THIS WEEK ON THE SUNDAY CHAT SHOWS

Needless to say, the increased violence in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and it's effect on the overall situation throughout the region will be the primary focus of conversations on almost all the national Sunday news chat shows

ABC / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice will discuss growing tensions and violence in the Middle East. And the Roundtable will consist of ABC News correspondents Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts, along with conservative columnist George Will.

CBS / Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer: Secretary of State Rice will be here, too, along with Council of Foreign Relations president Richard Haass and House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee member Congresswoman Jane Harman (D - CA)

CNN / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Scheduled to talk about the Middle East situation are Counselor to the President Dan Bartlett, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Senate Select Intelligence Committee members Trent Lott (R - MS) and Dianne Feinstein (D - CA), Iraqi national security adviser Dr. Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, and Dr. Fouad Ajami, author and Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Also, a conservation with the astronauts of Space Shuttle Discovery.

FOX / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: The focus of discussion will be the question of if President Bush's foreign policies being undercut by realities on the ground. Secretary of State Dr. Rice will be here, along with U.S. Senators George Allen (R - VA) and Christopher Dodd (D - CT).

NBC / Meet the Press with Tim Russert: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R - GA) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Minority Member Joesph R. Biden (D - DE) will discuss the G-8 summit underway in St. Petersburg, Russia. Then, conservative commentator Robert Novak on his role --- and his sources --- in the CIA leak probe.

Syndicated / The Chris Matthews Show: Has the Allied incursion into Iraq crippled President Bush's diplomatic efforts on Iran and North Korean's nuclear ambitions, and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani's chances of winning the 2008 GOP presidential nomination will be discussed with former CBS News anchor Dan Rather, now with HDNet, Andrea Mitchell of NBC News, David Brooks of the New York Times, and Katty Kay of the BBC.

Bay News 9 / Political Connections: Incoming Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R - Coral Gables)