3 soldiers killed, 2 seized in Hezbollah border strike  —  Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and two others were abducted Wednesday morning in an attack by guerillas from the militant Hezbollah organization.  —  The militants attacked two IDF armored Hummer jeeps patrolling along …

Justice Department Lawyer To Congress: 'The President Is Always Right'  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday heard testimony from Steven Bradbury, head of the Justice Department's office of legal counsel.  When questioned by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on whether the President's interpretation …

Nation's Capital Declares Crime Emergency  —  Two groups of tourists were robbed at gunpoint on the National Mall, just hours after the police chief declared a crime emergency in the city in response to a string of violence that included the killing of a British activist.

Death toll in Bombay attacks rises to 200  —  BOMBAY, India - The death toll from a series of bombs that struck Bombay's packed commuter trains rose Wednesday to 200, and India demanded that Pakistan dismantle the "infrastructure of terrorism," but leveled no direct accusation at its rival for the attacks.

Right-wing tempter tantrums - Hamdan and illegal eavesdropping  —  (updated below)  —  Two matters to note:  —  (1) My post yesterday concerning the hypocrisy and inconsistency of those right-wing bloggers who self-righteously milked the Epic "Deb Frisch" Controversy for all it was worth …

Online Venture Seeks To Elevate the Debate  —  Civility Is In, Rancor Out on Web Site Begun by Democratic, GOP Strategists  —  A group of political strategists who have spent years firing heavy artillery at each other came together at the Hay-Adams Hotel yesterday, put aside their weapons …

Disgusting: DCCC Uses Dead Soldiers to Raise Money  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a new fundraising pitch going out.  It uses September 11th and our troops to raise money.  But, instead of using those images to show Democrats would be tougher on terrorists …

Iraq gunmen seize 24 people, killing 20  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen attacked a bus station Wednesday in a volatile town northeast of Baghdad, kidnapping two dozen people and killing all but four, authorities said, while a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant in the capital.

Dawn Over Tokyo  —  Sixty-one years after the end of World War II, Japan is on the verge of becoming a mature, responsible democracy.  —  Once Japan's troops raped and murdered their way across China, enslaved women as prostitutes for their soldiers, and starved, beat and worked Allied POWs to death.

Nations sending Iran to Security Council  —  PARIS - World powers agreed Wednesday to send Iran back to the United Nations Security Council for possible punishment, saying the clerical regime has given no sign it means to negotiate seriously over its disputed nuclear program.

Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal  —  Logistics Contract to Be Open for Bidding  —  The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply …

Gorbachev: 'Americans Have a Severe Disease'  —  15 Years After Being Deposed From Power, Former Leader Discusses Russia, U.S.  —  July 12, 2006 — Mikhail Gorbachev is generally regarded as the man who broke down the "iron curtain" that separated the communist world from the West and thawed …

Chances of Voting Rights Act renewal dim  —  WASHINGTON - A conservative backlash to the massive street demonstrations over immigration is aggravating Republican leaders' carefully orchestrated plans to renew the landmark Voting Rights Act before the fall elections.