Arab op-ed: Pope's remarks may lead to war  —  Muslim world newspapers filled with articles slamming pope's remarks; 'it is clear that such remarks only contribute to the fueling of the fire raging between Islam and the West,' op-ed published in al-Sharq al-Awsat says  —  Roee Nahmias

In Campaign Ads for Democrats, Bush Is the Star  —  From Rhode Island to New Mexico, from Connecticut to Tennessee, President Bush is emerging as the marquee name in this fall's Congressional elections — courtesy not of his Republican Party but of the Democrats.

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.

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.

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.

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.

THOSE WHO TAKE THEIR THEOLOGY SERIOUSLY CONTINUED:  —  Sandy drew our attention to John Nehaus' reflections on whether Mormonism is a form of Christianity or not.  Insofar as that's a discussion within and between two theological traditions that center on the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth …

What Would the Democrats Do?  —  Some Democrats in the center of the war debate: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, James Webb of Virginia, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Senator John Kerry, Patricia Madrid of New Mexico and Senator Joseph Biden Jr.  —  FOR Democrats in Congress and those hoping to join them …

The Late Show  —  Even a blind pig, they say, can occasionally find an acorn.  And in like fashion, Peggy Noonan appears to have stumbled across an insight: … The Rovians have always acted like they believe constant, mind-numbing repetition is an absolute virtue — the key to drowning out any competing message.