"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 …

I Hope And Pray We Don't Get Hit Again-BUT.....  I hope and pray we don't get hit again, like we did on September 11.  Even one life lost to the violence of terrorism is too much.  —  If I somehow knew an attack was coming, I wouldn't pause for a second to report it in order to prevent it from occuring.

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 …

'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 …

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 …

Do I Want to Talk About the Fact that My Dad Sent a Tip-Off on the Big Story in the Blogosphere Right Now to Another Blogger?  —  No, I don't really wanna talk about it.  (Just givin' you a hard time, Dad.)  —  Turns out Mr. Greg Mitchell, who has so vocally defended the folks making up news …

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."

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 …

Russia rules out UN sanctions against Iran  —  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia rejected talk for now of sanctions against Iran and France warned on Friday against conflict with Tehran, raising doubts whether it will face swift penalties if nuclear work is not halted by an August 31 deadline.

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 …

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.

Eiland: Iran leadership poses threat  —  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if he ever became the supreme decision maker in his country, would "sacrifice half of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel," Giora Eiland, Israel's former national security adviser, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

New Orleans Shops Struggle to Survive  —  NEW ORLEANS — For all the cheerful displays of Louisiana's best-known hot sauce and all the pepper-shaped and pepper-flavored products on the shelves, the Tabasco Country Store is in deep trouble.  —  The shop, at the airport …

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.

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.