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Arguing over who can best lead the nation in war, Sen John Kerry charges that Americans have been left with “this incredible mess in Iraq” while President George W Bush says US troops look at the Democratic challenger and wonder, “How can I follow this guy?” Both candidates were rushing back to the campaign trail on Friday trying to convince voters they each won their opening debate. From the first question on Thursday night, Kerry went on the offensive, accusing Bush of leaving US al...

U.S. and Iraqi forces tightened their grip on Samarra Saturday, pressing on with one of the largest offensives since the fall of Saddam Hussein to try to regain control of the rebel stronghold. A doctor at a hospital in the town, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad on the banks of the Tigris, said five more bodies had been brought in overnight, and 20 people were treated for wounds. It was not clear if they were civilians or fighters. More than 80 bodies were brought in Friday. O...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. television networks refused to play by rules restricting camera angles and reaction shots during the presidential debate and that may have given a boost to John Kerry, analysts said on Friday. In passing judgment on Thursday night's match-up, numerous commentators said President Bush came across as "annoyed," "exasperated" and generally less presidential than Kerry in many of the side-by-side shots of him reacting to the remarks of his foe. Indeed, Kerry s...

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. (AP) - Mount St. Helens, the volcano that blew its top with cataclysmic force in 1980, erupted for the first time in 18 years Friday, belching a huge column of white steam and ash after days of rumblings under the mountain. The noontime eruption cast a haze across the horizon as the roiling plume rose from the nearly 1,000-foot-tall lava dome, forcing Alaska Airlines to cancel flights and divert others around the ash. "It was such a thrill!" said Faye Ray, a re...