No definitive estimate exists on the number of Iraqi civilians who have died from violence, largely because of the politically charged nature of the war.

Some U.S. analysts recommend a national ID database with biometric cards to identify insurgents in Iraq, but the proposal faces resistance from the U.S. military.

Timothy Samuel Shah, a scholar on religious issues, says that when Pope Benedict XVI makes his first visit to the United States as pope, it will give Americans their first chance to hear firsthand hi…