Hezbollah envoy in Iran says will leave 'no place' safe for Israelis  —  The Hezbollah representative in Iran struck a defiant tone Monday, warning that his militant group plans to widen its attacks on Israel until "no place" is safe for Israelis.  —  "We are going to make Israel not safe for Israelis.

Democrats' Plan Focuses on Middle Class  —  Sen. Clinton Presents Domestic Agenda Featuring Tax Breaks and Tuition Help  —  DENVER, July 24 — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) accused Republicans under President Bush of economic mismanagement and favoring the rich here on Monday …

It's Disproportionate. . .  Just my luck.  I go away on vacation and it happens to be the week when George W. Bush's strategic view of the current world situation is revealed: Russia big.  China big, too.  World leaders boring.  Lady world leaders need neck rub.  Terrorism bad.

Top Iraqi's White House Visit Shows Gaps With U.S.  —  Iraqis buried their dead Monday from another suicide bombing.  Prime Minister Maliki has tried without success to end such violence.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 24 — When Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki visits the White House on Tuesday …

For One Senate Candidate, the 'R' Is a 'Scarlet Letter'  —  The candidate, immersed in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, sat down to lunch yesterday with reporters at a Capitol Hill steakhouse and shared his views about this year's political currents.

Spazeboy and Me Get Chucked By Holy Joe, Bush-Style  —  I drove all the way up to Waterbury yesterday excited about the prospect of seeing Bill Clinton speak.  Whatever one may think of Bill, his politics and his legacy, his defiance in the face of the right-wing hate machine onslaught are inspirational.

A Summer Snow Job: The Strange Case of Stem Cell Murder  —  So, let's see, Tony Snow - spokesman for the President - said that Mr. Bush "strongly considers" stem cell research "murder."  And repeatedly used the "murder" charge.  But now, apparently, Mr. Snow says he was "overstating" the President's position.

50 percent of U.S. says Iraq had WMDs  —  Half of Americans now say Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded the country in 2003 — up from 36 percent last year, a Harris poll finds.  Pollsters deemed the increase both "substantial" and "surprising" …

Nice Rats, Nasty Rats: Maybe It's All in the Genes  —  On an animal-breeding farm in Siberia are cages housing two colonies of rats.  In one colony, the rats have been bred for tameness in the hope of mimicking the mysterious process by which Neolithic farmers first domesticated an animal still kept today.

Rep. Hefley defends Mollohan  —  Former House ethics committee Chairman Joel Hefley last week quietly inserted a statement into the Congressional Record defending Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan's service on the panel and scolding GOP leaders for attempting to change ethics rules at the start of the 109th Congress.

50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill  —  #1 Michelle Persaud, 27  —  Staff counsel  —  Michelle Persaud's delicate features burst into a smile as she describes the mistake many men make with her.  —  Seeing her dark eyes and mocha skin, her flowing black tresses and expansive lashes …

Bush Job Approval at 37%  —  Similar to 37% average rating for all of June  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds 37% of Americans approving of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 59% disapproving.  Despite many extraordinary events dominating the news over the past weeks …

Despair as forced marriages stay legal  —  A police chief accuses the Government of abandoning young women to a life of violence  —  THE lives of young women might be ruined by the Government's failure to make forced marriages illegal, a senior police officer has warned.

Cliff May: National Review Bloggers Are 'Fighting a War' That Is 'Equally Consequential' To U.S. Troops in Combat  —  On Friday, the National Review's Katherine Jean Lopez wrote a rather innocuous review of the new Oliver Stone movie, World Trade Center.  Lopez wrote the movie was "about why we fight."

Iran threatens response if Syria attacked  —  Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Reza Sheybani says 'Israel can't deal with our capabilities' Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Reza Sheybani says 'Israel can't deal with our capabilities; Lebanon war beginning of end of Israel'

From Planning to Warfare to Occupation, How Iraq Went Wrong  —  The title of this devastating new book about the American war in Iraq says it all: "Fiasco."  That is the judgment that Thomas E. Ricks, senior Pentagon correspondent for The Washington Post, passes on the Bush administration's decision …