Iraq

(Newser) - The will-he-won’t-she dance of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is drawing all the attention, but, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal , that’s not the most important Cabinet pick. Instead we ought to watch whether Obama does the right thing and asks Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stick around. “He is a bipartisan figure of respect—truly an object of across-the-board admiration,” Noonan writes. More »

(Newser) - Discussion of the security deal between the US and Iraq deteriorated into a shouting match between members of the Iraqi parliament today, the New York Times reports. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the measure next week, but could not get through a reading of the agreement today before an opposition lawmaker allegedly physically attacked the speaker. More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton would probably do a good job as secretary of State, but giving her the post would be a mistake, writes David Broder in the Washington Post. “It’s not the best use of her talents, and it’s certainly not the best fit for this president.” Obama needs a diplomat to carry out his will, “an agent, not an author.” More »

(Newser) - After years of destabilizing violence, Baghdad has a commuter train again, the LA Times reports. For about a month, the “Baghdad Metro,” as employees call it, has made two complete trips around the city in the morning and afternoon for the benefit of working Iraqis who have to suffer through traffic choked by checkpoints and convoys. More »

(Newser) - One of Britain's most respected judges struck out last night against the invasion of Iraq, which he declared illegal and worthy of a "world vigilante." Thomas Bingham, who held the UK's equivalent post to chief justice, used his first speech since retirement to decry "a serious violation of international law and the rule of law." More »

(Newser) - After the invasion of Iraq, the American transitional administration installed dozens of anticorruption officials to bring order to the nation's bureaucracy. But in recent months the Iraqi government has systematically fired these inspectors without making any public announcement, reports the New York Times . Only recently a senior Iraqi official testified before Congress that $13 billion in American investment has been lost in Iraq to fraud, embezzlement, and waste. More »