Syria objects to U.N. troops on border  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel is demanding that U.N. troops patrol the Syria-Lebanon border to prevent Hezbollah from receiving arms shipments.  But even if Israel overcomes Syrian objections to the idea, policing the mostly mountainous frontier could prove nearly impossible.

The Perils Of Using 'The Allies'  —  The cowboy has been retired.  Multilateralism is back.  Diplomacy is king.  That's the conventional wisdom about George W. Bush's second term: Under the influence of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the administration has finally embraced "the allies."

Wanted: Scarier Intelligence  —  The last thing this country needs as it heads into this election season is another attempt to push the intelligence agencies to hype their conclusions about the threat from a Middle Eastern state.  —  That's what happened in 2002, when the administration engineered …

Fairfax Native Says Allen's Words Stung  —  S.R. Sidarth had built an impressive record of achievements for such a young man: straight-A student at one of Fairfax County's finest high schools, a tournament chess player, a quiz team captain, a sportswriter at his college newspaper …

WHY WAL-MART MATTERS.  I'm of the opinion that how to handle Wal-Mart is among the two or three most important issues facing the country.  The conversation hasn't caught up to it, and the arguments being had mostly miss the mark and collapse in their own short-sightedness …

Hezbollah Didn't Win  —  Arab writers are beginning to lift the veil on what really happened in Lebanon.  —  The way much of the Western media tells the story, Hezbollah won a great victory against Israel and the U.S., healed the Sunni-Shiite rift, and boosted the Iranian mullahs' claim to leadership of the Muslim world.

Katie Couric: Perky and Cute, But Smart, Informed and Liberal, Too  —  All Three Commercial Evening News Anchors Viewed Positively  —  Summary of Findings  —  Though Katie Couric has yet to take her seat as the new CBS Evening News anchor, the former Today show co-host is already …

GOP Senate challenger McGavick reveals drunken driving incident  —  OLYMPIA, Wash. — Republican U.S. Senate challenger Mike McGavick, in a remarkable confession of what he called his personal and political shortcomings, on Thursday revealed a drunken driving incident and discussed his divorce …

Shays Urges Iraq Withdrawal  —  A Former War Backer, GOP Congressman Calls for Timetable  —  Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), once an ardent supporter of the war in Iraq, said yesterday that the Bush administration should set a time frame for withdrawing U.S. troops.

Pluto vote 'hijacked' in revolt  —  Pluto (L), pictured with its largest moon, Charon, is now a dwarf planet  —  A fierce backlash has begun against the decision by astronomers to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.  —  On Thursday, experts approved a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to a lesser category of object.

New Yorker Arrested for Providing Hezbollah TV Channel  —  A New York man was arrested yesterday on charges that he conspired to support a terrorist group by providing U.S. residents with access to Hezbollah's satellite channel, al-Manar.  —  Javed Iqbal runs HDTV Corp. …

Mean Streets  —  So in the last few days WaPo ran a story asserting that "the debate is over" and the Iraqi Civil War is officially raging, and the NYT ran a story claiming that "by almost all measures," Iraq's insurgency is getting worse.  So how is it that people in Baghdad are telling ABC News …

Davis' Tamil trip scrutinized  —  Terror group funded visit, law officials say  —  WASHINGTON — Chicago congressman Danny Davis and an aide took a trip to Sri Lanka last year that was paid for by the Tamil Tigers, a group that the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist organization …

Cfius overhaul back in spotlight  —  When US lawmakers return from their summer recess next month they will be faced with an issue that has dogged them since the Dubai Ports World debacle earlier this year: whether to pass legislation that could create significant barriers to foreign investment in the US.

Sadr's Militia and the Slaughter in the Streets  —  'We Don't Need a Verdict,' One Commander Says  —  BAGHDAD — In a grungy restaurant with plastic tables in central Baghdad, the young Mahdi Army commander was staring earnestly.  His beard was closely cropped around his jaw, his face otherwise cleanshaven.

Joe Down Low On Ballot  —  Two weeks after losing the Democratic primary, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman has qualified for a place on the November ballot as a petitioning candidate, the secretary of the state said Wednesday.  —  But on a ballot crowded with at least five Senate candidates …

Family Time at Kennebunkport  —  President Bush returned to his parents' century-old oceanfront retreat here Thursday for the first time in his second term, putting aside the troubles of the world to some extent for a brief spell of fishing and family.  —  After a morning flight on Air Force One …