"F*** YOU": THE INSIDE STORY  —  The eruption of Senator John McCain at fellow Republican Sen. John Cornyn (TX) is an incident that reverberates on several levels.  It renews lingering doubts about whether Senator McCain possesses the proper temperament to be president.

Bush's Summer Hires Targeted  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a little trick up his sleeve that could spell an end to President Bush's devilish recess appointments of controversial figures like former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton.  We hear that over the long August vacation …

Assad's volcano in Lebanon  —  Terrorist group Fatah al-Islam unleashed its fury on the Lebanese army today, killing at least 12 army soldiers and ISF members and wounding dozens of others, including civilians.  The Syrian-backed group— made up of Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese …

Iraq's Sadr Overhauls His Tactics  —  NAJAF, Iraq — The movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has embarked on one of its most dramatic tactical shifts since the beginning of the war.  —  The 33-year-old populist is reaching out to a broad array of Sunni leaders, from politicians to insurgents …

Tainted Chinese Imports Common  —  In Four Months, FDA Refused 298 Shipments  —  Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical.  —  Frozen catfish laden with banned antibiotics.  —  Scallops and sardines coated with putrefying bacteria.  —  Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides.

Top Republican predicts Gonzales may resign  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted on Sunday Attorney General Alberto Gonzales might step down in the face of a substantial Senate "no-confidence" vote on his performance.

Democrats prefer Edwards in new poll  —  Presidential candidate John Edwards leads rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in a new Des Moines Register poll of Iowans likely to take part in the Democratic caucuses.  —  The Iowa Poll shows Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina …

My friend, Jerry Falwell  —  How the pornographer found himself in the embrace of the reverend who sued him.  —  THE FIRST TIME the Rev. Jerry Falwell put his hands on me, I was stunned.  Not only had we been archenemies for 15 years, his beliefs and mine traveling in different solar systems …

Canadians don't care for Sicko  —  Moore's health-care film gets rough reception  —  Michael Moore is handing out fake bandages to promote his new film Sicko, an exposé of the failings of the U.S. health care system.  —  But he may feel like applying a couple to himself after the mauling …

Second Life for Study Group  —  After an initially tepid reception from policymakers, the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are getting a second look from the White House and Congress, as officials continue to scour for bipartisan solutions to salvage the American engagement in Iraq.

JEEZ, ANDREW'S AT IT AGAIN.  —  I never understand what sends him off on these tears.  I kind of think he actually wants me to be pro-torture, though he certainly knows better.  Sullivan's certainly not above torturing the record to get the answers he wants, though to be fair he more often simply ignores it.

Fred's watershed?  —  TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  On the day of the first Southern-state Republican debate on the Fox News Channel, one undeclared GOP candidate performed a media leapfrog.  —  With the help of one 38-second video clip and a great sense of humor, Fred Thompson …

Poll: American satisfaction at new low  —  WASHINGTON - It's gloomy out there.  Men and women, whites and minorities — all are feeling a war-weary pessimism about the country seldom shared by so many people.  —  Only 25 percent of those surveyed say things in the U.S. are going in the right direction …

2 F.U.s From Now  —  Just finished chatting with Ellen Ratner and Lawrence O'Donnell on Seder's show.  O'Donnell's under the impression that a year from now the Republican candidate for president will be against the war, or at least talking about getting out of it.