Strikes Are Called Part of Broad Strategy  —  U.S., Israel Aim to Weaken Hezbollah, Region's Militants  —  Israel, with U.S. support, intends to resist calls for a cease-fire and continue a longer-term strategy of punishing Hezbollah, which is likely to include several weeks of precision bombing in Lebanon …

VIDEO: Rice Calls Idea That Iraq War Contributed To Regional Instability 'Grotesque'  —  Today on ABC's This Week, George Stephanopoulos pointed out that the Bush administration repeatedly promised that war in Iraq would bring peace and stability to the Middle East.

Iran calls Western incentives acceptable  —  TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Sunday that Western incentives to halt its nuclear program were an "acceptable basis" for talks, and it is ready for detailed negotiations.  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice responded that Iran should talk directly …

Dean raps Bush on defense  —  Democratic chairman speaks at conference  —  Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean accused President Bush last night of being weak on national defense and absent in the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

The Real Agenda  —  It is only now, nearly five years after Sept. 11, that the full picture of the Bush administration's response to the terror attacks is becoming clear.  Much of it, we can see now, had far less to do with fighting Osama bin Laden than with expanding presidential power.

A Beautiful Friendship?  —  In search of the truth about the Israel lobby's influence on Washington  —  All David Ben-Gurion wanted was 15 minutes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's time.  —  Israel's founding father, one of the indomitable political leaders of the 20th century …

The problem with presidential signing statements  —  a law professor at the University of Chicago  —  Recently, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter, held a hearing about "presidential signing statements."  Shortly thereafter, the Supreme Court issued …

Yes, It Really Is Brain Surgery  —  Be nice to the man with the holes in his head  —  Like NASA before the first moon landing, I have been soliciting advice about what to say when I wake up from brain surgery.  That's right, brain surgery—it's a real conversation stopper, isn't it?

Bomber kills 26 at cafe in northern Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber detonated explosives Sunday inside a cafe packed with Shiites in northern Iraq, killing 26 people and injuring 22, an Iraqi general said.  Gunmen seized a top Oil Ministry official, the second major kidnapping in as many days.

Amid War, Some Violence May Be Personal  —  From a Squad of Nine, Six Are Charged in Crimes Against Iraqis, and Three Are Dead  —  On March 12, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl was raped, and she and her father, mother and sister were gunned down in their home.  —  Three months later, three U.S. soldiers were slain by insurgents.