The Pope must die, says Muslim  —  A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday that the Pope should face execution.  —  Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be "subject to capital punishment".  —  His remarks came during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral …

Rhode Island Senate: Chafee Trailing By 8  —  Whitehouse (D) 51% Chafee (R) 43%  —  The GOP establishment forcefully backed Republican Lincoln Chafee in the primary over a more conservative and arguably less-electable Republican.  But, perhaps damaged by having to struggle so long for the nomination …

Head-in-the-Sand Liberals  —  Western civilization really is at risk from Muslim extremists.  —  TWO YEARS AGO I published a book highly critical of religion, "The End of Faith."  In it, I argued that the world's major religions are genuinely incompatible, inevitably cause conflict …

Report from the Steak Fry  —  The Tom Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, IA yesterday was Barack Obama's coming out party as a national candidate for higher office.  Whether that campaign is for President or Vice President in 2008 or 2012 is still up in the air — but there's no doubt …

Compromise Called Possible on Interrogations  —  President Bush's national security adviser signaled on Sunday that he was seeking a compromise with the Republican senators who are rebelling against the administration's proposal to explicitly permit certain severe interrogation practices against terrorism suspects.

Klobuchar keeps big lead over Kennedy  —  A charged-up DFL base and disapproval of Bush play a role in the margin, similar to a July poll's.  —  DFL U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar continues to hold a dominant lead over GOP rival Mark Kennedy, 56 to 32 percent, in the latest Minnesota Poll …

Time for a Time-Out?  —  Will the GOP learn its lesson on pork?  —  If Republicans lose big in November, one reason will be their tardy response to public outrage over profligate spending.  The guilty pleas of former GOP Rep. Duke Cunningham and lobbyist Jack Abramoff prompted demands …

Migrating To Modernity  —  After the terrorist attacks of 2001, voters understood that poor failed states could hurt them.  President Bush launched a smart new foreign aid program and multiplied the U.S. commitment to fighting HIV-AIDS, and rich countries around the world boosted development spending.

The Liberals' War  —  Why is the left afraid to face up to the threat of radical Islam? … Here's a puzzle: Why is it so frequently the case that the people who have the most at stake in the battle against Islamic extremism and the most to lose when Islamism gains—namely, liberals—are typically the most reluctant to fight it?

Major State Union Switches To Lamont  —  AFSCME Council 4 Drops Lieberman, Citing Movement Toward Bush Policies  —  One of the state's largest labor unions has dropped its endorsement of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and switched its support to Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont.

Republicans gain in midterm polls  —  Republicans appear to be gaining on the Democrats in the 2006 midterm campaign because of growing confidence in the economy, falling gas prices and President Bush's sustained political offensive on the terrorist threat, according to pollsters and campaign strategists.

Man rejects first penis transplant  —  Chinese surgeons have performed the world's first penis transplant on a man whose organ was damaged beyond repair in an accident this year.  The incident left the man with a 1cm-long stump with which he was unable to urinate or have sexual intercourse.

Sep 18, Projected U.S. Senate: 50 Democrats 50 Republicans  —  Just one poll today, in Minnesota.  Amy Klobuchar (D) has widened her lead over Mark Kennedy (R) to 24%, 56% to 32%.  Maybe this should not come as a surprise as Kennedy underperformed Bush in 2004 in his own district (MN-06).

GOP talk of vibrant economy rings hollow  —  FALMOUTH, Ky. - Used boots fetch $3 and old salt-and-pepper shakers bring in a buck at a makeshift flea market along Highway 27, presumably not what President Bush and Republicans have in mind when they herald a vibrant economy.

When Atheists and Secularists Quote Scripture  —  I probably shouldn't wade into this, but it does dovetail with something I've been pondering lately.  Namely, that an essentially post-Christian West comes to the battle with Islamism, Islamofascism, caliphascism, or whatever you want to call …

Give him another week  —  Almost 50 years ago, a reporter asked President Dwight Eisenhower what major contributions his vice president, Richard M. Nixon, had made to the Eisenhower administration.  Ike's response was telling and hilarious.  He said, "If you give me a week, I might think of one."

A Show That Trumpeted History but Led to Confusion  —  It's little wonder that ABC's mini-series "The Path to 9/11" drew stinging criticism earlier this month for its invented scenes, fabricated dialogue and unsubstantiated accounts of how the Clinton and Bush administrations conducted themselves …

Support for Electronic Filing of Senate Candidates' Campaign-Finance Records Gains Momentum  —  In the next few weeks leading up to Election Day, money will pour into candidates' coffers and voters will be able to see which lobby groups are trying hardest to buy their lawmakers' favor.

The Trap  —  There is now a clear and live contrast between Bush and the Democrats on an important issue in the war on terror.  —  Too bad.  It will be.  On September 6, 2006, President Bush set the trap.  He spoke in the East Room of the White House on the war on terror.

RIGHT-WING POWERLINE BLOG MISLEADS READERS ABOUT IMPRISONED IRAQI ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER.  Normally it wouldn't be news that right-wing Powerline Blog is misleading readers, but this is an important story.  —  The Associated Press has now announced that the U.S. military has been holding …