PREPPING THE BATTLESPACE  —  One of the lessons America, and the world, drew from the lightning campaigns of Gulf Wars I & II was the importance of battlesplace preparation.  That is, the conditioning of the battlefield's environment prior to initiating full scale military operations.

In an About-Face, Sunnis Want U.S. to Remain in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 16 — As sectarian violence soars, many Sunni Arab political and religious leaders once staunchly opposed to the American presence here are now saying they need American troops to protect them from the rampages …

The Terrible Ifs Accumulate  —  The Washington Post writes: … Commentary  —  These goals are consistent with the military activity being reported, which resembles an air/sea campaign designed to degrade enemy assets in preparation for a large ground attack.  Not just a raid, but an attack far larger in scope.

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 Fighters and the Freeloaders  —  Before things can turn a corner in the Middle East, we need the diplomatic equivalent of electric-shock therapy.  We may need $100 oil to jolt the Europeans and the Chinese.  We may need the Russians to be told that they can forget joining the World Trade Organization.

'Great Men' have grating effect on Mideast  —  I was on the road the other night and so found myself watching CNN's coverage of Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, etc.  It was "Larry King Live," and it was one of those shows where Larry interviews great men about what needs to be done and the great men …

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 …

A New Alliance Of Democrats Spreads Funding  —  But Some in Party Bristle At Secrecy and Liberal Tilt  —  An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks …

U.S. Evacuation Teams Arrive in Lebanon  —  U.S. security teams landed at the American embassy just outside Beirut on Sunday to plan the evacuation of some of the estimated 25,000 U.S. citizens living in war-torn Lebanon.  —  Witnesses said two helicopters flew in from over the Mediterranean …