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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

2 Charged With Pipe Bombs Near Navy Base  —  2 Men Charged With Possession of Pipe Bombs Near Navy Base in South Carolina  —  Two men found with several pipe bombs in their car near a Navy base were charged Monday with possession of an explosive device, authorities said.

Propaganda Redux  —  Take it from this old KGB hand: The left is abetting America's enemies with its intemperate attacks on President Bush.  —  During last week's two-day summit, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown thanked President Bush for leading the global war on terror.

FBI Bows to Modern Realities, Eases Rules on Past Drug Use  —  Policy Change Comes as Agency Struggles to Fill Openings  —  The buttoned-down FBI is loosening up: Under a little-noticed new hiring policy introduced this year, job applicants with a history of drug use will no longer …

Tommy Thompson [Eric]  —  Josh has accidentally hit upon the extraordinary range of feelings that Wisconsinites have about Tommy Thompson: He is viewed as being anything from a brilliant technocrat to a foot-in-mouth buffoon.  —  I lived in Wisconsin for six years, having arrived there in the Fall …

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.

BROWNBACK GETS TUBULAR  —  I don't agree with the issue Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) is advocating in this campaign web video (he's pushing his consistent pro-life position in contrast to Mitt Romney's 'light on the road to the White House' conversion to the cause).

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 …

Poll: Dems favor Clinton over Obama  —  WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has significantly widened her lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in the wake of a dispute over handling foreign policy, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.

Bridge Collapse Revives Issue of Road Spending  —  In the past two years, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state's gas tax to pay for transportation needs.  —  Now, with at least five people dead in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge here …

Is 2008 The New 1964?  —  There's a Pro-Ron-Paul meme going around, to the effect that 2008 is the new 1964; i.e. that on the premise—debatable in itself, of course—that the GOP has no chance of winning the presidency next year, conservatives should run a Goldwater-style insurgency to remind …

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.