Powell endorses efforts to block Bush's terrorist plan  —  WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday endorsed efforts by three Republican senators to block President Bush's plan to authorize harsh interrogations of terror suspects.  —  The latest sign of GOP division …

Bush Tells Barnes Capturing Bin Laden Is 'Not A Top Priority Use of American Resources'  —  Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes appeared on Fox this morning to discuss his recent meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office.  The key takeaway for Barnes was that "bin Laden doesn't fit …

Blair attacks Europe's "mad anti-Americans"  —  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a withering attack on Thursday on what he called "mad anti-Americanism" among European politicians.  —  Blair, U.S. President George W. Bush's closest ally in the so-called war on terror …

U.N. Inspectors Dispute Iran Report By House Panel  —  U.N. inspectors investigating Iran's nuclear program angrily complained to the Bush administration and to a Republican congressman yesterday about a recent House committee report on Iran's capabilities, calling parts of the document …

Iraqi Official Testifies to Links Between Saddam and Al Qaeda  —  WASHINGTON — A deputy prime minister of Iraq yesterday offered a sharp contradiction of the conventional wisdom here that Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda had no connection before the 2003 war, flatly contradicting a recent report …

Santorum ad accusing Casey of corruption features dead man, pols linked to Santorum himself  —  GOP Pa. Sen. Rick Santorum's flagging re-election campaign has launched a new TV attack ad that can only be described as absurdist theatre, if not out-and-out absurd.

Ann Richards, Former Governor of Texas, Dies at 73  —  Ann W. Richards, the silver-haired Texas activist who galvanized the 1988 Democratic National Convention with her tart keynote speech and was the state's 45th governor until upset in 1994 by an underestimated challenger named George W. Bush, died Wednesday at her home in Austin.

Seriously, Folks - How Low Can You Go?  —  The Connecticut Post reports that Joe Lieberman's campaign, through honesty-challenged spokesman Dan Gerstein, is now saying Ned Lamont has never taught school.  Apparently, Lieberman wants us to believe that all the kids in this campaign commercial are just lying.

Hezbollah war crimes: Amnesty International cries  —  Heads up!  —  Amnesty International has introduced a comprehensive report accusing a terrorist group of war crimes.In utter defiance of the predominant American left, European and United Nations view that Israel engaged in gross war crimes …

Election glitches 'could get ugly'  —  WASHINGTON — Eight weeks before elections that will decide control of Congress, a rush by state and local governments to prepare new voting machines and train poll workers is raising the possibility of trouble reminiscent of the 2000 presidential election standoff.

World has tapped just 18 percent of global oil supplies, Saudi executive says  —  VIENNA, Austria - The world has tapped only 18 percent of the total global supply of crude, a leading Saudi oil executive said Wednesday, challenging the notion that supplies are petering out.

Stuart Buck and Megan McArdle: Media map gives wrong directions on incomes  —  WASHINGTON - It often gets dicey for readers when journalists, who are rarely math majors, play with numbers and then publish misleading or mistaken conclusions.  It happened Labor Day when the Detroit Free Press published …

U.S. passes up chance to strike Taliban  —  Predator had suspected fighters in its sights, but military passed on shot  —  This undated photo obtained by NBC News, reportedly taken by an unmanned U.S. aircraft, shows a Taliban gathering in Afghanistan that the U.S. Army wanted to attack.  —  NBC VIDEO

Liberalism as Condescension  —  EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. — This suburb, contiguous with Chicago's western edge, is 88 percent white.  A large majority of the customers of the Wal-Mart that sits here, less than a block outside Chicago, are from the city and more than 90 percent of the store's customers are African-American.

Meet the Next President: Kerry's Second Shot  —  KEENE, N.H. - Moments before Sen. John Kerry shows up to campaign for a local politician at a backyard rally here, voter Sue Borden wrinkles her nose at the mention of the man who lost to President Bush.  —  "You get one chance," the Democrat tells a reporter.

Libertarians, Conservatives and Warrantless Eavesdropping  —  I find this so, so interesting and genuinely revealing.  Back when he was still a "libertarian" — a mere 5 years ago — Glenn Reynolds was vigorously opposed to warrantless surveillance and even shared the view of Judge Anna Diggs Taylor …

Philanthropy Google's Way: Not the Usual  —  The ambitious founders of Google, the popular search engine company, have set up a philanthropy, giving it seed money of about $1 billion and a mandate to tackle poverty, disease and global warming.  —  But unlike most charities …

Democrats Form New Group for Fund-Raising and Ads  —  Sensing both political danger and opportunity, a top Democratic operative and a group of major party donors have banded together to deliver a barrage of late advertising and on-the-ground action to secure Democratic victories in November.

Frist Targets Internet Gambling  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is trying use a bill authorizing U.S. military operations, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, to prohibit people from using credit cards to settle Internet gambling debts.  —  Frist, R-Tenn. …