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Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press:
Bush curses Hezbollah during G8 luncheon — ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - 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.
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Associated Press:
Israel sends ground forces into Lebanon — JERUSALEM - Israeli ground troops have entered southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah bases on the border, a government spokesman said Monday. Israel's six-day-old offensive against Hezbollah following the capture of two Israeli soldiers earlier had been an aerial campaign.
Peter Baker / Washington Post:
Microphone Captures Bush's Unscripted Comments at G-8 — ST. PETERSBURG, July 17 — President Bush should know that in Russia, someone is always listening. In this case, it was the rest of the world. — During a lunch with other leaders at the Group of Eight summit on Monday …
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New York Times, Firedoglake, Democrat Taylor Marsh …, All Things Beautiful, MSNBC, TigerHawk, Mia Culpa and Liberty and Justice
Hassan M. Fattah / New York Times:
Blame by Some Arab Leaders for Fighters — BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 16 — With the battle between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah raging, key Arab governments have taken the rare step of blaming Hezbollah, underscoring in part their growing fear of influence by the group's main sponsor, Iran.
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Arabs Fear Iran More Than They Hate The Jews — The New York Times provides an interesting analysis regarding the surprising criticism coming from Arab capitals towards Hezbollah. Yesterday, its chief complained that the Arabs had not rallied around his organization while it fights the hated "Zionists".
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Liberty and Justice
Haaretz:
EU's Solana pessimistic about chance for Lebanon cease-fire — BRUSSELS - A senior European Union official returned from the Middle East on Monday sounding pessimistic about the chance of a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah militants, and the EU said it was considering the deployment of peacekeepers.
Think Progress:
Bush Uncensored: President Uses Expletive During Chat At G8 Summit — Yesterday during the closing lunch at the G8 summit, a stray microphone picked up a private conversation between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bush is seen munching on a buttered roll and using …
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TPMCafe
Juan / Informed Comment:Israel Widens Airstrikes; 140 Civilians Dead since Weds;
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Pen-Elayne on the Web
Dore Gold / Telegraph:Iran plans to dominate the Middle East
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Times of London, Lebanese Political Journal, normblog, The Moderate Voice and On the Face
New York Times:
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 …
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Sebastian Mallaby / Washington Post:
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.
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democracyarsenal.org, TAPPED, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Washington Monthly and The Agonist
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John Amato / Crooks and Liars:General Kristol Needs war, war, war!
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Unclaimed Territory, The Washington Note, Outside The Beltway, Nitpicker and The Huffington Post
Mercury News:
HEARD THIS ONE? — Walking tall, and out — Dan Quayle took time out from participating in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Stateline, Nev., on Friday to attend John Mellencamp's concert only to run into a political statement. — He then made a statement of his own …
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The Left Coaster
Patricia Lopez / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Wide gap a surprise in race for Senate — DFLer Klobuchar holds a strong early lead over Republican Kennedy in expected close race. — DFL Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar has opened up a strong early lead over GOP rival Mark Kennedy in a Minnesota Poll that shows Klobuchar with 50 percent …
Washington Post:
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 …
Robert Pear / New York Times:
Bush Administration Plans Medicare Changes — WASHINGTON, July 16 — The Bush administration says it plans sweeping changes in Medicare payments to hospitals that could cut payments by 20 percent to 30 percent for many complex treatments and new technologies.
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