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 …

U.S. Shift Kicked Off Frantic Diplomacy at U.N.  —  A Bomb Shelter in Israel (left): In the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, Michal Nachmani, 16, lay in a bomb shelter on the ground floor of his family's apartment building Sunday as Hezbollah missiles exploded outside.

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.

Voters Must Beware of Republicans' Terrorism Trap  —  LOS ANGELES —  This is not about the war in Iraq.  —  It has nothing to do with Joe Lieberman.  —  This is the Republican trap.  —  Don't fall in.  —  "They have tried to keep it together — they have to make it one in people's minds …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.