Your portal to global politics, economics, and ideas  —  The Terrorism Index  —  In the third Terrorism Index, more than 100 of America's most respected foreign-policy experts see a world that is growing more dangerous, a national security strategy in disrepair, and a war in Iraq that is alarmingly off course.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Former Sen. Sam Nunn weighs run for White House  —  Sam Nunn left the U.S. Senate more than 10 years ago.  —  Since then, the Georgia Democrat, who made his name nationally as a defense-minded hawk, has watched what's happened to the country, and he's more than a bit ticked — at the …

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?

The rigid pro-war ideology of the foreign policy community  —  Gideon Rose is the Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs, one of the most serious positions in the foreign policy establishment, and on Friday he wrote that "the lefty blogosphere . . . has gotten itself all in a tizzy over the failings …

Cheney has this 'little-girl crush on strongmen.'  —  The Washington Post updates the progress of Bush's "freedom agenda."  Peter Baker writes, "Two and a half years after Bush pledged in his second inaugural address to spread democracy around the world, the grand project has bogged …

McCain Conference Call  —  John McCain conducted another of his blogger conference calls this morning to promote his speech later at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Arlington.  In taking a look at the speech released by his campaign before the event, McCain focuses on national security and the war in Iraq.

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 …

Report: Vick agrees to plea deal, prison possible  —  (CNN) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal that could send him to prison, ending a federal dogfighting prosecution that jeopardizes his pro football career, a Virginia newspaper is reporting.

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.

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 …

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.

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.)

A New Home for DDT  —  DDT, the miracle insecticide turned environmental bogeyman, is once again playing an important role in public health.  In the malaria-plagued regions of Africa, where mosquitoes are becoming resistant to other chemicals, DDT is now being used as an indoor repellent.

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?