Comair Plane Took Off From Wrong Runway  —  LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A commuter jet mistakenly trying to take off on a runway that was too short crashed into a field Sunday and burst into flames, killing 49 people and leaving the lone survivor - a co-pilot - in critical condition, federal investigators said.

Nasrallah: We won't be restrained for a long time  —  In first interview after Lebanon war to Lebanese station NTV, Hizbullah chief says he would not have kidnapped IDF soldiers had he known Israel would respond the way it did.  'Resistance will continue to be a tool for the army.

WHY A PAC?  —  If you've checked the Blue America ActBlue page in the last couple of days, you may have noticed a new addition.  That ain't no candidate's face the second from the top.  No, it's the graphic symbol that our sometime art director, Adam, did to represent our "campaign" …

Life and Death  —  Western guilt blinds us to the nature of Islamic extremism.  —  The simple back-and-forth of war can create the illusion that both sides have a legitimate point to make even when this is not so, and it is clear that Hezbollah's cause has greatly benefited from war's "equalizing" effect.

Slow and Low  —  Rahm oh Rahm, what are we going to do with you?  —  You were showing so much promise the day after the Connecticut primary: … But that was then, this is now.  Today in the NYT: … Say what?  —  I won't descend into cheap, common snark and point out that Joe Lieberman …

Iran tests submarine-to-surface missile  —  TEHRAN, Iran - Iran tested a new anti-ship missile fired by a submarine during war games Sunday, raising worries it could disrupt vital oil tanker traffic in the Gulf amid its standoff with the West over its suspect nuclear activities.

In Defense of Andrew Young  —  Andrew Young unwittingly ended his brief tenure as Wal-Mart's ambassador to U.S. cities this month with his remarks about the nation's urban mom and pop shops:  —  "Those are the people who have been overcharging us — selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables …

'Democracy is under attack': Gore  —  LONDON (AFP) - Former US Vice-President Al Gore warned an audience at the Edinburgh International Television Festival that "democracy is under attack".  —  The former presidential candidate said television networks in the world's biggest …

'Gaza is caught in anarchy and thuggery'  —  "When you walk in the streets of Gaza City, you cannot but close your eyes because of what you see there: unimaginable chaos, careless policemen, young men carrying guns and strutting with pride and families receiving condolences for their dead in the middle of the street."

Death Rates Again  —  It's depressing to see a professor of demography pull this sort of stunt in the Washington Post: … What a joke.  Note that the authors (Samuel H. Preston and Emily Buzzell) actually compare the crude death rate for the entire population of the United States to that of U.S. service personnel in Iraq.

Year After Katrina, Bush Still Fights for 9/11 Image  —  When the nation records the legacy of George W. Bush, 43rd president and self-described compassionate conservative, two competing images will help tell the tale.  —  The first is of Mr. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks …

California Seeks to Clear Hemp of a Bad Name  —  STRATFORD, Calif. — Charles Meyer's politics are as steady and unswerving as the rows of pima cotton on his Central Valley farm.  With his work-shirt blue eyes and flinty Clint Eastwood demeanor, he is staunchly in favor of the war in Iraq …

"Truthiness," "Wikiality" named TV words of year  —  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Truthiness" and "Wikiality" — two of the words popularized by political satirist on his TV show "The Colbert Report"— were named on Sunday the top television buzzwords of the year.

Contrary to what is now the accepted wisdom in the media, Hezb'allah in its recent offensive against Israel neither "badly bloodied the Israel Defense Force," nor "fought it to a standstill" in Southern Lebanon.  In fact, the opposite is the case.  By any legitimate measure Hezb'allah was handed …