Limbaugh Says Actor Fox Exaggerates Effects of Disease in Ads  —  Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh attacked actor Michael J. Fox for inserting his halting voice into the U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri, suggesting Fox was "acting" in a commercial where he's shown shaking …

Bush's new tack steers clear of 'stay the course'  —  Phrase became liability for GOP in election year … Today show  —  President Bush and his aides are annoyed that people keep misinterpreting his Iraq policy as "stay the course."  A complete distortion, they say.

The Note: Pending: Six Days of November Surprises  —  It Isn't a "Surprise" If You Expect It  —  By MARK HALPERIN, DAVID CHALIAN, TEDDY DAVIS, TAHMAN BRADLEY, and EMILY O'DONNELL with KARUNA SESHASAI, MONA RAPHAEL, and MICHELLE DUBERT  —  How the (liberal) Old Media plans to cover the last two weeks of the election:

The Beltway Retreat  —  The insurgents are hitting their targets—in Washington. … So said Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih on Monday, in a BBC interview while in London for talks with Tony Blair.  If only such statesmanship prevailed on this side of the Atlantic …

It's the Politics, Stupid  —  Gail Collins couldn't do bupkis for women in journalism.  That's because there's only so much journalists themselves can do about the problems of women and punditry.  —  Gail Collins stepped down earlier this month as editor of the New York Times opinion pages.

What's Hastert saying on Foley affair?  —  « Is Senate campaign ad racist?  Latest postings  —  What's Hastert saying on Foley affair?  —  House Speaker Rep. Dennnis Hastert (R-Ill.) is before the House Ethics Committee now.  He's been there for more than two hours, presumably explaining his role in the Foley Affair.

Correction: Joe and 'Stay the Course'  —  Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has used the phrase "stay the course" several times in discussing the war in Iraq in recent years, echoing a key phrase of the White House, contrary to an article published today in The Times.

Some Voting Machines Chop Off Candidates' Names  —  Computer Glitch Affects Voters in 3 Jurisdictions; Error Cannot Be Fixed by Nov. 7  —  U.S. Senate candidate James Webb's last name has been cut off on part of the electronic ballot used by voters in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville …

New Jersey Same-Sex Marriage Decision Tomorrow  —  Per the NJ State Supreme Court: … In '02, two gay couples sued New Jersey for denying them the right to marry.  The Supreme Court finally heard oral arguments in Feb. Consider the political repercussions if NJ becomes the second state in the country to legalize gay marriage.

Abandon All Hope  —  This child was weak—perhaps injured or dying—as this photo was taken in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2004.  He may already be dead.  One thing is certain; the future of millions of children throughout the Middle East just like him will be affected by you very soon.

Solidly Republican, Suddenly in Doubt  —  COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — It is, perhaps, the political equivalent of hell freezing over in the interior West.  —  This red state where conservative Republicans routinely wipe the floor with hapless Democrats has a Republican running for Congress who just might lose.

Elections could be most costly in US history  —  Next month's midterm elections will be the most costly congressional races in US history, with business interests contributing three-quarters of the estimated $2.6bn that will be spent, says a non-partisan research group.