U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis  —  WASHINGTON, July 21 — The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

Israeli Forces Push Through Lebanon Border  —  ON THE ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER — Hundreds of Israeli troops moved into southern Lebanon on Saturday, taking control of a village and engaging Hezbollah militants by land, sea and air as part of the country's limited ground campaign.

More troops to be deployed to Baghdad, general says  —  CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - The top U.S. commander for the Middle East said Friday that the escalating sectarian violence in Baghdad had become a greater worry than the insurgency and that plans were being drawn up to move additional forces to the Iraqi capital.

Blogger Media at the Forefront of the Middle East Coverage War  —  Pajamas Media's Politics Central Leverages Global Editors for Continuous Stories and Exclusive Podcast Interviews  —  EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 21 /PRNewswire/ — Pajamas Media (PJM) is providing special extended coverage …

UNITED NATIONS AN ACCOMPLICE IN HEZBOLLAH KIDNAPPING: After Hezbollah's kidnapping of a pair of Israeli soldiers spurred an Israeli counter-attack, many critics of Israel actions have suggested that the United Nations can serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah.

Bush vetoes stem cell bill; House can't override  —  President says measure 'crosses a moral boundary' society needs to respect … WASHINGTON - The House on Wednesday failed to muster enough votes to override President Bush's veto of a bill to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Humanitarian toll hits southern Lebanon as violence continues  —  BEIRUT — Fears mounted Thursday that a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in southern Lebanon as Israel sustained its intense bombardment of the area and U.S. Marines landed on the beaches near Beirut to help speed the evacuation of Americans from the war-zone.

Useless Idiots … Randy Andy still seems to be having trouble figuring out if he's Roy Cohn or Oscar Wilde — persecutor or persecuted.  He's not alone: These days it seems like half of Right Blogistan is busy hurling accusations of betrayal and cowardice at the other half …

Somali militant urges holy war on Ethiopia  —  BAIDOA, Somalia - Somalia's top Islamic leader called Friday for a holy war against Ethiopia to drive out troops the largely Christian nation sent to protect the internationally backed Somali government.  —  The radical Islamic forces control …

NASA's Goals Delete Mention of Home Planet  —  From 2002 until this year, NASA's mission statement, prominently featured in its budget and planning documents, read: "To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers ... as only NASA can."

Afghanistan close to anarchy, warns general  —  The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan today described the situation in the country as "close to anarchy" with feuding foreign agencies and unethical private security companies compounding problems caused by local corruption.

Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Marcy Kaptur Endorse Ned!  [4]  —  Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Marcy Kaptur Endorse Ned!  —  The festivities begin with a press conference this morning at 11 A.M. in Hartford.  Marcy Kaptur is, of course, the Dean of Ohio's Democratic congressional delegation.

THE INNOCENT CIVILIAN MEME  —  I am not buying into the innocent civilians meme.  If by ignorance, complicity, neglect or helplessness the Lebanese wouldn't throw Hezbollah out and establish a strong government, then they must pay the price for the sins of Hizbollah.

Video: The non-neutral press goes into Beirut  —  Alongside Hezbollah terrorists, no less.  It's the BBC, doing what the Beeb does best.  —  Notes: at about 43 sec in, the reporters mentions Israel warning civilians to flee.  Did Hezbollah warn Israelis to flee before raining rockets down on Haifa?

What will happen next?  —  Professor Martin Kramer says that he does not know, and therefore he cannot answer, whether the war will rip apart the delicate fabric of Lebanese society.  But, he says, "I expect that it will shatter the fragile fiction of Lebanese politics."