To Save a Revolution  —  You could sense the hurt and anger as Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora pleaded this week to the U.S. ambassador and other diplomats in Beirut for a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanese targets.  "The country has been torn to shreds," he said.  "I hope you will not let us down."

Exiled Bakri in SOS plea  —  EXILED preacher of hate Omar Bakri has begged the Royal Navy to rescue him from war-torn Beirut.  —  The Muslim cleric who fled Britain last year, tried to board a ship full of women and children yesterday but was turned away.  —  He also wrote to the British …

In Mideast Strife, Bush Sees a Step To Peace  —  President Bush's unwillingness to pressure Israel to halt its military campaign in Lebanon is rooted in a view of the Middle East conflict that is sharply different from that of his predecessors.  —  When hostilities have broken out in the past …

Two N.J. Casinos Sued Schlesinger Over Debts  —  When Alan Schlesinger gave a fake name while playing blackjack at Foxwoods in the early 1990s, he had already been sued over a gambling debt by one Atlantic City casino and was on the way to racking up an even bigger debt that led to a second lawsuit.

A Secret the Media Kept  —  Toward the end of 1979, hundreds of American and Canadian journalists and news organizations got hold of a dynamite news story that would have made personal reputations and careers and sent circulation or broadcast ratings soaring.  The facts were confirmed, unassailably.

Top-Secret World Loses Blogger  —  CIA Contractor Is Fired When Internal Post Crosses the Line  —  Christine Axsmith, a software contractor for the CIA, considered her blog a success within the select circle of people who could actually access it.  —  Only people with top-secret security clearances …

Sen. Reid: Iraq devolves into 'civil war'  —  Democratic leader will try to revive Senate debate on Iraq  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Declaring that he believes the situation in Iraq has devolved into a civil war, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday he plans to try to bring the war back up for debate on the Senate floor.

The Republican Rift on Iraq  —  GOP Lawmakers Edge Away From Optimism on Iraq [WaPo] … This story from yesterday has quickly created problems for fellow Republicans.  First off, there was this clown show in the gaggle: … Then there were folks like Mr. Shays, who has been making …

First arrests in Mumbai bombings  —  Police in India have arrested three men in connection with a series of bombings that killed more than 180 people in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) last week.  —  The police have detained more than 300 suspects but these are the first arrests in the case.

Shaken and Stirred  —  The US invasion of Iraq has so shaken and stirred the Middle East that some exceptionally strange things are happening.  More importantly, these things unequivocally favor the US in influencing the outcome of the Israeli-Hezbollah War now taking place in Lebanon.

Third time's not the charm: Sunday-morning talk shows still imbalanced … On February 14, Media Matters for America released a comprehensive study analyzing the guest appearances on ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, and NBC's Meet the Press from 1997 through 2005.

Despite Ties to Hamas, Militants Aren't Following Political Leaders  —  JABALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza, July 20 — Five men in black hoods emerged from a dimly lighted street of stark concrete houses and garbage-strewn lots.  With Israeli drones buzzing overhead, they kept the meeting short.