Stop the Band-Aid Treatment  —  We Need Policies for a Real, Lasting Middle East Peace  —  The Middle East is a tinderbox, with some key players on all sides waiting for every opportunity to destroy their enemies with bullets, bombs and missiles.  One of the special vulnerabilities of Israel …

'A Moment of Opportunity'  —  President Bush's "moment of opportunity" in the Middle East is increasingly looking like an opportunity for disaster.  —  Bush's official position is that some blood-spilling in the Middle East is worth it in pursuit of the region's positive transformation.

Break out the cigars - Castro's dying  —  It's a tragic day for the earnest Left.  One of their darlings may be about to nationalize the farm.  —  Castro's health:  —  Castro's coughing up blood.  He's handed over the reins to his kid brother Raul.  —  The original "Speak Truth to Powah" …

GOP aids Green candidate Carl Romanelli  —  HARRISBURG, Pa. - Thanks to the generosity of GOP donors, a Green Party candidate is expected to make it onto the ballot in Pennsylvania's Senate race and siphon votes from Democratic front-runner Bob Casey in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record).

Mel Gibson's Statement  —  Statement From Mel Gibson Asking for Help From Jewish Community  —  Aug 1, 2006 (AP)— Mel Gibson's statement, released to the news media early Tuesday, five days after his drunken driving arrest in Malibu:  —  There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance …

A Primary Lesson for Lieberman  —  Consider the uncanny similarity between Sen. Joe Lieberman's campaign for reelection in Connecticut last weekend and a certain political weekend in New York 26 years ago.  —  In Connecticut, four Senate Democrats pleaded with the party's rank and file …

Evolution's Backers in Kansas Start Counterattack  —  God and Charles Darwin are not on the primary ballot in Kansas on Tuesday, but once again a contentious schools election has religion and science at odds in a state that has restaged a three-quarter-century battle over the teaching of evolution.

Lieberman Through the Looking Glass  —  Over at MyDD, Matt Stoller poses one of the first interesting questions I've read in weeks amidst the hourly torrent of abuse towards Joe Lieberman.  Prompted by a Josh Marshall post depicting Lieberman's current political travails as "tragic," …

Rightroots: The Republican Answer To The Lefty Blogosphere's Netroots Endorsed Candidates  —  (This post will be on top of the page all day long.  Scroll down for updates, Click here to see the slate of candidates and here to see their bios.)  —  As you all probably know …

Paulson vows to stay on Social Security fight  —  New Treasury chief wants workable solutions, rebuts Democrats on taxes  —  WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Although his two predecessors were carried off the field after bruising political battles, new Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Monday …

Vets set sights on Murtha  —  The "Swift Boat" veterans who grabbed national headlines in 2004 when they attacked John Kerry in his failed presidential bid now are turning their sights to Johnstown.  —  Their target is U.S. Rep. John Murtha, a critic of the Iraq war and a de facto spokesman …

Tax Cheats Called Out of Control  —  So many superrich Americans evade taxes using offshore accounts that law enforcement cannot control the growing misconduct, according to a Senate report that provides the most detailed look ever at high-level tax schemes.

After Compassionate Conservatism  —  Republicans need not fear the hard edges of their ideas.  —  On the surface, the Republican Party appears to be better poised now than at any time since Calvin Coolidge.  Republicans have controlled both houses of Congress for more than a decade …