An Unexpected Collision Over Detainees  —  President Bush and Congressional Republicans spent the last 10 days laying the foundation for a titanic pre-election struggle over national security, and now they have one.  But the fight playing out this week on Capitol Hill is not what they had in mind.

Inside the Oval Office  —  President Bush gives journalists a "heads up" about the mid-term elections, among other things.  —  WE NOW KNOW WHY the Bush administration hasn't made the capture of Osama bin Laden a paramount goal of the war on terror.  Emphasis on bin Laden doesn't fit …

Ney to plead to criminal charge  —  Bob Ney, R-Ohio discusses his bid for re-election, during a campaign rally at the Tuscarawas County GOP headquarters in Dover, Ohio.  Ney has agreed with the Justice Department to plead guilty to at least one criminal charge.

Democrats Hold Solid Lead; Strong Anti-Incumbent, Anti-Bush Mood  —  Terrorism Focus Increases, But No GOP Boost  —  Summary of Findings  —  As the congressional midterm campaign begins in earnest, the mood of the electorate is sharply drawn.  Voters are disappointed with Congress and disapproving of President Bush.

Muslim Leaders Assail Pope's Speech on Islam  —  As Pope Benedict XVI arrived back home from Germany, Muslim leaders strongly criticized a speech he gave on his trip that used unflattering language about Islam.  —  Some of the strongest words came from Turkey, possibly putting in jeopardy Benedict's scheduled visit there in November.

Al-Qaida joins Algerians against France  —  PARIS - Al-Qaida has for the first time announced a union with an Algerian insurgent group that has designated France as an enemy, saying they will act together against French and American interests.  —  Current and former French officials specializing …

AL-DURA: THE TRIAL (PART ONE)  —  Starting September 14, three Frenchmen go on trial in Paris for questioning the veracity of the 2000 videotape of the putative murder of Palestinian child Mohammed Al-Dura by Israeli soldiers.  This tape - promulgated by the French state-run channel France 2 …

Hezbollah war crimes: Amnesty International cries  —  Heads up!  —  Amnesty International has introduced a comprehensive report accusing a terrorist group of war crimes.In utter defiance of the predominant American left, European and United Nations view that Israel engaged in gross war crimes …

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: The earmark reform legislation has passed the House and Senate, but there's also an important House rules change up for a vote today, and House Appropriators are balking because it is likely to undercut their power by making them more accountable.

Sen. Reid: The Specter bill will NOT be enacted.  Period.  —  (updated below)  —  Sen. Harry Reid participated in a conference call with a dozen or so bloggers this afternoon.  For the first question, I asked him about the Specter bill — specifically, what the Democrats' strategy …

Lebanon - a reassessment  —  Anyone following the war in Lebanon in the Israeli media could not but come away engulfed in deep depression.  Israelis and their media tend to focus obsessively on themselves, their own losses and failings, remaining largely oblivious to what is happening on the other side of the divide.

Our Real Enemy is Within Us  —  Listening to President Bush speak, on Monday's anniversary of 9/11, after a day of distastefully sentimental memorials, my question was not what have we achieved in the last five years, but rather, what have we learned?  Bush and Blair — the captain …

Philanthropy Google's Way: Not the Usual  —  The ambitious founders of Google, the popular search engine company, have set up a philanthropy, giving it seed money of about $1 billion and a mandate to tackle poverty, disease and global warming.  —  But unlike most charities …

Who The Terror Apologists Support  —  Some of you may be familiar with a group called the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.  This is a group that describes itself as the "Muslim NAACP."  Some of its leaders stood by President Bush and Colin Powell as those men spoke …

Blair attacks Europe's "mad anti-Americans"  —  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a withering attack on Thursday on what he called "mad anti-Americanism" among European politicians.  —  Blair, U.S. President George W. Bush's closest ally in the so-called war on terror …