Pope 'sorry' for offence to Islam  —  Pope Benedict XVI has said he is sorry that a speech in which he referred to Islam has offended Muslims.  —  In a statement read out by a senior Vatican official, the Pope said he respected Islam and hoped Muslims would understand the true sense of his words.

CIA in Middle of Election-Year Battle  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA believed it was operating lawfully in detaining and interrogating 96 suspected terrorists at locations from Thailand to Europe, until the Supreme Court this summer demolished that legal foundation.

Best-Connected Were Sent to Rebuild Iraq  —  After the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted all manner of Americans — restless professionals, Arabic-speaking academics, development specialists and war-zone adventurers.

How Bad Is the Senate Intelligence Report?  —  Very bad.  —  According to a report released September 8 by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Saddam Hussein "was resistant to cooperating with al Qaeda or any other Islamist groups."  It's an odd claim.

Security Ring for Baghdad Underway  —  Massive Effort Aims To Block Insurgents  —  U.S. military and Iraqi security forces have begun a massive effort to seal off Baghdad with a ring of reinforced checkpoints, berms, trenches, barriers and fences in an attempt to clamp down on insurgents, officials said Friday.

Cardin Staffer Sacked In Blog Flap  —  WBAL Radio as reported by Leonard Roberts and Robert Lang  —  A blog has apparently led to the firing of a staffer in the Ben Cardin for Senate campaign.  —  According to the Washington Times Insider Politics blog, a person labeling herself …

Bayh says Democrats can't be 'bunch of wimps' on terror  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh defended Democratic assaults on President Bush's prosecution of the war on terror, but he warned Friday that his party can't come across as "a bunch of wimps" on security issues.

War Inside the Wire  —  You can handle the truth about Guantanamo Bay.  —  GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba—You might call Rear Adm. Harry Harris a jailer.  As commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, a job he has held for six months, he is in charge of one of the world's best-known detention facilities.

Congress Ducks  —  We know that you know that there is an entitlement problem.  But the message hasn't reached Capitol Hill.  —  THERE'S NO great mystery about how to address Medicare's financial crisis.  Either you contain the rate at which the program's costs rise, or you raise more money to pay for it.

Saddam's Man in Niger  —  What was the Iraqi regime's nuclear expert doing in Africa?  —  LET US CREDIT the Senate Intelligence Committee with almost getting the name right.  On pages 25-26 of its latest report appears the following: … And, on page 54 we read, under the heading "Conclusions":