnered up with the Rockville, MD-based Grunley Walsh LLC to bid on other US embassy and consulate building contracts in other countries.

In September 2006, the wedding bore fruit,...