White House Responds to Charge of Politicizing 9/11  —  The White House today dismissed charges by prominent Democrats that President Bush sought to capitalize politically on the Sept. 11 attacks when he addressed the nation on Monday night.  —  "The president was not making partisan remarks …

Bill Clinton Meets Bloggers  —  Why would I fly to New York for a day?  Because former President Bill Clinton invited a group of progressive, Democrat bloggers in for a 2 hour roundtable meeting at his Harlem office.  It was awesome.  More later, including a list of all the bloggers there …

Flash: Laffey concedes to Chafee at 10:40 p.m.  —  Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey conceded the Republican nomination to Sen. Lincoln Chafee tonight.  —  At 10:45 p.m. U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee had a growing lead when Laffey acknowledged that he had lost.  —  With 81 percent of the votes counted …

ONE ARAB'S APOLOGY  —  WELL, here it is, five years late, but here just the same: an apology from an Arab-American for 9/11.  No, I didn't help organize the killers or contribute in any way to their terrible cause.  However, I was one of millions of Arab-Americans who did the unspeakable on 9/11: nothing.

Arkansas Governor: Beebe by 11  —  Beebe (D) 49% Hutchinson (R) 38%  —  For the first time since May, State Attorney General Mike Beebe's lead in the race for Arkansas governor is back to double digits (see crosstabs).  The latest Rasmussen Reports election survey shows Beebe leading Asa Hutchinson 49% to 38%.

Montgomery to Extend Voting Hours After Election Glitches  —  County Polling Places to Stay Open Until 9 P.M.  —  Polling stations in Montgomery County will remain open until 9 tonight—an hour later than usual—to accommodate voters who were turned away from the polls this morning …

Six militants killed, 21 arrested in Afghanistan  —  The latest violence came as the top British general in charge of NATO forces in Afghanistan said in a newspaper interview Tuesday that the ousted Islamist regime was being defeated.  —  Four militants were killed in a gunbattle …

President Bush's Reality  —  Last night, President Bush once again urged Americans to take terrorism seriously — a warning that hardly seems necessary.  One aspect of that terrible day five years ago that seems immune to politicization or trivialization is the dread of another attack.

CONSPIRACY CRANKS  —  CREATING CRAZED '9/11 TRUTH'  —  ON Feb. 7, 2005, I became a member of the Bush/Halliburton/Zionist/CIA/ New World Order/Illuminati conspiracy for world domination.  That day, Popular Mechanics, the magazine I edit, hit newsstands with a story debunking 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Video: Commanders privately express needing 3X more troops  —  U.S. Commanders in Iraq have privately expressed the need for an increase of three times the number of troops currently serving in Iraq, reports Michael Ware of CNN.  Officially, the military continues to say that …

Harvard Ends Early Admission  —  Harvard University, breaking with a major trend in college admissions, says it will eliminate its early admissions program next year, with university officials arguing that such programs put low-income and minority applicants at a distinct disadvantage …

Theory that U.S. orchestrated Sept. 11 attacks 'not absurd': Venezuela  —  Theory that U.S. orchestrated Sept. 11 attacks 'not absurd': Venezuela  —  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that it's at least plausible that the U.S. government was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Will Wikipedia Mean the End Of Traditional Encyclopedias?  —  Wikipedia, the community-edited online encyclopedia, has blossomed.  It has thousands of volunteers that have created more than five million entries in dozens of languages on everything from the Elfin-woods warbler to Paris Hilton.

Al Qaeda Will Nuke US in Late September  —  A Pakistani journalist says that his sources in al Qaeda and the Taliban are claiming that nuclear material has already been smuggled across the Mexican border into the U.S. and that an operation bigger than 9/11 will be carried out during Ramadan—which begins later this month.

'Blogosphere' spurs government oversight  —  WASHINGTON — When watchdog groups that monitor federal spending wanted more information on 1,800 "pork barrel" projects buried in a House appropriations bill, they listed them on the Internet and asked readers to dig deeper.  Within days, details began pouring in.

Pimping the Greatest Generation  —  The president seemed a little confused last night.  For the last two weeks he's been evoking images of WWII, talking about islamic fascists and the like.  Last night he seemed to be adding the Cold War into the mix.  Apparently, he wants people to believe …