Bush Curses Hezbollah During G8 Luncheon  —  It wasn't meant to be overheard.  Private luncheon conversations among world leaders, picked up by a microphone, provided a rare window into both banter and substance _ including President Bush cursing Hezbollah's attacks against Israel.

Series of rockets strike towns across the north  —  Hezbollah fired more than 50 rockets at Israel on Monday, including a barrage which landed after 10 P.M. in the northern towns of Safed, Rosh Pina, Tzivon, Sakhnin, Hatzur Haglilit and Peki'in.  —  Five people were wounded in the rocket barrage …

Bush caught off-guard in chat with Blair  —  President: 'They need ... to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s___'  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CNN) — An open microphone caught President Bush in an unguarded moment Monday as the escalating crisis in the Middle East prompted him to use …

Bush & Blair Raw & Uncut  —  A fascinating conversation between Tony Blair and George Bush has been caught by the microphones at the G8, when the two men didn't think they were being overheard.  It tells us a lot about the relationship between the two men, about the US-UK special relationship and the two men's views on the Middle East.

Things That Make Me Proud To Be A Journalist  —  If I were crafting a parody of the political media's decline, I could hardly construct a better set piece than today's reportage.  A live mic at the G8 Summit caught Tony Blair and George Bush talking privately about the conflict in Lebanon.

Arab world fed up with Hizbullah  —  With the exception of the Palestinians, the Arab world appears to be united in blaming Iran and Syria for the fighting in Lebanon.  Until last week, Arab political analysts and government officials were reluctant to criticize Hizbullah in public.

Olmert: Our enemies misjudged us  —  PM addresses Knesset plenum regarding fighting in north: 'Israel didn't ask for these confrontations, but there were those who interpreted our will for peace as a sign of weakness,' he says  —  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert addressed the Knesset plenum Monday regarding …

Bush: Lean on Syria  —  I cobbled the Bush-Blair exchange on Israel and Lebanon, accidentally caught at the G8 on mike, together fromWaPo and ABC News. … So, the whole blow-up is Syria's fault, for putting Hizbullah up to making mischief.  No reference to Israeli actions in Gaza.

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 …