Howard: Pulling Iraq troops a defeat

Withdrawing foreign troops from Iraq before domestic forces can handle the country's security would weaken the authority of the United States around the world, Australia's leader said Wednesday. Australia, which sent troops to join the U.S.-invasion on Iraq in 2003 and has about 1,300 troops in and around the country, has been drawn into the debate about whether Washington should shift its Iraq war policy, as bloodshed and instability continue to rage. Full Story