War in Afghanistan -- from bad to worse

When President Bush said last week that June had been a ''tough month'' in Afghanistan, where more U.S. and NATO troops died during the past two months than in Iraq, he was pointing to a growing problem in this country's military commitments overseas. The problem consists of having too many soldiers pinned down in one place -- Iraq -- and not enough devoted to fighting an increasingly difficult struggle in another -- Afghanistan. It's unlikely that Mr. Bush can do anything in his remaining months...

Straight to the point

CONGESTION, REDUX Traffic experts keep on presenting new data to confirm what South Florida commuters already know: Driving can be awful here. The latest confirmation of this comes from IBM's Institute for Electronic Government, which surveyed drivers in the country's most congested areas.

Crist overreached on pact with tribe

Gov. Charlie Crist went out on a limb last November when he negotiated a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe that he called ''historic.'' The Florida Supreme Court last week invalidated the agreement and, in the process, pointed out just how far out of line Gov. Crist was.

ECUADOR

The president's ire

By CARLOS ALBERTO MONTANER

According to a recent news report President Rafael Correa of Ecuador reviled the Human Rights Foundation's leaders as ''scoundrels.'' Why? Because the New York-based institution had sent him several well-reasoned letters denouncing painful violations of human rights that had occurred in Ecuador.

CONGRESS

Gutting the Constitution

By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY

The U.S. Senate this week is expected to vote on an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, with a few small amendments intended to immunize telecommunications corporations that assisted our government in the warrantless and illegal wiretapping it has grown to love.

NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES

How students can help

By ANTHONY V. ALFIERI

Standing outside the East Side Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio, last week, Sen. Barack Obama said that his experience working with faith-based groups in Chicago led him into public service. He pointed to millions of Americans who share a similar view of faith-inspired service and who feel a moral obligation to help others in communities across the country. Moreover, he called for the establishment of a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to foster grass-roots partnerships...

SUPREME COURT

'Third choice' becomes court's most influential member

By DAVID S. BRODER

The most dramatic stories in any field of competitive endeavor are those that recount events that almost never happened. It's the scoreless ballgames that end with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth that linger in the psyches of winners and losers -- not the 9-3 walkovers.

MEDIA

Is nonprofit newsroom's shaky start an omen?

BY EDWARD WASSERMAN

Amid the dismal reports of cutbacks, layoffs, fear and trembling in the country's newsrooms, the birth of Pro Publica has been reason for cheer. It's the dazzling new investigative reporting outfit, a nonprofit venture funded with $10 million a year from a California philanthropy to hire two dozen top-dog journalists to 'focus exclusively on truly important stories, stories with `moral force,' '' it says.

Clean up downtown Miami

You have to admire Julie Greiner, Florida chairman of Macy's, for telling it like it is regarding improvements needed in downtown Miami (Macy's still unsure of downtown Miami's future, June 30). We hear about Miami becoming a world-class city, but for that to happen we must reinvent downtown. We must help businesses thrive by improving traffic flow, providing cheaper parking and creating pedestrian-friendly streetscapes with sidewalk cafes that invite people to visit the area.

A nation of laws

Re the July 1 story Alleged USS Cole bomber faces death penalty: People sometimes do not understand how the law works in the United States. They are always afraid that law breakers and terrorists will never have the right to a legal defense if caught.

Franken on the left

Al Franken is running for the U.S. Senate (Franken tries the switch from comic to Congress, July 5). Should he win, he will be added to the roster of the far left. The story mentions that he is a celebrity and author of a bestseller and that he has made ''racy'' remarks. But it fails to mention that he hosted a show on the liberal radio network Air America.