Iraq's political leaders -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurd -- have begun what are bound to be long and arduous talks on the formation of a new government. That's a prime goal for the Bush administration in Iraq now, but there is no guarantee it will succeed.
At the center of the politicking is Iraq's Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani, who is positioning himself for a second term as head of state. Talabani says he's the best man for the job and optimistically predicts that the insurgency will be defeated this year.
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