A New Explanation For "Macaca?"  —  What does Macaca really mean?  Three Virginia Republicans confirmed to the Hotline that several Allen campaign aides and advisers are telling allies that the word was a made-up, off-the-cuff neologism that these aides occasionally used to refer …

Arrest made in JonBenet Ramsey case  —  (CNN) — A suspect has been arrested "for the December 26, 1996, murder of JonBenet Ramsey," the district attorney in Boulder, Colorado, said Wednesday.  —  A law enforcement source identified the suspect as 41-year-old John Mark Karr, a one-time school teacher.

The Alleged UK Terror Plot  —  So far, no one has been charged in the alleged terror plot to blow up several airplanes across the Atlantic.  No evidence has been produced supporting the contention that such a plot was indeed imminent.  Forgive me if my skepticism just ratcheted up a little notch.

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 …

THE MIDEAST'S MUNICH  —  WAR WITH MULLAHS IS COMING  —  HISTORIANS will look back at this weekend's cease-fire agreement in Lebanon as a pivotal moment in the war on terror.  It is pivotal in the same sense that the Munich agreement between Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain was pivotal …

Bush is crap, says Prescott  —  Deputy PM criticises US handling of Middle East, condemning 'cowboy' President at private meeting  —  John Prescott has given vent to his private feelings about the Bush presidency, summing up George Bush's administration in a single word: crap.

Home Sales Tumble to 9-Year Low  —  Price gains slowed further in the Southland last month.  Economists debate whether the market will have a 'soft landing' or worse.  —  Southern California home sales fell to their lowest level in nine years last month as price appreciation continued to decelerate, data released Tuesday showed.

Rating down despite foiled terror plot and Lebanon cease fire; Democrats hold generic Congressional lead  —  President Bush's job approval rating dipped two points in the last three weeks, despite the foiling of an airline terror plot and the adoption of a cease-fire deal between Israel …

Granholm still leads DeVos by 3 points  —  Governor's job approval rating improves after Democrats' ad blitz.  —  Gov. Jennifer Granholm's return fire in her TV ad wars with Republican challenger Dick DeVos is starting to move voters her way.  —  A new Detroit News/WXYZ-TV poll taken Aug. 9-14 …

Town sued over strict immigration law  —  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Civil rights campaigners sued the Pennsylvania town of Hazleton on Tuesday, seeking to block one of America's toughest local laws against illegal immigrants.  —  The suit says Hazelton's City Council violated the U.S. constitution …

8/16: Let The Sunshine In  —  Perhaps it's due to the GOP's recent electoral success, but the right side of the 'sphere continues to focus less on campaigns and elections and more on other (still political) projects.  8/16 is yet another example of the trend as a broad coalition …

The king is a fink!  —  Ann Coulter is not the Lone Haranguer riding bravely through the night to yell up at the castle, "The king is a fink!"  —  She works for the fink.  —  Coulter is a wholly-owned subsidy of the Republican Right, stamped with the Karl Rove seal of approval.

The Real Winner in Lebanon  —  The success of the ceasefire in Lebanon hinges on a condition that Lebanon and Hizbollah both insist will not happen.  Hizbollah is supposed to disarm, but says bluntly that it will not do so.  The Lebanese government says it will not force Hizbollah to disarm.

The Democrats Mean Business  —  Washington needs an entrepreneurial approach.  —  In the past week, my victory in the Connecticut Senate primary has been labeled everything from the death knell of the Democratic Party to the signal of our party's rebirth.  Beneath all of this punditry …

A Democrat for Main Street  —  If you're looking for a land that time forgot, you couldn't do much better than the mountain country of central Pennsylvania.  On a sparkling summer day it's a tableau of lazy rivers and deeply green forested hills, of cornfields and farmhouses (some abandoned) …

Boys subjected to 9 hours of rote memorization a day in NYC.  —  The NYT has what seems meant to read as a charming human interest piece about "children" — really, boys — who are sent to school in New York City for 9 hours a day to work exclusively on the task of memorizing the Koran.

Kidman condemns Hamas, Hezbollah  —  NICOLE Kidman has made a public stand against terrorism.  —  The actress, joined by 84 other high-profile Hollywood stars, directors, studio bosses and media moguls, has taken out a powerfully-worded full page advertisement in today's Los Angeles Times newspaper.