HOW THE NEW REPUBLIC GOT SUCKERED  —  When Pajamas Media heard the authenticity questions surrounding the "Baghdad Diarist" articles by Scott Thomas Beauchamp in The New Republic, we asked our Washington Editor Richard Miniter to look into how the respected opinion magazine could once again be the locus of such a scandal.

Al Qaeda's Travel Agent  —  Damascus International Airport is a hub for terrorists.  —  The United States is at last making significant progress against al Qaeda in Iraq—but the road to victory now requires cutting off al Qaeda's road to Iraq through Damascus.

Clinton backers see Warner — not Obama — as best V.P. choice  —  Anticipating that Sen. Hillary Clinton will clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, some supporters are beginning to argue against her choosing her principal rival — Sen. Barack Obama — for vice president.

An Interview With Robert Novak  —  On Friday of last week, I did a telephone interview with Robert Novak about his book, The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington.  What follows is the transcript of our interview (Note: This interview has been edited slightly to correct grammar and for brevity's sake.)

CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT TAKES CENTER STAGE IN COVERAGE  —  A Quarterly Report of the PEJ News Coverage Index  —  MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE CAMPAIGN RISES, WAR COVERAGE FALLS, DURING THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2007  —  The 2008 Presidential campaign—with its crowded field and accelerated timetable …

Happy Warrantless Surveillance Subpoena Day  —  On Friday, the White House requested a second extension to the deadline to comply with subpoenas issued about the origins of the warrantless surveillance program.  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's (D-VT) response?

Bears eat man at beer festival  —  BELGRADE, Serbia (Reuters) — A 23-year old Serb was found dead and half-eaten in the bear cage of Belgrade Zoo at the weekend during the annual beer festival.  —  The man was found naked, with his clothes lying intact inside the cage.

As Democracy Push Falters, Bush Feels Like a 'Dissident'  —  By the time he arrived in Prague in June for a democracy conference, President Bush was frustrated.  He had committed his presidency to working toward the goal of "ending tyranny in our world," yet the march of freedom seemed stalled.

Kurds flee homes as Iran shells Iraqi villages  —  Iraqi Kurdish officials expressed deepening concern yesterday at an upsurge in fierce clashes between Kurdish guerrillas and Iranian forces in the remote border area of north-east Iraq, where Tehran has recently deployed thousands of Revolutionary Guards.

The Terrorism Index  —  Third Semi-annual, Nonpartisan Survey of Foreign Policy Experts from the Center for American Progress and Foreign Policy  — "U.S. Foreign Policy Experts Oppose Bush's Surge," Reuters, Aug. 20, 2007  —  In the third Terrorism Index, more than 100 of America's …

Just When We Thought Bloomberg Was Out, They Pull Nunn Back In  —  With Mike Bloomberg reportedly ending his flirtations with a run for the Presidency (and I stress reportedly), it's apparently time for a new vanity candidate, another former Democrat, to let on that he's thinking about running for the White House this cycle.

Vladimir Putin rewrites Russia's history books to promote patriotism  —  Critics are accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of a Soviet-style rewriting of Russian history with a series of new "patriotic" textbooks to be unveiled in the new school year.

BBC DROPS FICTIONAL TERROR ATTACK TO AVOID OFFENDING MUSLIMS  —  The BBC has dropped plans to show a fictional terror attack in an episode of Casualty to avoid offending Muslims.  —  The first show of the hospital drama's new series was to have featured a storyline about an explosion caused by Islamic extremists.

Why Study War?  —  Military history teaches us about honor, sacrifice, and the inevitability of conflict.  —  Try explaining to a college student that Tet was an American military victory.  You'll provoke not a counterargument—let alone an assent—but a blank stare: Who or what was Tet?

AP: Pain medicine use has nearly doubled  —  MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - People in the United States are living in a world of pain and they are popping pills at an alarming rate to cope with it.  —  The amount of five major painkillers sold at retail establishments rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005 …

Rove Talks: If Mistakes Were Made, They Weren't His  —  Karl Rove says he feels like Moby Dick.  —  In a television tour of three Sunday morning shows as his departure from the White House nears, Mr. Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, complained that Democratic leaders …

Roadside bomb kills Iraq governor  —  The Shia governor of Iraq's southern Muthana province has been killed by a roadside bomb, officials have said.  —  The governor, Mohammed Ali al-Hasani, was killed when the bomb exploded next to his convoy as it drove through the provincial capital, Samawa, police say.

Democratic Rivals Caution Against Swift Iraq Pullout  —  The leading Democratic presidential contenders sounded a note of caution about a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq in a largely civil debate Sunday morning that also returned to the familiar themes of experience and electability.

Karl Rove, Insider With an Outsize Reputation  —  From the moment he leaked word of his departure to the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Karl Rove has been lionized and vilified by the media hordes.  —  He is either a political giant, shrewdly plotting a series of victories during the Bush presidency …