"Non-Combatant" Lieberman Won't Back Democratic Candidates  —  Declaring himself a "non-combatant," U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, in remarks at a New Haven press event Friday, raised anew the question of whether his "independent" candidacy will help Republicans hold onto three Congressional seats …

The Perils Of Using 'The Allies'  —  The cowboy has been retired.  Multilateralism is back.  Diplomacy is king.  That's the conventional wisdom about George W. Bush's second term: Under the influence of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the administration has finally embraced "the allies."

Syria objects to U.N. troops on border  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel is demanding that U.N. troops patrol the Syria-Lebanon border to prevent Hezbollah from receiving arms shipments.  But even if Israel overcomes Syrian objections to the idea, policing the mostly mountainous frontier could prove nearly impossible.

Fairfax Native Says Allen's Words Stung  —  S.R. Sidarth had built an impressive record of achievements for such a young man: straight-A student at one of Fairfax County's finest high schools, a tournament chess player, a quiz team captain, a sportswriter at his college newspaper …

Protest permit alarms Utah's Jews  —  'It's scary': Many worry such a rally could blur the line between freedom of speech and anti-Semitism  —  Members of Utah's Jewish community are alarmed by a proposed demonstration that will call for "Death to Israel."

Dems use ignored rule to oust gay candidate  —  Alabama party committee disqualifies winner, loser in primary runoff  —  MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A Democratic Party committee Thursday night disqualified an openly gay candidate for the Alabama Legislature and the woman she defeated in the primary runoff …

Exclusive: Whistleblowers Say State Farm Cheated Katrina Victims  —  Brian Ross and Joseph Rhee Report:  —  State Farm Insurance supervisors systematically demanded that Hurricane Katrina damage reports be buried or replaced or changed so that the company would not have to pay policyholders' claims …

Washington, D.C.  —  WASHINGTON, in many ways, is an unsurprising place to visit — an expanse of monuments, symbols and sites familiar to any American who watches the evening news (or, at least, "West Wing").  Which is not to say that Washington can't be, with a little effort, a city of surprises and unfamiliar delights.

Medicare Ads Paid by Drug Industry  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - The pharmaceutical industry quietly footed the bill for at least part of a recent multimillion-dollar ad campaign praising lawmakers who support the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to political officials.

Pluto vote 'hijacked' in revolt  —  Pluto (L), pictured with its largest moon, Charon, is now a dwarf planet  —  A fierce backlash has begun against the decision by astronomers to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.  —  On Thursday, experts approved a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to a lesser category of object.

WHY WAL-MART MATTERS.  I'm of the opinion that how to handle Wal-Mart is among the two or three most important issues facing the country.  The conversation hasn't caught up to it, and the arguments being had mostly miss the mark and collapse in their own short-sightedness …

More media, less news  —  Newspapers are making progress with the internet, but most are still too timid, defensive or high-minded  —  THE first thing to greet a visitor to the Oslo headquarters of Schibsted, a Norwegian newspaper firm, is its original, hand-operated printing press from 1856 …

Kentucky Governor Signs Plea Deal  —  Gov. Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky, who was indicted in May in connection with a hiring scandal, signed an agreement yesterday admitting wrongdoing by his administration and promising to reconstitute the state's Personnel Board.

'NYT' Sunday Preview: Barry Goldwater ... Hero of Democrats?  —  NEW YORK An interview in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine with C.C. Goldwater reveals that her HBO film to be aired Sept. 18 paints her late grandfather, Sen. Barry Goldwater, "as a kind of liberal," with testimonials from Al Franken …

Happy Birthday, Mr. Ex-President  —  WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton has been celebrating his 60th birthday at breakneck speed and he will be continuing to do so for months to come, according to news reports.  Given the many laughs he has afforded me over the years, I hope he will proceed at a more restrained pace.

Hezbollah Didn't Win  —  Arab writers are beginning to lift the veil on what really happened in Lebanon.  —  The way much of the Western media tells the story, Hezbollah won a great victory against Israel and the U.S., healed the Sunni-Shiite rift, and boosted the Iranian mullahs' claim to leadership of the Muslim world.

Sadr's Militia and the Slaughter in the Streets  —  'We Don't Need a Verdict,' One Commander Says  —  BAGHDAD — In a grungy restaurant with plastic tables in central Baghdad, the young Mahdi Army commander was staring earnestly.  His beard was closely cropped around his jaw, his face otherwise cleanshaven.

In Poll, G.O.P. Slips as a Friend of Religion  —  A new poll shows that fewer Americans view the Republican Party as "friendly to religion" than a year ago, with the decline particularly steep among Catholics and white evangelical Protestants — constituencies at the core of the Republicans' conservative Christian voting bloc.

The persecution of Lina Joy  —  Apostasy.  The last time I visited the subject, an ex-Muslim man's life was at stake in Afghanistan.  Remember Abdul Rahman?  —  Now, meet Lina Joy.  Like Rahman, she was born Muslim, converted to Christianity, and is facing death threats for abandoning Islam.

Alleged Slur Casts Spotlight On Senator's (Jewish?)  Roots  —  When Senator George Allen of Virginia used a racial slur for dark-skinned North Africans, "macaca," during a recent encounter with a young Indian American cameraman from his opponent's campaign, many wondered where he had learned the word.

GOP Senate challenger McGavick reveals drunken driving incident  —  OLYMPIA, Wash. — Republican U.S. Senate challenger Mike McGavick, in a remarkable confession of what he called his personal and political shortcomings, on Thursday revealed a drunken driving incident and discussed his divorce …

Shays Urges Iraq Withdrawal  —  A Former War Backer, GOP Congressman Calls for Timetable  —  Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), once an ardent supporter of the war in Iraq, said yesterday that the Bush administration should set a time frame for withdrawing U.S. troops.