Lieberman Assails Lamont Over Supporter's Blog Post  —  The bitter Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut erupted in fresh controversy Wednesday over a doctored photo of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) in blackface that was posted by a blogger who has been an influential promoter of challenger Ned Lamont.

Iraq civil war warning for Blair  —  Civil war is a more likely outcome in Iraq than democracy, Britain's outgoing ambassador in Baghdad has warned Tony Blair in a confidential memo.  —  William Patey, who left the Iraqi capital last week, also predicted the break-up of Iraq along ethnic lines.

Senate votes to fund the fence  —  The Senate did an abrupt about-face yesterday, voting overwhelmingly to begin paying for 370 miles of fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, just three weeks after voting against the same spending.

Iran frees bin Laden son -German newspaper  —Text+BERLIN (Reuters) - Iran has freed a son of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from house arrest, a German newspaper reported on Wednesday.  —  Die Welt said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard released Saad bin Laden on July 28 with the aim of sending him to the Syria-Lebanon border.

Harry Reid May Ask Senator Clinton to Preempt Presidential Ambitions to Succeed Him as Senate Majority/Minority Leader  —  Some high level Democratic Party political insiders have shared with TWN details of a potential shift in vectors for several of the major political stars in that party.

Ohio Man Claims Right To Have Sex With Boys  —  Admitted Pedophile Says Children Can Consent  —  CLEVELAND — It was probably not a defense the court had heard before.  —  A suburban Cleveland man accused of sexually assaulting nine disabled boys told a judge Wednesday that his apartment …

No Más  —  Castro may be dead.  It's time to kill Castroism.  —  It has long been my bitter hunch that the man I can't help think of as the last monster of the 20th century, Fidel Castro, creator and warden of the floating prison to our south, would die of old age in a big brass bed …

When did 9/11 become a laughing matter?  —  These stills are from a BBC comedy called "Time Trumpet" (big hat tip - Steve J).  The show features a satirical "Terrorism Awards" show with nominees including a "lone gunman" who shoots Tony Blair in the head as he sleeps with his wife …

An Estate Tax Twist Reverses Party Roles On Minimum Wage  —  For years, organized labor has worked hard to raise the minimum wage, while business groups have campaigned to block such a change.  This week in the Senate, however, the AFL-CIO is pushing to kill the wage increase while practically …

Doubling Two Bad Bets?  —  If you think there is an echo in the air when officials discuss the twin crises in Iraq and Lebanon, you're not hearing things.  In both cases the argument for carrying on the destructive current policy comes down to a claim that "we can't afford to let the other guy win."

The World IS Mel Gibson  —  I suspect I'll have plenty more to say about Mel Gibson when Real Time returns to HBO on August 25 (PLUG!!!), but in the meantime a couple of thoughts:  —  As I watch so much of the world ask Israel for restraint in a way no other country would …

Rare snowfall across South Africa  —  JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Snow fell on South Africa's biggest city Johannesburg for the first time in 25 years as icy temperatures gripped vast swathes of the country, the weather office said.  —  "It (the snow) is by no means freakish but I would certainly classify …

In Iraq, It's Hard to Trust Anyone in Uniform  —  A Baghdad tailor worked on military and police uniforms.  The government plans to introduce new uniforms that will be difficult to copy.  —  The camouflaged Iraqi commandos who kidnapped 20 people from a pair of central Baghdad offices …

Lebanese hospital: Number of casualties from Qana air strike is 28, not 52  —  A Tyre hospital on Thursday revised the number of casualties resulting from Israel's air strike on the south Lebanese village of Qana from 52 down to 28.  —  On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch questioned the death toll in the Qana attack.

New Video: Inside Baalbek Mission of Last Evening with Israeli Commandos  —  This video is something special.  It was shot in the early morning hours of August 2 during an operation by IDF commandos in Baalbek, inside the Bekaa Valley.  The commandos captured five Hezbollah terrorists …

Top Military Lawyers Oppose Plan for Special Courts  —  The military's top uniformed lawyers, appearing at a Senate hearing yesterday, criticized key provisions of a proposed new U.S. plan for special military courts, affirming that they did not see eye to eye with the senior Bush administration …

Rumsfeld: 'I Have Never Painted A Rosy Picture' About Iraq  —  Testifying before the Senate today, Donald Rumsfeld told Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) that he has "never painted a rosy picture" about Iraq.  Rumsfeld insisted that he has been "very measured" and told Clinton …