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 …

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.

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.

In Search of Anti-Semitism: Wait, Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic?  Who would have ever guessed?  Here's a guy whose dad is a nutty Holocaust denier; who belongs to a schismatic variety of Catholicism that tends to be, shall we say, somewhat more hospitable than the Church itself to old-fashioned anti-Semitism …

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 …

Israel Vows to Press Ahead With Offensive  —  Israel rejected the possibility of an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon as it poured soldiers and artillery shells across the border here today, vowing to press ahead with its ground war before diplomacy forces it to stop.

U.S. Puts Onus on Employers of Immigrants  —  Immigration agents had prepared a nasty surprise for the Garcia Labor Company, a temporary worker contractor, when they moved against it on charges of hiring illegal immigrants.  They brought a 40-count federal indictment, part of a new nationwide strategy …

How low will you go, Joe  —  Lierbman attacks Lamont on race  —  You know, the racist contempt for the black voter, voters that they have needed to reach to be reelected, on the part of the Lieberman campaign is amazing.  The top flier reminds people that Joerus the heretic marched with Martin Luther King.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …