Former FEMA Director Michael Brown Pulls No Punches in Upcoming Playboy Interview

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Arab Flip-Flop?

Hezbollah's brazen attacks on Israel earned the group some surprising attacks from the Arab world, but support for the terrorist group is growing.

A new Beirut Center poll shows that 87 percent of Lebanon, including 80 percent of Christians, are behind Hezbollah, a jump of 29 points since February. What's more, governments in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt that condemned the group for recklessly provoking a war now say they blame Israel for the crisis.

American officials tell The New York Times that Arab leaders are taking a hard line to appease the public, and are more supportive of Israeli action behind closed doors.

Fighting Words?

Former FEMA director Michael Brown pulls no punches in an upcoming Playboy interview, ripping Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's management style, and blasting the president's command of the English language, calling him a "cheerleader."

But Brown saved his strongest words for Mississippi Democrat Gene Taylor, who dressed him down during a hearing on the government response to Hurricane Katrina. Brown says, "that little twerp... can just bite me."

Taylor isn't taking the insult lying down. He calls Brown "an incompetent fool," and says that Brown is lucky he didn't "[do] more than just verbally kick his butt."

Race Factor

Controversial Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney looks to be in serious trouble in her Democratic run-off against challenger Hank Johnson. A New Insider Advantage poll shows Johnson leading McKinney by 25 points — 46-21 among likely DeKalb county voters.

Pollster Matt Towery says Johnson and McKinney, both of whom are black, split the African-American vote, but an overwhelming number of white voters prefer Johnson. What's more, with Republicans eligible to vote in the run-off next month, Towery says many plan to go to the polls to defeat McKinney.

Shutting Down Spaghetti Ads

Ads for fish fries, spaghetti dinners, and elementary school carnivals in Vermillion County, Indiana, have been banned by the Department of Homeland Security. The reason?

The ads were run on electronic emergency message boards designed to warn residents of a terrorist attack or natural disaster — boards the DHS bought for $300,000. DHS says the ads violate federal rules and could dull the public's attention to important messages. But County Commission President Tim Wilson says, "We make decisions to run the county on what's best for us."

—FOX News Channel's Aaron Bruns contributed to this report.