Lebanon: The Only Exit Strategy  —  There is crisis and there is opportunity.  Amid the general wringing of hands over the seemingly endless and escalating Israel-Hezbollah fighting, everyone asks: Where will it end?  —  The answer, blindingly clear, begins with understanding …

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 …

Four in 10 Republicans Would Not Find McCain an "Acceptable" Nominee  —  Clinton, Edwards, Gore most acceptable possible Democratic nominees  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A recent Gallup Panel poll asked Republicans and Democrats whether they would find each of several possible contenders …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Turkey Signals It's Prepared to Enter Iraq  —  Turkish officials signaled Tuesday they are prepared to send the army into northern Iraq if U.S. and Iraqi forces do not take steps to combat Turkish Kurdish guerrillas there - a move that could put Turkey on a collision course with the United States.

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

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.

McKinney headed for runoff with Johnson  —  U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney is headed to a runoff against a relatively unknown challenger in a Democratic primary she was expected to win with ease.  —  The controversial 4th District incumbent, accused of striking a Capitol Hill police officer last March …

Two children killed in Katyusha rocket strike on Nazareth  —  A Hezbollah rocket attack on the northern town of Nazareth killed two Israeli children on Wednesday afternoon, bringing to 16 the death toll from rocket strikes since the crisis in Lebanon began a week ago.

When Man Mated Monkey  —  Icky as it sounds, we mingled across species in the past, which could help us win evolution wars in the future.  —  GENETICISTS studying human and chimpanzee DNA have concluded that a few million years ago, pre-humans and pre-chimps produced hybrids between the two species.

IDF after Hizbullah money  —  Military sources say warplanes attack structures in which Hizbullah stores its money; among targets hit were four el-Mal (Money house) buildings in Bint Jbeil, Nabatiyeh, Baalbek and Tyre area  —  A senior Northern Command officer told Ynet Wednesday …