U.S. Appears to Be Waiting to Act on Israeli Airstrikes  —  WASHINGTON, July 18 — The outlines of an American-Israeli consensus began to emerge on Tuesday in which Israel would continue to bombard Lebanon for about another week to degrade the capabilities of the Hezbollah militia, officials of the two countries said.

Cagle tops Reed for GOP nomination  —  In the end, Ralph Reed couldn't do for himself what he had helped Republicans do all the way up to the White House: Get elected.  —  Despite the backing of top conservatives including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Georgia Gov. Zell Miller …

Conservative Anger Grows Over Bush's Foreign Policy  —  At a moment when his conservative coalition is already under strain over domestic policy, President Bush is facing a new and swiftly building backlash on the right over his handling of foreign affairs.  —  Conservative intellectuals …

Jordanian who killed 2 U.S. soldiers dies  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Jordanian who killed two U.S. soldiers last month was fatally wounded in a clash with security forces, a senior Iraqi official said Tuesday.  Diyar Ismail Mahmoud, known as Abu al-Afghani, was identified as the killer of the two soldiers …

Iraqi Death Toll Rises Above 100 Per Day, U.N. Says  —  Residents gathered at the site of Tuesday's suicide bombing.  The importance of Kufa to Shiites underlined the intensely sectarian nature of the attack.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 18 — An average of more than 100 civilians per day were killed …

Iraqi civilian toll 6,000 for May, June  —  UNITED NATIONS - Nearly 6,000 civilians were slain across Iraq in May and June, a spike in deaths that coincided with rising sectarian attacks across the country, the United Nations said Tuesday.  —  The report from the U.N. Assistance Mission …

In Which I Condemn Glenn Greenwald for Failing to Condemn Some Stuff  —  I have a screenshot of that Sadly, No! online store with the T-shirts advocating the murder of conservatives — the one Glenn Greenwald failed to condemn.  But before we get to the screenshot, let's recap, for humor purposes.

Bush Thwarted Probe Into NSA Wiretapping  —  Security Clearances for Justice Department Investigators Were Denied, Gonzales Says  —  President Bush effectively blocked a Justice Department investigation of the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program …

IAF foils rocket transports from Syria  —  While army continues to strike Hizbullah, limit its weapons resources, outside groups trying to rearm group.  IAF manages to bomb trucks transporting missiles from Syria.  IDF Maj.-Gen. Eisenkot: These rockets belong to Syrian army  —  Hanan Greenberg

Blogosphere Day 3: Ned Lamont For US Senate  —  Two years ago, on July 19th, the blogosphere sprang into action for Ginny Schrader.  In one short day, a long-shot race became seriously competitive.  It remains so to this day.  From the $50K the blogosphere raised that day …

Pregnancy Centers Found to Give False Information on Abortion  —  Federally funded "pregnancy resource centers" are incorrectly telling women that abortion results in an increased risk of breast cancer, infertility and deep psychological trauma, a minority congressional report charged yesterday.

Arab Majority May Not Stay Forever Silent  —  Yes, world, there is a silent Arab majority that believes that seventh-century Islam is not fit for 21st-century challenges.  That women do not have to look like walking black tents.  That men do not have to wear beards and robes, act like lunatics …

GOP Unveils School Voucher Plan  —  $100 Million Proposal Targets Low-Income Students  —  The Bush administration and Republican legislators yesterday proposed a $100 million national plan to offer low-income students private-school vouchers to escape low-performing public schools.