Islam, like Christianity, is not above criticism  —  The Pope quotes a barbed medieval criticism of Islamic violence in the course of a scholarly discourse, and Muslims all over the world go into uproar; churches are firebombed.  The Prime Minister's wife delivers a playful slap to a cheeky teenager …

Rhode Island Senate: Chafee Trailing By 8  —  Whitehouse (D) 51% Chafee (R) 43%  —  The GOP establishment forcefully backed Republican Lincoln Chafee in the primary over a more conservative and arguably less-electable Republican.  But, perhaps damaged by having to struggle so long for the nomination …

Narrow win for Swedish opposition  —  Sweden's centre-right opposition bloc has defeated the ruling Social Democrat party in the country's closest-fought general election for decades.  —  Moderate party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt declared victory as near-complete results gave him a 1% lead.

GOP talk of vibrant economy rings hollow  —  FALMOUTH, Ky. - Used boots fetch $3 and old salt-and-pepper shakers bring in a buck at a makeshift flea market along Highway 27, presumably not what President Bush and Republicans have in mind when they herald a vibrant economy.

RIGHT-WING POWERLINE BLOG MISLEADS READERS ABOUT IMPRISONED IRAQI ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER.  Normally it wouldn't be news that right-wing Powerline Blog is misleading readers, but this is an important story.  —  The Associated Press has now announced that the U.S. military has been holding …

As Senator Falters, a Democrat Rises in Virginia  —  From the start, the Virginia Senate race was an emblematic campaign for 2006: combat boots vs. cowboy boots, in the inevitable shorthand.  —  A highly decorated Vietnam veteran and former secretary of the Navy who opposed the war in Iraq …

Harmful chemical leaks in space station  —  HOUSTON - International space station astronauts pulled an alarm and donned protective gear Monday after smelling a foul odor that turned out to be a harmful chemical leaking from an oxygen vent, NASA said.  —  "We don't exactly know the nature of the spill …

Head-in-the-Sand Liberals  —  Western civilization really is at risk from Muslim extremists.  —  TWO YEARS AGO I published a book highly critical of religion, "The End of Faith."  In it, I argued that the world's major religions are genuinely incompatible, inevitably cause conflict …

Give him another week  —  Almost 50 years ago, a reporter asked President Dwight Eisenhower what major contributions his vice president, Richard M. Nixon, had made to the Eisenhower administration.  Ike's response was telling and hilarious.  He said, "If you give me a week, I might think of one."

Republicans gain in midterm polls  —  Republicans appear to be gaining on the Democrats in the 2006 midterm campaign because of growing confidence in the economy, falling gas prices and President Bush's sustained political offensive on the terrorist threat, according to pollsters and campaign strategists.

In Politics, Aim for the Heart, Not the Head  —  In 1935, researchers from Columbia University fanned out around the city of Allentown, Pa., and handed out leaflets ahead of local and state elections.  What residents did not know was that they were part of an experiment in political persuasion …

NEWSWEEK "Isikoffed" the Gonzales Memo  —  Since Christopher Hitchens is correcting old Dowdified quotes, I thought I'd correct one myself.  This one, from a 2004 NEWSWEEK article, is a major Dowdification — in my view, every bit as egregious as Dowd's original.  What's more, it's still influencing lefties even today.

Major Problems At Polls Feared  —  Some Officials Say Voting Law Changes And New Technology Will Cause Trouble  —  An overhaul in how states and localities record votes and administer elections since the Florida recount battle six years ago has created conditions that could trigger a repeat …

Klobuchar keeps big lead over Kennedy  —  A charged-up DFL base and disapproval of Bush play a role in the margin, similar to a July poll's.  —  DFL U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar continues to hold a dominant lead over GOP rival Mark Kennedy, 56 to 32 percent, in the latest Minnesota Poll …

Major State Union Switches To Lamont  —  AFSCME Council 4 Drops Lieberman, Citing Movement Toward Bush Policies  —  One of the state's largest labor unions has dropped its endorsement of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and switched its support to Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont.

Compromise Called Possible on Interrogations  —  President Bush's national security adviser signaled on Sunday that he was seeking a compromise with the Republican senators who are rebelling against the administration's proposal to explicitly permit certain severe interrogation practices against terrorism suspects.

Bush, Rice To Revive Mideast Peace Process  —  WASHINGTON — As President Bush prepares for his annual address before the U.N. General Assembly this week, the State Department is getting ready to re-energize the long dormant Arab-Israeli peace process.  —  The new emphasis on land …

Time for a Time-Out?  —  Will the GOP learn its lesson on pork?  —  If Republicans lose big in November, one reason will be their tardy response to public outrage over profligate spending.  The guilty pleas of former GOP Rep. Duke Cunningham and lobbyist Jack Abramoff prompted demands …