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.

Yes, the problem is 'Islamic fascism'  —  It took President George W. Bush to tell the truth to Britain about the massive plot to blow US-bound airliners out of the sky.  In his first comment on the apparently foiled attempt to explode airliners flying from Britain to the US, Bush put it simply …

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.

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.

"Not dead, just dying" says Castro  —  *** scroll down for updates *** The Adidas jacket found!  *** Fidel is not holding a newspaper, he is holding a proof copy.  —  On this 80th birthday of Fidel Castro, Juventud Rebelde, the Cuban periodical for communist youth, published four new photos of the dictator.

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 …

Video: Ahmadinejad on 60 Minutes  —  It killed me to cut the part where Mike Wallace told him how good he looked.  Fair use, as I've often said, is a stern mistress.  —  I also deliberately cut the part that's available in the sidebar at CBS (see update below).

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.

Pakistani Charity Under Scrutiny in Plot  —  British and Pakistani investigators are trying to determine whether the group of Britons suspected of plotting to blow up as many as 10 commercial airliners may have received money raised for earthquake relief by a Pakistani charity that is a front for an Islamic militant group.