Hezbollywood?  Evidence mounts that Qana collapse and deaths were staged  —  It was to be a perfect Hollywood ending for Hezbollah.  Just as the Israeli bombing of the village of Qana in 1996 brought a premature end to Israel's Operation "Grapes of Wrath," so too a sequel of Qana II could change …

France says Iran is respected, stabilizing force in Middle East  —  Iran is a significant, respected player in the Middle East which is playing a stabilizing role, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Monday, during a visit to Lebanon.  —  "It was clear that we could never accept …

Ned Lamont's First Video Blog: Let's Talk About Iraq  —  Over the weekend Ned filmed his first video blog.  Since Joe Lieberman doesn't want to talk about his war in Iraq, I guess it's up to the rest of us.  —  If you think there is more to be said on the topic and things aren't going quite …

Fooling the Voters  —  The two bills passed by the House last Friday and Saturday reflect a single Republican electoral strategy.  Representatives want to appear to have accomplished something when they face voters during their five-week summer break, which starts today …

Men Not Working, and Not Wanting Just Any Job  —  ROCK FALLS, Ill. — Alan Beggerow has stopped looking for work.  Laid off as a steelworker at 48, he taught math for a while at a community college.  But when that ended, he could not find a job that, in his view, was neither demeaning nor underpaid.

Schumer Says Bolton Won't Face Filibuster  —  A Democratic filibuster of John Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador is "unlikely," Senator Schumer said yesterday.  —  Mr. Schumer supported an effort last year to block Mr. Bolton's nomination from gaining a full Senate vote …

'The Putting of First Things First'  —  The revival of the romance of the antiwar left is a potential disaster for the Democrats.  It's what gave the world Richard Nixon in 1968.  —  To the consternation of my children, I once spent an afternoon with Monica Lewinsky.

Statewide poll: Without key exceptions, more South Dakotans oppose abortion ban  —  Amid the often hostile rhetoric that pierces South Dakota's closely watched abortion debate, a new survey shows that more residents of the largely conservative state oppose a ban on the pregnancy-ending procedure …

And Now, The Good News  —  The world seems aswirl.  Where do we stand today?  —  Let's use the analysis of bestselling author Thomas Barnett, who divides the world into a functioning "Core" (North America, Europe, East Asia, rising China and India) and a nonfunctional "Gap" (the Middle East …

Sistani Threatens US over Israeli War on Lebanon  —  The US punditocracy and ruling elite is fixated on Hizbullah as a "terrorist group" even though the organization hasn't engaged in international terror against American civilians in many years.  What they forget about Hizbullah …

Crossing This Line Could Cost Him Deals  —  Mel Gibson is rich enough to finance his own movies, including the 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" and the upcoming release "Apocalypto."  But although riches can buy a certain freedom from creative interference, no man is an island in the movie business.

Romney apologizes for use of expression  —  To some, `tar baby' is racial pejorative  —  Governor Mitt Romney yesterday apologized for using the expression ``tar baby" — a phrase some consider a racial epithet — among comments he made at a political gathering in Iowa over the weekend.