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 …

Dear Mr. President, Simply Staying the Course in Iraq is Not Working  —  Washington, DC—With violence exploding in Iraq, there is little evidence that the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have a coherent strategy to stabilize Iraq.  Thousands have been killed in sectarian …

Gitmo Guards Often Attacked by Detainees  —  The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay during the war on terror have attacked their military guards hundreds of times, turning broken toilet parts, utensils, radios and even a bloody lizard tail into makeshift weapons, Pentagon reports say.

Mel Gibson's Meltdown  —  HE IS SICK TO HIS EMPTY CORE WITH JEW-HATRED.  —  I was just in the middle of writing a long and tedious essay, about how to tell a real anti-Semite from a person who too-loudly rejects the charge of anti-Semitism, when a near-perfect real-life example came to hand.

Appeals court hears from lawyers in DeLay ballot battle  —  NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals panel indicated today that the ability of Republicans to replace former U.S. Rep. Tom Delay on the ballot rests on whether there was "conclusive" evidence that he had moved to Virginia.

Democrats Unite on Iraq Withdrawal Demands  —  Twelve Democratic leaders of the House and Senate have urged President Bush in a strongly worded letter to begin withdrawing the 130,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by year's end, a sign that Democrats may be uniting on a key election-year issue that has divided the party.

Passing Down the Legacy of Conservatism  —  SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Headed for what she called "conservative boot camp," Christina Pajak grabbed the essentials: dress sandals, her Bible and "The Politics of Prudence" by Russell Kirk, the celebrated writer who a half-century ago gave the conservative movement its name.

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 …

AMATEUR HOUR  —  On the Internet, everybody is a millenarian.  Internet journalism, according to those who produce manifestos on its behalf, represents a world-historical development—not so much because of the expressive power of the new medium as because of its accessibility to producers and consumers.