user: News: This is a negative only if there aren't enough converted tuning in. In "All the President's Men," Deep Throat's advice was to "Follow the money." In TV, the best advice is to "Follow the ratings." If they're high enough, networks will forgive or overlook almost anything. When they dip, as Beck's have recently -- losing almost 1 million viewers in one year, when total viewership at his peak was less than 3 million -- networks can afford to make decisions based on other factors.

Behind the scenes, stories circulated that both Beck and Olbermann could be tough to work with -- a common charge aimed at those with strong viewpoints and an eagerness to innovate.

In a way, things haven't changed much since the '60s, when CBS, uncomfortable with the Smothers Brothers' increasingly political comedy and message on their popular prime-time variety series, fired them -- but only after ratings dipped considerably.

Beck's departure from Fox News seems more civil than Olbermann's parting with MSNBC, but in both cases, the networks appear almost grateful to be disconnecting their respective lightning rods.

But as one door closes, another opens. And what will matter most, to both Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann, is where that new door leads.

The Smothers Brothers never again enjoyed the same sort of clout, or anywhere near as popular a platform. (Their CBS audience, at its peak, was 10 times larger than Beck's, and even greater compared to Olbermann's).

Title: Are Glenn Beck's biggest days behind him?


News: Well, U.S. forward Edson Buddle will tell you that the fact that his father named him after Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, probably had a lot to do with the career path he has followed.

Now, Brazilian defensive midfielder Felipe Melo has told the BBC that he named his own son Lineker, after former England World Cup standout Gary Lineker, in the hopes that it will lead to great things for the boy

"I gave that name to my son because I find it very beautiful, different ... and an honor," he said. "He was a great player, a big name in the national team of England and in the history of the English national team."

That he was. Everyone remembers Diego Maradona leading Argentina to the World Cup in 1986, but not as many recall that it was Lineker who was the tournament's top scorer and golden boot winner with six goals.

He scored 48 goals in 80 games for England, including 10 in World Cup play, still an England record.

Somewhere in Brazil, a little Lineker could be dreaming of one day emulating his namesake.

Title: World Cup: Brazil's Felipe Melo picks a name with golden boot connections


News: In backing down on Tuesday, the Democratic leaders accepted an outcome that had appeared increasingly likely for weeks, particularly as Democrats became concerned that their defiance could be portrayed as indifference to the troops. But the Democrats have pledged to renew their fight this summer by seeking to attach timetables to subsequent war financing measures.

As late as last week the Democrats were still pursuing timelines in their negotiations with the White House, and the decision on Tuesday by Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Reid and other leaders to abandon them was not going over well with most antiwar lawmakers or with some activist groups that had argued that Democrats should seek to cut off money for the war.

“There has been a lot of tough talk from members of Congress about wanting to end this war, but it looks like the desire for political comfort won out over real action,” said Senator Russell D. Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, who was unsuccessful last week in his push for a withdrawal of combat troops by spring. “Congress should have stood strong, acknowledged the will of the American people, and insisted on a bill requiring a real change of course in Iraq.”

Other Democrats said they had no choice. “It was a concession to reality,” said Representative James P. Moran, Democrat of Virginia, who said he intended to oppose the war spending portion of the bill.

In an effort to appease antiwar Democrats, the party’s leaders plan to allow two votes in the House. One would provide the war money, and seems likely to be opposed by large numbers of Democrats. The other, separated out to allow more Democrats to vote in favor, would include popular measures that are also part of the package, including a minimum wage increase and $17 billion in added domestic and military spending.

The bills would then be combined into one and sent to the Senate, with the idea of getting the measure to the president by the weekend.

At the White House, officials said they were waiting for the actual language of the proposal. “We’re hopeful that discussions on the emergency war supplemental for the troops are nearing conclusion,” said a spokeswoman, Dana Perino.

Four Senate Democrats running for president sided with Mr. Feingold last week, but some said Tuesday that they could not say how they would vote on the new proposal without reviewing it. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, indicated that he had reservations.

“I am disappointed that there is no firm deadline in this version of the bill, because I believe that’s the only way to responsibly bring this war to an end,” Mr. Dodd said.

Senior Democratic officials said the final bill would probably be stripped of other features that Mr. Bush had previously resisted, including readiness standards that would have prevented troops from being returned to Iraq within one year of serving there or without adequate training and equipment unless Mr. Bush signed a waiver determining it was necessary.

The compromise legislation is far from a total victory for the president. It requires that the Iraqi government show progress on improving security and forging political unity. Mr. Bush has resisted Congressional intervention in the conduct of the war, and the benchmarks and new reporting requirements, which had strong Republican support in the Senate, represent new accountability in the eyes of many lawmakers. “We don’t have a veto-proof Congress,” Mr. Reid said. “But no one can say with any degree of veracity that we haven’t made great progress, and this bill is further proof of that.”

The measure would also force the White House and Congressional Republicans to accept significant new spending. Democrats say there is about $17 billion beyond the president’s initial request, with about $9 billion devoted to extra spending on military programs and health care, veterans’ health care and military base realignment. The remaining $8 billion goes to agriculture programs, additional Gulf Coast recovery efforts, children’s health care and other Democratic priorities. The minimum-wage increase will represent a domestic victory for Democrats.

“I think that it’s one thing to take care of the troops in Iraq, but it’s also something else to take care of their children, their spouses and their parents here at home,” said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House.

Republicans said many of their lawmakers in the House and Senate would be less than enthusiastic about the additional spending but were unlikely to scuttle the compromise.

“Many of our members are not going to be happy by the amount of spending beyond the core purpose of this supplemental, which was to fund the troops,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader. “It’s not a deal I personally would have made. But if we can prevail on the core portion of the bill, my guess is that it will pass.”

Lawmakers said the final version was still being negotiated with the White House and Republicans to make certain it was acceptable to both, but it was expected to be voted on in the House on Thursday. “I think we’re very close to having things tied down,” said Representative David R. Obey, Democrat of Wisconsin and chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

While Democrats were bruised by the veto fight and their decision to back away from the showdown, they believe they are slowly gaining ground. “I view this as the beginning of the end of the president’s policy on Iraq,” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Democrats Pull Troop Deadline From Iraq Bill. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Title:

assistant: Democrats Pull Troop Deadline From Iraq Bill