> from the November 08, 2006 edition BACK HOME: Members of the US Marines First Batallion stand in formation at Fort Devens, Mass., after a seven-month tour of duty in Fallujah, Iraq. MARY KNOX MERRILL - STAFF Shift coming in US policy on Iraq 'Stay the course' and 'cut and run' aren't options. Speaking to 'axis of evil' neighbors may be. By Howard LaFranchi Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON - When the midterm elections are over, the Bush administration can get down to making tough calls in Iraq policy. With Republicans and Democrats alike calling for a new direction to American efforts in Iraq, the United States will proceed to new policies that will be neither a rabbit-out-of-the-hat redirection nor simply cosmetic tinkering, experts say. In other words, expect neither abrupt US withdrawal nor dogged insistence that current policies are working. Get all the Monitor's headlines by e-mail. . [ ] [ ] Among many options under consideration, these are the ones most likely to see the light of day, judging from lawmakers, experts, and steps the White House is already taking: A new diplomatic push to engage all of Iraq's neighbors - including Iran and Syria - to stabilize the country and help pull it back from the brink of full-blown civil war. More insistence that the Iraq...
