Blame by Some Arab Leaders for Fighters  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 16 — With the battle between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah raging, key Arab governments have taken the rare step of blaming Hezbollah, underscoring in part their growing fear of influence by the group's main sponsor, Iran.

Children die in convoy attack as Israel widens Lebanon assault  —  Inigo Gilmore in Nahariyah, Patrick Wintour in St Petersburg and Tracy McVeigh  —  Israel steeply escalated its military campaign against Hizbollah in Lebanon yesterday with a series of air strikes that left more than 35 civilians dead …

Dean raps Bush on defense  —  Democratic chairman speaks at conference  —  Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean accused President Bush last night of being weak on national defense and absent in the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

PREPPING THE BATTLESPACE  —  One of the lessons America, and the world, drew from the lightning campaigns of Gulf Wars I & II was the importance of battlesplace preparation.  That is, the conditioning of the battlefield's environment prior to initiating full scale military operations.

Iran calls Western incentives acceptable  —  TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Sunday that Western incentives to halt its nuclear program were an "acceptable basis" for talks, and it is ready for detailed negotiations.  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice responded that Iran should talk directly …

The problem with presidential signing statements  —  a law professor at the University of Chicago  —  Recently, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter, held a hearing about "presidential signing statements."  Shortly thereafter, the Supreme Court issued …

'Great Men' have grating effect on Mideast  —  I was on the road the other night and so found myself watching CNN's coverage of Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, etc.  It was "Larry King Live," and it was one of those shows where Larry interviews great men about what needs to be done and the great men …

Mortars let fly as Iraq draws first front line of civil war  —  The battle lines of a full-scale civil war in Iraq have been drawn in Baghdad.  —  Highway 60 has become one of the bloodiest fronts in the war between Sunni and Shia.  Known to its frightened inhabitants as the "street of death" …

A New Alliance Of Democrats Spreads Funding  —  But Some in Party Bristle At Secrecy and Liberal Tilt  —  An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks …

Yes, It Really Is Brain Surgery  —  Be nice to the man with the holes in his head  —  Like NASA before the first moon landing, I have been soliciting advice about what to say when I wake up from brain surgery.  That's right, brain surgery—it's a real conversation stopper, isn't it?