Israel threatens to resume war if Hizbullah refuses to disarm  —  The IDF will have to resume operations in Lebanon if the expanded United Nations force being assembled does not fulfill its obligation to dismantle Hizbullah, an official in the Prime Minister's Office warned on Tuesday.

Dem angst escalates  —  A group of Senate Democrats is growing increasingly angry about Sen. Joe Lieberman's (D-Conn.) campaign tactics since he lost the Democratic primary last week.  —  If he continues to alienate his colleagues, Lieberman could be stripped of his seniority within …

Hezbollah Leads Work to Rebuild, Gaining Stature  —  As stunned Lebanese returned Tuesday over broken roads to shattered apartments in the south, it increasingly seemed that the beneficiary of the destruction was most likely to be Hezbollah.  —  A major reason — in addition to its hard-won reputation …

Pluto's New Place in Space Could Be as a 'Pluton'  —  Hoping to end the agonizing over whether Pluto is really a planet, an international committee of astronomers has come up with a new definition that would save the tiny body's place in the sun's family.  —  Under the long-awaited proposal …

Allen on Damage Control After Remarks to Webb Aide  —  Sen. George Allen on Tuesday sought to contain the political damage from remarks he made to a Fairfax County man that dredged up charges of racial insensitivity — allegations that have dogged him for years as governor, senator and now presidential hopeful.

A Path To Lasting Peace  —  For the past month the United States has worked urgently to end the violence that Hezbollah and its sponsors have imposed on the people of Lebanon and Israel.  At the same time, we have insisted that a truly effective cease-fire requires a decisive change from the status quo that produced this war.

Iraqi Death Toll Rose Above 3,400 in July  —  July appears to have been the deadliest month of the war for Iraqi civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry and the Baghdad morgue, reinforcing criticism that the Baghdad security plan started in June by the new Iraqi government has failed.

Robert Fisk: In the face of Bush's lies, it's left to Assad to tell the truth  —  In the sparse Baathist drawing rooms of Damascus, reality often seems a long way away.  But it was a sign of the times that President Bashar al-Assad was able to bring the great and the good of Damascus …

German troops may face Jews - as part of mission for peace  —  From Roger Boyes in Berlin and Richard Beeston in Beirut  —  GERMANY was poised yesterday to shatter its most enduring postwar taboo by sending troops into the cauldron of Lebanon, where they risk coming into direct conflict with Israelis.

Iran says won't back down over atomic rights  —  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday Iran would not yield to Western pressure to give up its home-grown nuclear technology.  —  His comments came days before an August 22 deadline Iran set itself to respond …

Bush Said to Be Frustrated by Level of Public Support in Iraq  —  President Bush made clear in a private meeting this week that he was concerned about the lack of progress in Iraq and frustrated that the new Iraqi government — and the Iraqi people — had not shown greater public support …

Scarborough: "Is Bush An 'Idiot'?"  —  Joe Scarborough started his program tonight asking the question "is Bush an idiot?"  (Is that really debatable?).  Not only did he do a great run down of clips involving some of the most famous "Bushisms", but he did have an interesting conversation …

U.N. Peace Efforts Threatened  —  Countries Urgently Needed to Aid in Lebanon, World Body Says  —  U.N. and U.S. officials warned Tuesday that governments that have pledged to assemble a peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon are not moving swiftly enough to fill a dangerous power vacuum there.

Plame lawyer plans to force Cheney, Rove testimony  —  Source: Reuters  —  A lawyer plans to use a legal precedent that allowed President Bill Clinton to be sued while in office to force Vice President Dick Cheney and presidential adviser Karl Rove to testify in a lawsuit brought by former CIA operative Valerie Plame and her husband.

On the Phone With Benjamin Netanyahu  —  ***TOP THREAD** SCROLL FOR NEW POSTS AND UPDATES**  —  ******FULL TRANSCRIPT IN THE EXTENDED POST*****  —  As Syrian President Assad calls President Bush's plan for democracy a joke, I finish a blogger interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

Coffee as a Health Drink?  Studies Find Some Benefits  —  Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink.  Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments …