Kerry knocks Bush on handling of Mideast conflict  —  U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass., who was in town Sunday to help Gov. Jennifer Granholm campaign for her re-election bid, took time to take a jab at the Bush administration for its lack of leadership in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict.

Surveillance We Can Live With  —  President Bush's electronic surveillance program has been a festering sore on our body politic since it was publicly disclosed last December.  Civil libertarians, myself included, have insisted that the program must be subject to judicial review to ensure compliance with the Fourth Amendment.

Legal Group Faults Bush for Ignoring Parts of Bills  —  WASHINGTON, July 23 — The American Bar Association said Sunday that President Bush was flouting the Constitution and undermining the rule of law by claiming the power to disregard selected provisions of bills that he signed.

Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Program  —  Plant Underway Could Generate Plutonium for 40 to 50 Bombs a Year, Analysts Say  —  Pakistan has begun building what independent analysts say is a powerful new reactor for producing plutonium, a move that, if verified, would signal a major expansion …

Sectarian break-up of Iraq is now inevitable, admit officials  —  The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, meets Tony Blair in London today as violence in Iraq reaches a new crescendo and senior Iraqi officials say the break up of the country is inevitable.

Saddam Hussein taken to hospital  —  Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein has been taken to hospital as a result of a hunger strike, prosecutors at his trial in Baghdad say.  —  Saddam Hussein is thought to have begun refusing food on 7 July in protest at the murder of his lawyer.

'Chickenhawk'  —  ``IT'S TOUCHING that you're so concerned about the military in Iraq," a reader in Wyoming e-mails in response to one of my columns on the war.  ``But I have a suspicion you're a phony.  So tell me, what's your combat record?  Ever serve?"

DELAYED-BLOGGING MISS UNIVERSE  —  No live-blogging this year, as we have house guests—my youngest brother, the Rocket Prof, and his family.  But, through the miracle of Tivo, we preserved the pageant finale to watch after dinner.  —  The initial impression is that this was an evening of upsets.

Bar Talk  —  The brutal, sleepless heat stirs me toward an anecdote, and although I've yet to figure out an underlying point to this ...  I've said I wouldn't dicuss the current MidEast Mess, but some context is in order.  —  You will not find a more ardent supporter of Israel than myself.

Saudis Urge Bush to Push for Cease-Fire in the Mideast  —  WASHINGTON, July 23 — A delegation from Saudi Arabia asked President Bush on Sunday to push for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah — something the United States has refused to do.

Suicide bombers kill 8 in Afghanistan  —  KABUL, Afghanistan - Suicide bombers killed eight people, including two U.S.-led coalition soldiers, in Kandahar Saturday, officials said.  A purported Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the blasts and warned of more as NATO prepares to take control of the volatile southern region.

Study: Ex-Rep. Made Use of 'Black' Budgets  —  WASHINGTON - An independent investigation has found that imprisoned former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took advantage of secrecy and badgered congressional aides to help slip items into classified bills that would benefit him and his associates.