Israel nearly triples troops in Lebanon  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israel staged wide-ranging airstrikes and sent commandos into the Hezbollah heartland Saturday as the United Nations raced to begin enforcing its new cease-fire blueprint and stop the heavy fighting still raging in southern Lebanon.

Bureaucracy impedes bomb-detection work  —  WASHINGTON — As the British terror plot was unfolding, the Bush administration quietly tried to take away $6 million that was supposed to be spent this year developing new explosives detection technology.  Congressional leaders rejected the idea …

Olmert faces backlash over Lebanon war  —  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced a backlash on Friday over a U.N. proposal to end the war in Lebanon, with army officers saying they were held back and right-wing rivals calling for new elections.

Legal surveillance, not illegal eavesdropping, stopped the U.K. terrorist attacks  —  (updated below)  —  As I noted on Thursday, Bush supporters have been attempting to exploit the U.K. terrorist plot to bolster support for an array of extremist and lawless Bush policies …

'Green Helmet' helps rescue the wounded  —  TYRE, Lebanon - After hours of digging in the blistering heat, Salam Daher emerged from the wreckage with the body of a 9-month-old baby, a blue pacifier still pinned to its nightshirt.  —  He held the infant up and, click, an Associated Press …

Lebanon photos: Take a closer look  —  THE controversy this week over Reuters' distribution of digitally manipulated, falsely labeled and — probably — staged photos of the fighting in Lebanon hasn't been nearly as large as it should have been.  —  Credit for bringing the sordid business …

I was in Hitler's SS, admits Günter Grass  —  Germany was rocked by the revelations last night that Günter Grass, its greatest living author and doyen of the Left, was a member of Hitler's elite Waffen-SS.  —  The Nobel laureate, who has been the country's moral guide for decades …

The Ripple Effect  —  The foiled airline plot boosts President Bush's terror ratings, but the new NEWSWEEK Poll finds a lot for Democrats to cheer as the midterm elections approach.  —  Charles Rex Arbogast / AP  —  Americans awakened to a new day of air travel on Aug. 10.

Joe Lieberman And The Jews  —  Rabbi Marc Gellman, writing in Newsweek, expresses puzzlement about why Joe Lieberman did so poorly among Connecticut's Jews.  Here's part of it: … There's a lot more in his impassioned essay but the answer may be a bit simple:  —  Few groups are totally monolithic anymore.

U.S. Ambassador Says Iran Is Inciting Attacks  —  Iran is pressing Shiite militias here to step up attacks against the American-led forces in retaliation for the Israeli assault on Lebanon, the American ambassador to Iraq said Friday.  Iran may foment even more violence as it faces off …

Conservative group sets sights on Chafee  —  PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Fresh off their first victory over a Republican incumbent, GOP conservatives seeking party purity on taxes and spending are focused on ousting moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.

Whose Issue Is Terrorism?  —  The Parties Maneuver for Advantage on National Security  —  The aggressive Democratic response to this week's foiled terrorist plot reflects a widely shared view among party strategists that intensified attacks against President Bush represent the best chance …

Blue America: Dave Mejias, NY-03  —  (Dave Mejias joins us live in the comments to chat with you about his candidacy.  Please stop by the comments and give Dave a great FDL welcome.  Thanks!  — CHS)  —  When I spoke with Dave Mejias on the phone a couple days ago I mentioned that I grew …

Expert: Iran Poised To Be 'Mother of All World Threats'  —  WASHINGTON — For anyone who still thinks the Israeli-Lebanon war is just a border scuffle, one Middle East expert shouts a dire warning:  —  "As soon as a cease fire occurs, the 'Hezbollah Blitzkrieg' will crumble the 'Lebanese Republic …

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  Coverage of Lamont-Lieberman race: a case study in how anti-Dem narratives dominate political media — even as political threat level for Republicans rises to "severe"  —  In the wake of Connecticut Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont's primary victory …