PRESIDENT CHAVEZ DELIVERS REMARKS AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY  —  "Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of you.  First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it.  Noam Chomsky, one of the most …

Georgia Law Requiring Voters to Show Photo ID Is Thrown Out  —  Judge Says Some Would Be Disenfranchised; State Plans Appeal  —  A state judge yesterday rejected a Georgia law requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification, writing in his decision, "This cannot be."

AP vs. the "so-called blogosphere"  —  It's spin time.  The Associated (With Terrorists) Press is now waging a p.r. campaign against what it calls the "so-called blogosphere" over detained photographer Bilal Hussein.  After five months of stonewalling, the "so-called reporters" …

This man's sign says it all.  —  Tens of thousands of freedom loving people showed up from all over the country.  —  It was gorgeous.  They came in droves to protest holocaust denier, nuked up Ahmadinejad's outrageous appearance at the UN.  —  Here in this video I ask the Headmaster …

The U.S. vs. Iran  —  One side is playing for real, the other only for time.  —  The Iranian government continues to enrich uranium despite Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's generous package of incentives—and in defiance of the U.N.'s Aug. 31 deadline.  Still, European officials hold out hope for the success of diplomacy.

Poll Finds Most Americans Displeased With Congress  —  With the midterm elections less than seven weeks away, Americans have an overwhelmingly negative view of the Republican-controlled Congress, with substantial majorities saying that they disapprove of the job it is doing and that its members …

Mark Warner: About Those Tax Cuts...  Ex-VA Gov. Mark Warner (D) wants you to know: he thinks the Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans, enacted during an expensive war and with rising federal budget deficits, were "morally wrong and economically wrong" and that he would indeed support their repeal.

More on that USA Today/Gallup Poll  —  Our update to the Slate Election Scorecard yesterday tries to put the results for the generic congressional vote from the USA Today/Gallup survey into some perspective.  It also reintroduces the controversy over likely voter models in general …

Everybody Has One: Bloggers and the Death of Opinion Journalism  —  Not that long ago, many people thought the Internet would break down partisan boundaries and improve the quality of political debate in this country — a prediction that sounds as silly today as previous hype about the educational potential of television and radio.

Roger Waters: The Pink in Floyd  —  For the second time in my life, I'm writing a column about Pink Floyd.  More specifically, the man I have always considered to be the brains of the band: Roger Waters.  The first time I wrote about him was 26-years ago when I was a high school senior at C.B. West …

Countdown  —  I'll be on Keith Olbermann tonight at 10 minutes after the hour talking about...well, whatever it is Keith wants to talk about.  —  In the mean time, there's a new ARG poll that puts Ned Lamont within two points of Joe Lieberman, the second within a week (the first was Rasmussen).

Editing Horizontally: Thanks to Reuters, NewAssignment.Net Can Hire Someone  —  They're giving us $100,000.  That will underwrite the costs of hiring our first editor, which is going to be a fun job.  —  Today I am announcing at Comment is Free and PressThink that Reuters is giving $100,000 to NewAssignment.Net.

Conservative Congressman Blocking Crackdown on Predatory Lenders Targeting U.S. Troops  —  Predatory lenders are seriously harming the U.S. military, and one member of Congress is fighting to keep it that way.  —  A Pentagon report last month found that as many one in five U.S. service members …

Panel Leans Toward Phased Iraq Withdrawal or International Talks  —  WASHINGTON — A panel mandated by Congress to develop new Iraq policy is leaning toward recommending either a phased withdrawal of soldiers or a new engagement initiative with Iran and Syria to end the violence in Iraq.

Life Is Better; It Isn't Better.  Which Is It?  —  When the first snow falls on the North Shore of Chicago this winter, Robert Gordon will take his Toro snow blower out of the garage and think about how lucky he is not to be using a shovel.  Mr. Gordon is 66 years old and evidently quite healthy …

A Quiet Break for Corporations  —  Tariff Suspensions, Often Initiated by Companies Based Overseas, Keep Millions of Dollars From Flowing to the Treasury Each Year  —  For three generations, the Dungey family of Auburn, N.Y., has produced handmade dog collars and leashes for pet stores around the country.

STEWART ON BENEDICT....As much as I enjoy the Daily Show, I occasionally get tired of suggestions that Jon Stewart is the only guy in America who "really gets it."  Yesterday, however, I finally got around to reading Pope Benedict's recent remarks on reason and faith, and I was appalled.

Jihad enablers  —  Before you can discuss the manifest seriousness of the latest controversy involving the pope, you have to acknowledge its hilarity.  Pope Benedict XVI, in an austere philosophical address, invoked Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, the 14th century ruler who offered a harsh assessment of Islam.

Washington Blade Parts Ways With Jeff Gannon  —  Following Executive Editor Chris Crain's departure from The Washington Blade, the paper chose Kevin Naff as his replacement this week.  One of Naff's first decisions was to sever ties with columnist Jeff Gannon.  —  We spoke with Naff: