BREAKING NEWS: Lieberman Says War Vote Could Prompt Party Switch  —  Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut told the Politico Thursday that he has no immediate plans to switch parties, but suggested Democratic opposition to funding the war in Iraq might change his mind.

Fears grow over Iran  —  Tony Blair has declared himself at odds with hawks in the US Administration by saying publicly for the first time that it would be wrong to take military action against Iran.  The Prime Minister's comments came hours before the UN's nuclear watchdog raised the stakes in the West's showdown with Tehran.

Did Hillary Buy More Endorsements In South Carolina?  —  On Monday, I posted about the curious relationship between the Hillary Clinton campaign and Darrell Jackson, an African-American state legislator from South Carolina who had surprised some by endorsing Hillary over John Edwards and Barack Obama.

Chimps Observed Making Their Own Weapons  —  Chimpanzees living in the West African savannah have been observed fashioning deadly spears from sticks and using the hand-crafted tools to hunt small mammals — the first routine production of deadly weapons ever observed in animals other than humans.

McCain: Bush Pursuit of Iraq a 'Train Wreck'  —  McCain Slams Bush Administration on Iraq and Global Warming, Criticizes Both Cheney and Rumsfeld  —  Proving that presidential infighting isn't just for Democrats, Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took several sharply worded shots …

Dick Cheney Down Under - Part 3  —  On The Inside Of A "Violent" Protest  —  Breaking Down The Numbers  —  Story And Photos By Darryl Mason  —  There was the usual chanting, singing, applauding, angry speech-making through dodgy crackling sound systems.

WaPo editor: If we're so liberal, how come the nutroots sends us hate mail?  —  The last time I heard this chestnut was during the White House correspondents dinner, shortly before Colbert took the stage.  The president of the correspondents association tossed it out there in introducing Bush …

U.S. hardens line on talks between Israel and Syria  —  The United States demanded that Israel desist from even exploratory contacts with Syria, of the sort that would test whether Damascus is serious in its declared intentions to hold peace talks with Israel.

Iraq 101: The Iraq Effect  —  Research fellows at the Center on Law and Security at the NYU School of Law.  Bergen is also a senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C.  —  "If we were not fighting and destroying this enemy in Iraq, they would not be idle.

In For the Long Haul  —  The Petraeus plan will have U.S. forces deployed in Iraq for years to come.  Does anybody running for president realize that?  —  The British are leaving, the Iraqis are failing and the Americans are staying—and we're going to be there a lot longer than anyone in Washington is acknowledging right now.

Army Works to Repair Medical Center, Reputation  —  Army officials toured Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Wednesday to inspect and monitor repairs at the facility, which has been criticized for poor conditions and patient care.  The Army's surgeon general and a veterans advocate debate the medical center's future.