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 …

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.

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.

Tony Snow and Press Spar: 'Torture' For All of Them  —  NEW YORK Tony Snow conducted one of his most fascinating briefings today in his relatively short time as White House press secretary.  —  Most of it had to do with the administration's attempt to redefine — or as it claims …

Columnist Contradicts Leak Source  —  Robert D. Novak, the columnist who first disclosed the identity of the intelligence officer in the C.I.A. leak case, has disputed statements by his primary source, Richard L. Armitage, who said his mention of her identity was inadvertent.

Senate approves bill to tighten port security  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate approved a port-security bill Thursday that its sponsors said would make the nation safer from terrorist attack, after it rejected a plan to inspect every inbound cargo container for nuclear weapons.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

Bush Lied Part II  —  The Kerry "Bush Lied" crowd is back onstage with their sequel: Bush Lied Part II.  An attentive critic would fault them for lack of originality, for the plot line and characters are virtually unchanged.  Most people do not realize it but the Republicans …

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.

Private Health Insurance Hard to Get and Costly  —  THURSDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) — Almost nine out of every 10 Americans who seek private health insurance never buy a plan, and one in five who apply are turned down or charged more because of preexisting conditions, a new report finds.

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."