Nasrallah vows to strike south of Haifa, says Israel chose 'all-out war'  —  Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah vowed Friday to strike Israeli targets south of Haifa, after an Israel Air Force attack left the group's headquarters in Beirut in ruins.  —  The group was quick to announce …

Taking A Stroll Through The Garden Of Half-Truths  —  I've had a chance to review the lawsuit filed on behalf of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson, and it has an amusing take on reality that I heartily recommend to all interested parties.  Quite frankly, the defense will have a delightful time if this ever gets to court.

Fighting back against the PR presidency  —  The Summer 2006 issue of Nieman Reports is about 'Reflections on Courage.' Veteran Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus thinks that Washington editors and reporters should be brave enough not to cover any statements made by the president …

Stabbed in the Back!  —  The past and future of a right-wing myth … —Hagen to Siegfried  —  Die Götterdämmerung  —  Every state must have its enemies.  Great powers must have especially monstrous foes.  Above all, these foes must arise from within, for national pride does …

BREAKING: DNC'S VOTING RIGHTS INSTITUTE ISSUES STATEMENT CALLING FOR 'MANUAL COUNT' OF ALL BALLOTS IN BUSBY/BILBRAY ELECTION!  —  Filed by Brad Friedman from San Diego...  In a harshly worded statement, the DNC's Voting Rights Institute has issued a statement condeming the adminstration …

Poll: Americans want Democrats in power  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans are in jeopardy of losing their grip on Congress in November.  With less than four months to the midterm elections, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold …

Lieberman has $4.3 million for re-election bid  —  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, facing a strong Democratic primary challenge, said Friday he has nearly $4.3 million cash on hand for his re-election campaign.  —  Lieberman raised $1.3 million in the three-month period ending June 30 …

Valerie Wilson Press Conference  —  Valerie and Joseph Wilson held a press conference this morning to announce the civil suit against Cheney, Rove and Libby.  —  Valerie: I am proud to have served my country by working at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Story of 'Joe's dead intern' began Harris' slide, insiders say  —  When Katherine Harris attacked a TV pundit, insiders say the incident revealed the depth of problems with her campaign — which was hit again by six staff departures.  —  mcaputo@herald.com

Watching Finances Of Terror Suspects Discussed in 2002  —  At a House subcommittee hearing five months after the Sept. 11 attacks, plans were openly discussed to give the government a highly secure, real-time electronic capability to request and receive data from financial institutions …

Triumph of the authoritarians  —  CONTEMPORARY CONSERVATISM and its influence on the Republican Party was, until recently, a mystery to me.  The practitioners' bludgeoning style of politics, their self-serving manipulation of the political processes, and their policies that focus narrowly …

A new intolerance visits Provincetown  —  Police say gays accused of slurs  —  PROVINCETOWN — Town leaders here are holding a public meeting today to air concerns about slurs and bigoted behavior.  And this time, they say, it's gay people who are displaying intolerance.

Baghdad starts to collapse as its people flee a life of death  —  As I hung up the phone, I wondered if I would ever see my friend Ali alive again.  Ali, The Times translator for the past three years, lives in west Baghdad, an area that is now in meltdown as a bitter civil war rages between Sunni insurgents and Shia militias.

Now Show Me Yours  —  By Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania  —  Two weeks ago, my editor here at CampusProgress.org, our daily web magazine, asked me if I would like to cover the Young America's Foundation (YAF) National Conservative Student Conference, set for July 30 to August 5 in Washington.

The Specter Bill's Major Shift in Constitutional Authority to Conduct Monitoring  —  I have read the Specter bill, and am most intrigued by Section 9 of the bill, which is titled "CLARIFICATION OF THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT OF 1978."  Interestingly, the Section is a "clarification" …