A Knife-Thrower at the Carnival  —  Kofi Annan has accused Israel of deliberately targeting UN position in southern Lebanon.  According to the Independent: … In order to have some sense of how plausible this accusation is, it would be useful to examine the statements of the UNIFIL itself prior to this incident.

Hastert Rejects Calls to Disinvite al-Maliki to Speak to Congress  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker Dennis Hastert has rejected calls Tuesday by congressional Democrats to cancel an address Wednesday by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to a joint session of Congress.

Senate Removes Abortion Option for Young Girls  —  WASHINGTON, July 25 — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would make it a federal crime to help an under-age girl escape parental notification laws by crossing state lines to obtain an abortion.  —  The bill was approved on a 65-to-34 vote …

Dump Condi: Foreign policy conservatives charge State Dept. has hijacked Bush agenda  —  Conservative national security allies of President Bush are in revolt against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying that she is incompetent and has reversed the administration's national security and foreign policy agenda.

Battle for Baghdad Boils Down to Grabbing a Slice at a Time  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 25 — The Bush administration's announcement on Tuesday that it will shift more forces to Baghdad is much more than a numbers game.  It reflects a new strategy to reclaim control of the Iraqi capital and a new approach for deploying the troops.

White House Bill Proposes System to Try Detainees  —  WASHINGTON, July 25 — Legislation drafted by the Bush administration setting out new rules on bringing terror detainees to trial would allow hearsay evidence to be introduced unless it was deemed "unreliable" and would permit defendants …

Steele Slams Party  —  WASHINGTON — A Republican in a competitive Senate race called his party affiliation "an impediment," said he'd "probably not" want President Bush to campaign for him and the GOP-controlled Congress should "just shut up and get something done."

Case Closed  —  THE TRUTH ABOUT THE IRAQI-NIGER "YELLOWCAKE" NEXUS.  —  Now that Joseph and Valerie Wilson's fantasies of having been persecuted by high officials in the administration have been so thoroughly dispelled by Robert Novak (and now that it seems the prosecutor has determined …

The Shirts Get Browner  —  I can honestly say I never expected things to get so out of control as they have the past 24 hours from the story I posted yesterday about Jason Leopold and those who choose to associate with him.  It just goes to prove my point even more, that when faced with the truth …

Tax Cuts May Come At a Price, Study Says  —  The federal government will need to either cut spending or raise taxes down the road to pay for extending President Bush's recent tax cuts, the Treasury Department said in a report released yesterday, dismissing the idea popular with many Republicans that such sacrifices can be avoided.

Hezbollah: Israeli onslaught a surprise  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon - A senior Hezbollah official said Tuesday the guerrillas did not expect Israel to react with an all-out offensive after the capture of two soldiers, the first acknowledgment by the group that it had miscalculated the consequences of the raid two weeks ago.

Democrats' Version of John McCain  —  Months ago, I was lunching with some savvy Democrats, when one of them asked me: What is the problem with all those Republicans who can't stand maverick GOP Sen. John McCain?  As a McCainiac, I warmed to the subject.  I disagree with McCain …