U.S., France OK U.N. Mideast truce pact  —  UNITED NATIONS - The United States and France agreed Saturday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah but would allow Israel to defend itself if attacked, officials said.

The Last Honest Man  —  Twenty-nine Democratic senators voted in the fall of 2002 to authorize the invasion of Iraq.  There isn't enough room on this page to list the Democratic foreign policy experts and former officials, including those from the top ranks of the Clinton administration …

Baghdad's Chaos Raises Questions on U.S. Plan  —  Over the past year, as American commanders pushed Iraqi forces to take over responsibility for this violent capital, Baghdad became a markedly more dangerous place.  —  Now the Americans are being forced to call in more of their own troops to bring the city under control.

The Brink of Madness  —  A familiar place.  —  National Review Online  —  When I used to read about the 1930s — the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, the rise of fascism in Italy, Spain, and Germany, the appeasement in France and Britain, the murderous duplicity of the Soviet Union …

A Middle Eastern Connection?  —  A leak from the investigation into a pair of unexploded bombs found on trains in Germany this week has produced a strange detail — a bag printed in Arabic.  German officials won't confirm anything, but the case has ignited a national debate about rail security.

ANCIENT ENMITIES.  Jeff Jarvis is upset that Columbia J-School Dean Nicholas Lemann called out bloggers who herald the demise of the hated MSM.  For starters, Jarvis says no blogger has ever argued such a thing: … In general Jarvis is right: it's mainly mainstream media figures themselves who make such pronouncements.

Landis Fails 2nd Test; Title Likely Gone  —  PARIS — Floyd Landis was fired by his team and the Tour de France no longer considered him its champion Saturday after his second doping sample tested positive for higher-than-allowable levels of testosterone.  —  The samples contained synthetic …

UW-Madison official warns Barrett to stop seeking publicity  —  MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin's provost warned an instructor who believes the U.S. government orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks to stop seeking publicity for his views, days after he defended the teacher's right to free speech.

Former White House advisor pleads guilty to misdemeanor theft  —  ROCKVILLE, Md. — Former White House adviser Claude Allen tearfully pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge Friday, telling a Montgomery County judge that he lost his bearings after working 14-hour days and getting little sleep in the …

Washington Deal Maker Details Palm Greasing  —  WASHINGTON — In 1992, Brent R. Wilkes rented a suite at the Hyatt Hotel a few blocks from the Capitol.  In his briefcase was a stack of envelopes for a half-dozen congressmen, each packet containing up to $10,000 in checks.