Muslims Assail Pope's Remarks on Islam  —  Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades with remarks he made about Islam.  Muslim leaders in the Middle East expressed dismay …

A Defining Moment for America  —  PRESIDENT BUSH rarely visits Congress.  So it was a measure of his painfully skewed priorities that Mr. Bush made the unaccustomed trip yesterday to seek legislative permission for the CIA to make people disappear into secret prisons and have information extracted …

Yeas and Nays: Friday, Sept. 15  —  WASHINGTON - Jeff DuFour and Patrick Gavin cover people, power and politics in the beltway each weekday.  Email them at yan@dcexaminer.com .  —  Must be the beautiful blue eyes ...  Covering the White House is not an easy beat.

Ohio Rep. Ney expected to plead guilty  —  WASHINGTON - Abandoning months of defiant denials, Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record) intends to admit guilt in the congressional corruption probe spawned by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to Republican officials.

What a Load of Armitage!  —  What did Patrick Fitzgerald know, and when did he know it?  —  Richard Armitage has finally emerged from the cover-my-backside closet, "apologizing" on CBS for keeping quiet for almost three years about being the original source for Robert Novak's July 14, 2003 …

The Tehran Calculus  —  In his televised Sept. 11 address, President Bush said that we must not "leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons."  There's only one such current candidate: Iran.

Italian Writer Oriana Fallaci Dies  —  ROME — Oriana Fallaci, the Italian writer and journalist best known for her abrasive interviews and provocative stances, has died, officials said Friday.  She was 76.  —  Fallaci, who had been diagnosed with cancer years ago, died overnight …

Ellsberg Calls on Insiders to Leak Details of Alleged War Plans  —  NEW YORK When Daniel Ellsberg, the defense analyst, leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in 1971, it created one of the most significant newspaper stories — and battles — of the century.

Bush wants 'clarity' on interrogations  —  WASHINGTON - Facing a GOP revolt in the Senate, President Bush urged Congress on Friday to join in backing legislation to spell out strategies for interrogating and trying terror suspects, saying "the enemy wants to attack us again."

US outraged as Pakistan frees Taliban fighters  —  Pakistan's credibility as a leading ally in the war on terrorism was called into question last night when it emerged that President Pervez Musharraf's government had authorised the release from jail of thousands of Taliban fighters caught fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Ritter tops in poll  —  Democrat holds 17-point lead over Beauprez for guv  —  Democrat Bill Ritter has a remarkable 17-point lead over Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez in the race for Colorado governor, according to a Rocky Mountain News/ CBS 4 poll of likely voters.

Lieberman criticizes Republicans who assail war critics  —  FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Sen. Joe Lieberman on Friday criticized Republicans who accuse Democratic critics of the Iraq war of encouraging terrorists, arguing such talk "demeans the freedom we are all fighting for."

In a Volatile Region of Iraq, U.S. Military Takes Two Paths  —  AL-FURAT, Iraq — With a biker's bandanna tied under his helmet, the Special Forces team sergeant gunned a Humvee down a desert road in Iraq's volatile Anbar province.  Skirting the restive town of Hit, the team of a dozen soldiers crossed …

Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps?  (CJR Daily Jumps the Shark Edition)  —  UPDATE: Bree Nordenson of Columbia Journalism Review says that she will explain her side of the story about why she wrote that Paul Krugman's references to median earnings of households headed by college graduates was "partisan slipperiness."

Obama Watch: Another Hint of '08 Intent?  —  After yesterday's post on Barack Obama's visit to Iowa this weekend, another tidbit of information came to The Fix's attention that will certainly fuel even more chatter that the Illinois senator is seriously pondering a 2008 presidential bid.

The Great Nuclear Debate  —  To add your voice to the nuclear debate click here. … Nuclear Energy Provides Practical Baseload Power  —  by Patrick Moore  —  When I helped found Greenpeace in the 1970s, my colleagues and I were firmly opposed to nuclear energy.  But times have changed.