CT-SEN: Richard Goodstein: "Email Me The Last Good Story You Wrote About Joe Lieberman"  —  So I just reached D.C. lobbyist Richard Goodstein on his cellphone.  Goodstein the lobbyist confirmed that he is indeed the guy on the front-page of today's Record-Journal who appeared to be heckling Lamont in a diner.

Iran to supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missiles  —  LONDON (AFP) - Iran will supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missile systems in the coming months, boosting the guerrillas' defences against Israeli aircraft, according to a report by specialist magazine Jane's Defence Weekly, citing unnamed Western diplomatic sources.

Iraqi Shiites chant 'Death to Israel'  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Hundreds of thousands of Shiites chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" marched through the streets of Baghdad's biggest Shiite district Friday in a show of support for Hezbollah militants battling Israeli troops in Lebanon.

Bush Starts 10-Day Texas Vacation  —  Shorter Summer Break Reflects Post-Katrina Criticism  —  President Bush arrived here Thursday evening to begin a 10-day stretch at his Prairie Chapel ranch, his longest planned period away from Washington during this summer vacation season.

A Bit of History for Global Warmers: Look at 1930  —  (CNSNews.com) - People sweltering from a heat wave in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. might find cold comfort in the fact that the temperatures of the past few days are not the hottest on record.  That "honor" belongs to a summer 76 years ago …

The End Of the Right?  —  Is conservatism finished?  —  What might have seemed an absurd question less than two years ago is now one of the most important issues in American politics.  The question is being asked — mostly quietly but occasionally publicly — by conservatives themselves …

Star's man in Havana caught by Castro  —  Star reporter in Havana gets a taste of official Cuba at its most oppressive  —  HAVANA—"Mr. Timothy, you must come with me.  There is a problem in your room."  —  I had just tucked into a pork sandwich at the hotel bar when the ominous voice from behind stopped me in mid-bite.

Clinton The Fighter  —  Kevin Drum writes: … People have rather weird ideas about Bill Clinton.  Remember that he didn't enter the 1988 race because he worried that the Reagan revolution hadn't yet run its course.  And remember, too, that his 1992 campaign was supposed to do nothing …

Specter's NSA Plan Hits Snag  —  Senate Democrats Also Vow to Block Justice Dept. Confirmation  —  A White House-endorsed plan to formally legalize the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program ran into more political problems yesterday in the Senate …

Hagel: Begin Iraq withdrawal within 6 months  —  The United States needs to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within the next six months, Sen. Chuck Hagel said Thursday, rather than ratcheting up its military commitment now.  —  With Iraq exploding in sectarian violence and …

Ahmadinejad's call to destroy Israel draws French condemnation  —  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday the solution to the Middle East crisis was to destroy Israel, Iranian state media reported.  —  In a speech during an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Malaysia …

GOP Bid On Wages, Estate Tax Is Blocked  —  Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bid to combine a tax cut for the wealthy with a wage increase for the working poor last night, adding a volatile economic issue to this fall's congressional campaigns.  —  GOP leaders fell three votes short …

General briefed Murtha after murder comment, Corp says  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Marine Corps briefed Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) on the Haditha case after the vocal war critic publicly said Marines had killed innocent civilians in that Iraqi city, the Corps said on Thursday.