"F*** YOU": THE INSIDE STORY  —  The eruption of Senator John McCain at fellow Republican Sen. John Cornyn (TX) is an incident that reverberates on several levels.  It renews lingering doubts about whether Senator McCain possesses the proper temperament to be president.

Specter: Gonzales Will Likely Resign Before No Confidence Vote  —  Last week, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) called on the Senate to hold a no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  —  The White House and its conservative allies quickly derided the vote …

Assad's volcano in Lebanon  —  Terrorist group Fatah al-Islam unleashed its fury on the Lebanese army today, killing at least 12 army soldiers and ISF members and wounding dozens of others, including civilians.  The Syrian-backed group— made up of Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese …

Tainted Chinese Imports Common  —  In Four Months, FDA Refused 298 Shipments  —  Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical.  —  Frozen catfish laden with banned antibiotics.  —  Scallops and sardines coated with putrefying bacteria.  —  Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides.

Bush's Summer Hires Targeted  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a little trick up his sleeve that could spell an end to President Bush's devilish recess appointments of controversial figures like former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton.  We hear that over the long August vacation …

Second Life for Study Group  —  After an initially tepid reception from policymakers, the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are getting a second look from the White House and Congress, as officials continue to scour for bipartisan solutions to salvage the American engagement in Iraq.

Iraq's Sadr Overhauls His Tactics  —  NAJAF, Iraq — The movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has embarked on one of its most dramatic tactical shifts since the beginning of the war.  —  The 33-year-old populist is reaching out to a broad array of Sunni leaders, from politicians to insurgents …

My friend, Jerry Falwell  —  How the pornographer found himself in the embrace of the reverend who sued him.  —  THE FIRST TIME the Rev. Jerry Falwell put his hands on me, I was stunned.  Not only had we been archenemies for 15 years, his beliefs and mine traveling in different solar systems …

Canadians don't care for Sicko  —  Moore's health-care film gets rough reception  —  Michael Moore is handing out fake bandages to promote his new film Sicko, an exposé of the failings of the U.S. health care system.  —  But he may feel like applying a couple to himself after the mauling …

JEEZ, ANDREW'S AT IT AGAIN.  —  I never understand what sends him off on these tears.  I kind of think he actually wants me to be pro-torture, though he certainly knows better.  Sullivan's certainly not above torturing the record to get the answers he wants, though to be fair he more often simply ignores it.

Border agents hit illegals bill  —  The leadership of all 11,000 nonsupervisory U.S. Border Patrol agents yesterday criticized an immigration compromise by senators and the Bush administration as "piecemeal" legislation that invites future terrorist attacks and fails to secure the nation's borders.

Poll: American satisfaction at new low  —  WASHINGTON - It's gloomy out there.  Men and women, whites and minorities — all are feeling a war-weary pessimism about the country seldom shared by so many people.  —  Only 25 percent of those surveyed say things in the U.S. are going in the right direction …

Assessments Made in 2003 Foretold Situation in Iraq  —  Intelligence Studies List Internal Violence, Terrorist Activity  —  Two intelligence assessments from January 2003 predicted that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and subsequent U.S. occupation of Iraq could lead to internal violence …

Western Allies In the Twilight  —  The two wounded warriors stood side by side in the sunshine of the White House Rose Garden.  Tony Blair and George Bush, partners in a transatlantic alliance that has come a cropper in Iraq, tried to shield each other from the slings and arrows of two nations' reporters.

Fred's watershed?  —  TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  On the day of the first Southern-state Republican debate on the Fox News Channel, one undeclared GOP candidate performed a media leapfrog.  —  With the help of one 38-second video clip and a great sense of humor, Fred Thompson …

Dr. Laura son linked to lurid Web page  —  Site contained violent, sex-oriented images one official called 'repulsive'  —  The soldier son of talk radio relationship counselor Laura Schlessinger is under investigation for a graphic personal Web page that one Army official has called "repulsive."

So how did it become required classroom viewing?  —  Even climate change experts say many of the claims in Al Gore's film are wrong.  —  First it was his world history class.  Then he saw it in his economics class.  And his world issues class.  And his environment class.