Morning Brief, Friday, May 26

Breaking: Hayden confirmed as CIA chief. 

Bush/Blair:

They may be the duo in descent, but rare admissions of missteps emerged from last night's press conference:

[I]n an unusual admission of a personal mistake, Mr. Bush said he regretted challenging insurgents in Iraq to "bring it on" in 2003, and said the same about his statement that he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." … He went on to say that the American military's biggest mistake was the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, where photographs of detainees showed them in degrading and abusive conditions. "We've been paying for that for a long period of time," Mr. Bush said, his voice heavy with regret.

Mr. Blair, whose approval levels have sunk even lower than Mr. Bush's, said he particularly regretted the broad decision to strip most members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party of their positions in government and civic life in 2003, leaving most institutions in Iraq shorn of expertise and leadership.

Here's the WaPo and the Times of London on the same.

Iraq:

This could be very, very bad. Iraqi civilians may have been "methodically" killed by Marines in the insurgent-plagued city of Haditha last fall. The NYT has Republican Congressman John Kline – a retired Marine colonel – calling the incident an "atrocity," while the WaPo quotes Rep. John Murtha as saying two dozen civilians have been killed "in cold blood."

Iran:

Read both and then decide. Ignatius thinks the moment has come to talk with Iran:

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian analyst with the International Crisis Group, noted in Senate testimony last week that opinion polls show 75 percent of Iranians favor relations with the United States. "Embarking on a comprehensive dialogue with Iran would provide the U.S. with the opportunity to match its rhetorical commitment to Iranian democracy and human rights with action," Sadjadpour said. He's right.

Krauthammer thinks talking is for dummies, calling direct talks an "obvious trap":

[The mullahs] know, and fear, that if the West persists on its present and agreed course, they face sanctions so serious that their rule, already unpopular, might be in jeopardy. The very fact that Iran is desperately trying to change the subject, change the venue and shift the burden onto the United States shows how close the mullahs believe we are to achieving major international pressure on them.

Thousands flee Mogadishu in the worst fighting in a decade. Hamas withdraws its security force in Gaza with the aim of reducing the Fatah-Hamas tension. Uribe is the frontrunner for Sunday's election in Colombia. More violence in Chad as Darfur hostilities spill across the border.

The immigration bill passes the Senate and Vicente Fox calls it a "monumental step forward." Maoist rebels and the Nepalese government begin talks to end the insurgency. The source of HIV is found in wild chimps. Sixty percent of college-age Americans can't find Iraq on a map – and half can't find New York state.