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U.S. Says Number Of Troops In Iraq Below 50,000
Reuters reports: “The U.S. military said on Tuesday it had cut the number of its troops in Iraq to below 50,000 ahead of an August 31 deadline set by President Barack Obama to end its combat missions. The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General Raymond Odierno, said troop numbers were at around 49,700 and would stay at that level for the next year ahead of a full withdrawal by the end of 2011 agreed in a bilateral security pact. ‘My planning is it will stay at that level through next summer,’ Odierno told reporters in Baghdad, adding that the timeline would give the U.S. Embassy the space it needed to take over tasks still being undertaken by the military.”

Iraq Troop Drawdown, Mideast Peace Talks Give Obama Risky Chance For Momentum
The Washington Post reports: “The White House faces a delicate messaging task next week as President Obama seeks to bring one foreign engagement to an end while making a new bid for American influence abroad. Obama’s return to Washington from 10 days in Martha’s Vineyard and a quick stop in New Orleans to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina will begin with an address to the nation marking the end of combat operations in Iraq. Days later, he will preside over the start of a new round of Middle East peace talks in Washington.”

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will unveil a report at 10:45 a.m. ET, on the impact of stimulus investments in innovation, science and technology. He will meet at 12:45 p.m. ET with Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will meet at 1:45 p.m. ET, with Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the incoming Commanding General of United States Forces in Iraq. At 3 p.m. ET, he will swear in Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Sherrod To Meet With Vilsack
Shirley Sherrod, the African-American former USDA employee who was forced to resign after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a selectively edited video of Sherrod that appeared to depict her as a racist, will meet today with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. To date, Sherrod has been publicly reluctant to accept Vilsack’s offer of a new job.

A 25-State Midterm Swing For Romney
The Boston Globe reports: “Mitt Romney, having met last weekend in New Hampshire with the staff of his 2008 presidential campaign, is preparing to embark on an aggressive schedule that will take him to more than 25 states in what is seen as a prelude to another possible White House bid. The two-month itinerary will launch a cycle of politicking for Republican midterm election candidates that will make Romney one of the nation’s most visible politicians in a year when he is not on the ballot.”

Scott Brown On Four-State Campaign Swing
Roll Call reports: “Sen. Scott Brown is scheduled to spend much of the final three weeks of the August recess on the road raising money for Republican Congressional candidates in a four-state campaign swing that will take him from his home state of Massachusetts to Illinois, California and beyond.”

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