Pope 'sorry' for offence to Islam  —  Pope Benedict XVI has said he is sorry that a speech in which he referred to Islam has offended Muslims.  —  In a statement read out by a senior Vatican official, the Pope said he respected Islam and hoped Muslims would understand the true sense of his words.

Behind the Debate, Controversial CIA Techniques  —  President Bush's push this week for legislation that narrowly defines U.S. obligations under the Geneva Conventions is motivated by his aides' conviction that the CIA must continue using a small number of highly controversial interrogation techniques …

Best-Connected Were Sent to Rebuild Iraq  —  After the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted all manner of Americans — restless professionals, Arabic-speaking academics, development specialists and war-zone adventurers.

How Bad Is the Senate Intelligence Report?  —  Very bad.  —  According to a report released September 8 by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Saddam Hussein "was resistant to cooperating with al Qaeda or any other Islamist groups."  It's an odd claim.

URGENT: TIME TO PRESSURE MUSHARRAF  —  This is a call for action, read on for details.  —  I am sitting in a half empty taxi stand where the owner has let me use the computer for free because I have some urgent breaking news on the Women's Protection Bill.  Popes and Mullahs keep fighting.

Security Ring for Baghdad Underway  —  Massive Effort Aims To Block Insurgents  —  U.S. military and Iraqi security forces have begun a massive effort to seal off Baghdad with a ring of reinforced checkpoints, berms, trenches, barriers and fences in an attempt to clamp down on insurgents, officials said Friday.

Congress Ducks  —  We know that you know that there is an entitlement problem.  But the message hasn't reached Capitol Hill.  —  THERE'S NO great mystery about how to address Medicare's financial crisis.  Either you contain the rate at which the program's costs rise, or you raise more money to pay for it.

Cardin Staffer Sacked In Blog Flap  —  WBAL Radio as reported by Leonard Roberts and Robert Lang  —  A blog has apparently led to the firing of a staffer in the Ben Cardin for Senate campaign.  —  According to the Washington Times Insider Politics blog, a person labeling herself …

WHO Calls for More DDT Use Vs. Malaria  —  World Health Organization Urges Developing Countries to Use DDT More-Outdoors-In Malaria Fight  —  The World Health Organization on Friday called on more developing countries, particularly in Africa, to begin spraying the controversial pesticide DDT to fight malaria.

Bush VS Republicans, The Press And Lawyers On Torture  —  The controversy continues to grow over President George Bush's push for legislation that narrowly defines the Geneva Convention — a move that is being opposed by some in the military and some key GOPers (most interestingly, high profile Republicans who served in the military).

Commitment  —  As the President readies himself to go to the map for his right to order torture in violation of America's laws and international commitments, it's worth putting this in some context.  It's extremely rare for the Bush administration to pick big fights with congress.

Know Thy Voter  —  A sophisticated and previously unrevealed experiment by Democratic interest groups could provide Democratic candidates in as many as nine states with an unanticipated edge in the November elections.  —  America Votes, a roundtable of the nation's top liberal membership groups …