Lebanon's 'real' soldiers are put in their place  —  TODAY was supposed to be the day when the muchmaligned army of Lebanon took control of its borders and policed the UN ceasefire.  —  Instead, its military commanders were left humiliated and its troops stranded as Hezbollah told them not to try to disarm its fighters.

Chertoff: No U.S. Terror Link Seen  —  As DHS Lowers Threat Level, Chief Calls for Continued Vigilance  —  There is no evidence that terrorists were working within the United States as part of a plot to detonate explosives on airliners, but U.S. officials remain on guard after last week's arrests …

For GOP, Bad Gets Worse in Northeast  —  Incumbents Shy From Party and President  —  PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. — When it comes to President Bush and the Republican Congress, Rep. Jim Gerlach says voters in his suburban Philadelphia district are in a "sour mood."  —  That's why when it comes …

The View From the Top  —  A former Bush adviser on 9/11, Iraq and the lessons of five tumultuous years-for the president and the public.  —  Five Washington Augusts ago, for me, is not just a different time; it is a distant country.  At the White House, we debated the nuances of stem-cell research.

Lamont Decries Lieberman Terror Remarks  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic Senate nominee Ned Lamont, the anti-war candidate who toppled Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primary, says he was surprised by Lieberman and Vice President Dick Cheney's claims that his victory could embolden terrorists.

Wimmin at War  —  It is 25 years since the Greenham Common protests began.  Sarah Baxter was there, but now asks why feminist ideals have become twisted into support for groups like Hezbollah  —  When Ann Pettitt, the mother of two young children, and her friends set off in August 25 years ago …

Part 1: The kidnapping  —  An interview with an Iraqi politician turns deadly.  —  My chief captor had an idea about how to prod the US government into action: another video.  —  He said this one would be different, and left.  —  I turned to the two guards sitting on cushions a few feet away and started to panic.

Passport photograph of girl's bare shoulders rejected 'as it may offend'  —  A five-year-old girl's passport application was rejected because her photograph showed her bare shoulders.  —  Hannah Edwards's mother, Jane, was told that the exposed skin might be considered offensive in a Muslim country.

Which Travelers Have 'Hostile Intent'?  Biometric Device May Have the Answer  —  At airport security checkpoints in Knoxville, Tenn. this summer, scores of departing passengers were chosen to step behind a curtain, sit in a metallic oval booth and don headphones.

Did Hezbollah Do The Unthinkable?  —  I think we generally underestimate the horrible acts of which the most committed Islamo-fascists are capable.  I don't know why, given that we know they are capable of mass murder of innocents on airplanes or in buildings, but we do still underestimate them.

Official's Tax Break: on Firm Ground?  —  Rep. Miller has avoided paying millions on real estate profits.  He says the sales were forced; cities' officials dispute that.  —  When U.S. Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) sold 165 acres to the city of Monrovia in 2002, he made a profit of more than $10 million …

The Region: Syria and Iran get off scot-free  —  What is the impact of the Lebanon war on the Arab world?  A good way to analyze this incredibly important question is to focus on Israeli deterrence - Jerusalem's ability to prevent a war by persuading the enemy that an attack is too costly.

Egypt FM hails Hezbollah for having 'fought with honor'  —  Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Monday praised the way Hezbollah held out against Israel for over four weeks, but faulted the Islamist group for possible carelessness.  —  In an interview with Reuters …