Beauchamp Recants  —  THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned from a military source close to the investigation that Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp—author of the much-disputed "Shock Troops" article in the New Republic's July 23 issue as well as two previous "Baghdad Diarist" columns …

Authorities: Men Had Pipe Bombs in Their Car  —  MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say two Middle Eastern men arrested near a Navy base had several pipe bombs in their car.  —  Authorities say 24-year-old Ahmed Abda Sherf Mohamed and 21-year-old Yousef Samir Megahed were charged Monday with possession of an incendiary device.

Bush Still Wields the Threat of Terrorism  —  Until last weekend, President Bush had repeatedly fallen short in seven months of battles with a Democratic-led Congress that would not give him what he wanted on immigration or education, health care or energy policy.

Analysis: Military Shows Gains in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD (AP) - AP Video The new U.S. military strategy in Iraq, unveiled six months ago to little acclaim, is working.  —  In two weeks of observing the U.S. military on the ground and interviewing commanders, strategists and intelligence officers …

TOMMY THOMPSON: BIG IDIOT?  —  In my post yesterday about the Republican debate in Iowa, I said I thought that Tommy Thompson was supposed to be a "sharp guy."  And that because of that purported sharpness I was surprised that his answer to one of the questions about Iraq was one of the stupidest …

Attention Democrats: GOP fear-mongering does not work  —  Karl Rove's election strategy prior to the 2006 election was to force the Democrats to vote against the Military Commissions Act and warrantless eavesdropping so that he could run around the country accusing them of being "soft" and "weak" on Terrorism.

Bill Clinton: The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Is Even More Right Wing And Irrational Than Fox News  —  In a weekend conversation with wealthy supporters that was closed to reporters, Bill Clinton was asked about Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the Wall Street Journal.

As British Leave, Basra Deteriorates  —  Violence Rises in Shiite City Once Called a Success Story  —  As British forces pull back from Basra in southern Iraq, Shiite militias there have escalated a violent battle against each other for political supremacy and control over oil resources …

In Dusty Archives, a Theory of Affluence  —  For thousands of years, most people on earth lived in abject poverty, first as hunters and gatherers, then as peasants or laborers.  But with the Industrial Revolution, some societies traded this ancient poverty for amazing affluence.

Democratic candidates clash on lobbyist cash  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton is being taken to task by her two closest rivals for accepting $400,000 in campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists.  —  Over the weekend …

Crews 'using every means known to mankind' to reach miners  —  HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) — Rescue crews in central Utah know exactly where six trapped miners are located, but were forced to turn around late Monday because of "impassable conditions," the mine's operator said.

Bear Stearns Caymans Filing May Hurt Bankrupt Funds' Creditors  —  Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) — Bear Stearns Cos.' decision to liquidate two bankrupt hedge funds in the Cayman Islands instead of New York may limit creditors' and investors' ability to get their money back.

Same Agencies to Run, Oversee Surveillance Program  —  The Bush administration plans to leave oversight of its expanded foreign eavesdropping program to the same government officials who supervise the surveillance activities and to the intelligence personnel who carry them out, senior government officials said yesterday.