McCain's Stand On Detainees May Pose Risk For 2008 Bid  —  Opposition to Bush Could Alienate Republican Base  —  Sen. John McCain's bid to position himself as the natural heir to President Bush as a wartime commander in chief and to court conservative leaders in advance …

Canadian Was Falsely Accused, Panel Says  —  After Tip From Ally, U.S. Sent Muslim to Syria for Questioning  —  Canadian intelligence officials passed false warnings and bad information to American agents about a Muslim Canadian citizen, after which U.S. authorities secretly whisked him to Syria …

Poll finds rebound in Bush approval  —  WASHINGTON — Amid falling gas prices and a two-week drive to highlight his administration's efforts to fight terrorism, President Bush's approval rating has risen to 44% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.  That's his highest rating in a year.

Bush owes us an apology  —  Sept. 11: A special comment about 9/11 five years after the terrorist attacks.  —  MSNBC TV  —  • Have you no sense of decency, sir?  —  Sept. 5: Keith Olbermann says Bush will regret following in the footsteps of Donald Rumsfeld in comparing war critics to Nazis.

Iranian leader urges more papal protests  —  CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that its war against Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world, and Iran's supreme leader called for more protests over the pontiff's remarks on Islam.

Chirac calls for threat of Iran sanctions to be lifted  —  President Jacques Chirac has broken ranks with the US and Britain by calling for the suspension of UN Security Council action against Iran during negotiations over its nuclear programme.  —  In a radio interview yesterday before flying …

Rushdie, Hirsi Ali, the Pope — Who's Next?  —  The pope has apologized for the outrage amongst Muslims sparked by his recent comments.  But the episode proves once again that criticizing Islam is dangerous.  —  Twenty years ago in the German city of Bremen, Dutch comedian Rudi Carrell's life depended on police protection.

The Senator's Gentile Rebuke  —  First came Sen. George Allen's Macaca Moment.  Then we learned of challenger Jim Webb's thoughts on the "horny" women of the Naval Academy.  —  Now, just when you thought Virginia's U.S. Senate race couldn't get any weirder, the Jews of Tunis are making a cameo.

Union That Backed Lieberman in Primary Now Endorses Lamont  —  Ned Lamont, the Democratic candidate for United States Senate, has secured the endorsement of one of the state's largest labor unions, which had backed Senator Joseph I. Lieberman in the primary.

Warner: Kerry wrong on tax cuts  —  The ex-Virginia governor claims Democrats could appeal to more voters if they'd stop alienating the wealthy.  —  Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner said in Iowa on Monday that Democrats have taken the wrong approach in arguing against tax cuts enacted under President Bush …

Enough Apologies  —  Already, angry Palestinian militants have assaulted seven West Bank and Gaza churches, destroying two of them.  In Somalia, gunmen shot dead an elderly Italian nun.  Radical clerics from Qatar to Qom have called, variously, for a "day of anger" or for worshipers to "hunt down" the pope and his followers.

Revealed: the tough interrogation techniques the CIA wants to use  —  Ed Pilkington in New York and Clare Dyer  —  Details emerged yesterday about the seven interrogation techniques the CIA is seeking to be allowed to apply to terror suspects.  Newsweek magazine reported that a New York lawyer …

Democrat, Republican and a Bond of Addiction  —  WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 — Scenes from an uncommon political marriage:  —  Representative Jim Ramstad, a Republican from Minnesota, and Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democrat from Rhode Island, are deep in conversation on the House floor, Mr. Ramstad's hand draped over his colleague's shoulder.