Iraq

(AP) "Walid Hassan's slaying came as the Iraqi death toll rose to more than 1,300 for the first 20 days of November — the highest for any month since The Associated Press began tracking the figure in April 2005..... The actual totals are likely considerably higher...."

(LATimes) "At least 140 people were reported killed around the country Monday, according to Iraqi security forces, witnesses and other sources." (60 bodies found in Baghdad. Or 75 - AP.)

(Al Jazeera) "We are in a state of war and in war all measures are permissible," Abd al-Qader Jassim, Iraq's defence minister, said on Monday."

(AP) Maliki blames Iraq's problems on politics, not a lack of security. (So, there's no need to go after the Shia militias....)

(Al Zaman, via Juan Cole) Running street battles in several districts of Baghdad.

And, the Maliki government and the Sunni run Education Ministry still cannot agree on how many were kidnapped last week. A joint newsconference was held,

"At the news conference -- delayed for three hours while the ministers met in private -- each pledged their commitment to tracking down the kidnappers. But when asked to simply say how many people were kidnapped, there was no agreement.

Both sides have political motivation to shade their numbers, but, seriously, if the two sides cannot agree upon a hard fact, ....?