The week in review

— Around the world

Military: Buildup worked

The U.S. military on Monday in Baghdad said the September decrease in the number of American troops and Iraqi civilians killed in the war to levels not seen in more than a year was at least partly a result of new strategies and 30,000 additional U.S. forces deployed this year. Meanwhile, a new report from Congress said employees of Blackwater USA have engaged in nearly 200 shootings in Iraq since 2005, in the vast majority of cases firing their weapons from moving vehicles without stopping to count the dead or assist the wounded. The report came as an FBI spokesman said the agency is sending a team to Iraq to investigate the role of the private security contractor in last month's shooting in Baghdad that killed at least eight Iraqis.

Ambush wounds envoy

An ambush of bombs and gunfire left Poland's ambassador pinned down in a burning vehicle Wednesday in Baghdad before the security firm Blackwater USA pulled him out and airlifted him to safety. At least three people were killed, including a Polish bodyguard, in the apparently well-planned attack in one of Baghdad's most secure neighborhoods. Poland's prime minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, said his nation would not retreat "in the face of terrorists." The diplomatic convoy was hit by three bombs, and then attackers opened fire in the Shiite-controlled Karradah district. Polish guards returned fire as the injured ambassador, Gen. Edward Pietrzyk, was pulled from his burningvehicle. At least 10 people, including four Polish security agents, were wounded.

Around the nationWar funding approved

Senate Democrats on Monday helped pass a defense-policy bill authorizing an additional $150 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 92-3 vote comes as the House planned to approve separate legislation today that requires President Bush to give Congress a plan for eventual troop withdrawals. Democrats lack the votes to pass legislation ordering troops home and are divided on whether to cut money for combat despite calls by some supporters to end the war. While the Senate policy bill authorizes the money to be spent, it does not guarantee it; Bush will have to wait until Congress passes a separate appropriations bill before war funds are transferred to military coffers.

Clinton raises the most

Hillary Rodham Clinton tapped 100,000 new donors and outpaced all other presidential candidates in the chase for campaign cash over the past three months. The New York senator raised $27 million in the quarter - $22 million for the primaries and $5 million for the general election - while other candidates fell victim to the traditional third-quarter dip in fundraising. For the first time, Clinton reported attracting more new donors in a quarter than her chief fundraising rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. And for the first time, she raised more primary election money than he did. "What this does is clearly solidify her position as the front-runnerin this race," said Glenn Totten, a Democratic consultant who isn't affiliated with a candidate.

Health care bill vetoed

President Bush on Wednesday vetoed a $35 billion expansion of children's health insurance, and Democratic leaders in Congress responded by launching an all-out effort to override his decision - although they face an uphill battle in the House. Bush has criticized the legislation as too costly and a step toward federalization of health care. He said that it would undermine private insurance by extending benefits to some middleclass families at the expense of the poor. "Poor kids first," Bush said later in explaining his decision. He has also questioned the decision by Congress to use tobacco taxes to pay for children's health care, saying cigarette taxes are not a reliable source of permanent funding, sincefewer people are smoking. Bush vetoed the bill in private just before leaving for a visit to Lancaster, Pa. The veto was only the fourth of his presidency. Bush advisers said they remain convinced that they can eventually secure an extension of the 10-year-old program with a less expensive price tag, saying they hope to soon open negotiations. But House Democratic leaders signaled they are not yet ready to bargain, delaying a vote to override the veto until Oct. 18 in hopes that a grass-roots campaign by health policy advocates and a barrage of television and radio advertisements will win over the 15 or so Republicans they will need to overcome Bush's opposition.

Around the stateAcxiom sale collapsesAcxiom Corp.'s proposed $3 billionsale to private investors has collapsed, leaving the company looking for a new leader, employees anxious and investors dumping shares. Problems ranging from the Little Rock-based data broker's poor quarterly performance to a troubled credit market that has threatened such debt-laden sales conspired to sink the deal. Acxiom's share price plummeted Monday by 19.7 percent on the Nasdaq stock exchange to $15.89, down $3.90. The stock has not traded that low since 2003. The stock has fallen from a 52-week high of $28.25 during trading May 30, about two weeks after the May 16 buyout announcement. The wouldbe buyers, ValueAct Capital Partners and Silver Lake Partners, had proposed to pay shareholders $27.10 per share upon closing the deal, which would have made Acxiom a private company. The private firms refused to comment on the failed deal.

Perspective, Pages 96 on 10/07/2007

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