Another Assassination in Beirut - Continuously Updated  —  The only thing that surprises me even slightly about today's political assassination in Beirut is that the victim was Pierre Gemayel, a Christian, rather than Fouad Seniora, a Sunni.  —  All the assassination victims after Rafik Hariri, a Sunni, have been Christians.

Robert Altman, Leading Director, Dies at 81  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, died at a Los Angeles Hospital, his Sandcastle 5 Productions Company said Tuesday.

Muslim scholar calls for airline boycott  —  Six imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday and questioned by police for several hours before being released, a leader of the group said.  —  One of the Muslim scholars removed …

Romney: 'I'm a conservative Republican'  —  WASHINGTON - Eager to position himself as the most conservative GOP presidential hopeful, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney accused Sen. John McCain Monday of being "disingenuous" on gay marriage.  —  In an interview with The Examiner …

John McCain's Real Plan for Iraq  —  I talked with John McCain Sunday morning in the green room just before "This Week."  I asked him why he continued to call for more troops for Iraq when he must know it's a political non-starter.  He said he thought it important for the morale of the troops.

Jihadis and whores  —  Wars are won by destroying the enemy's will to fight.  A nation is never really beaten until it sells its women.  —  The French sold their women to the German occupiers in 1940, and the Germans and Japanese sold their women to the Americans after World War II.

Elder Bush takes on son's Arab critics  —  ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Former President George H.W. Bush took on Arab critics of his son Tuesday during a testy exchange at a leadership conference in the capital of this U.S. ally.  —  "My son is an honest man," Bush told members …

Pelosi-Harman friction strains Democrats' unity  —  WASHINGTON — When Jane Harman left Congress in 1998 to run for governor of California, her colleague Nancy Pelosi threw her a party — a chocolate-fudge sundae "social" in the House members' dining room.  —  Two years later …

Poll: More Americans prefer Bush's father  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Only one in four Americans believe President Bush is a better president than his father, George H. W. Bush, a new CNN poll has found.  —  Six in 10 said the elder Bush, who served one term from 1989-1993, did a better job in office …

The Lingo Of Vietnam  —  The way President Bush whisked through Vietnam — oh, if only we had done the same 40 years ago — it seemed as if he was feeling an obvious parallel with the war in Iraq.  His aides, who somehow lose IQ points by mere proximity to the commander in chief …

Judge cites 'elaborate scheme' to defraud state  —  Ex-coin dealer told to pay nearly $17M  —  Tom Noe, convicted of stealing millions from a fund for Ohio's injured workers to live a fraudulent lifestyle that included luxury homes in two states, will pass into retirement age in a prison uniform.

IMMUNITY FOR THOSE WHO REPOST DEFAMATORY MATERIAL: The California Supreme Court just held, in Barrett v. Rosenthal, that Internet users who post (to Web sites or discussion groups) material created by others are immune from liability.  —  Federal law, 47 U.S.C.

Reno Files Challenge to Terror Law  —  Former Attorney General Janet Reno and seven other former Justice Department officials filed court papers Monday arguing that the Bush administration is setting a dangerous precedent by trying a suspected terrorist outside the court system.

Nancy Grace Sued For Wrongful Death  —  Claim: TV host drove Florida woman to suicide in missing tot case  —  The parents of a woman who committed suicide shortly after a grilling by Nancy Grace today filed a lawsuit against the TV host, claiming that their daughter was driven to her death by the hard-charging former prosecutor.