Leading Bush critic at home calls Chavez a "thug"  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of President George W. Bush's fiercest political opponents at home took his side on Thursday, calling Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a "thug" for his remark that Bush is like the devil.

Pakistani clerics demand pope's removal  —  LAHORE, Pakistan - About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.  —  Benedict "should be removed …

Bush and GOP Making Gains Among Voters  —  The turnaround is a sign that the election battle in November could be fierce.  But history shows Democrats remain poised to claim seats.  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush's approval rating has reached its highest level since January …

Allen's Mother Revealed Jewish Heritage to Him Last Month  —  Henrietta "Etty" Allen said Wednesday that she concealed her upbringing as a Jew in North Africa from her children, including Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), until a conversation across the dining room table in late August.

Libya's travesty  —  Six medical workers in Libya face execution.  It is not too late for scientists to speak up on their behalf.  —  Imagine that five American nurses and a British doctor have been detained and tortured in a Libyan prison since 1999, and that a Libyan prosecutor called …

Iran's Leader Relishes 2nd Chance to Make Waves  —  When President Bush and his advisers decided to allow President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran into the country to address the United Nations, their strategy was simple: containment.  —  There would be no visits to other cities …

BILL O'REILLY'S DEATH WISH  —  Bill O'Reilly may be the most fervent flag waver on cable—a patriot who believes in torturing terrorists and profiling all Muslims.  But is that enough to get him targeted by Al Qaeda?  —  The loofah-loving Fox News host is raising plenty of eyebrows around …

Justice Dept. Amends Remark on Torture Case  —  In an embarrassing turnabout, the Department of Justice backed away Wednesday from a denial by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales of responsibility for the treatment of a Canadian who was seized by American authorities in 2002.

Keep Away the Vote  —  One of the cornerstones of the Republican Party's strategy for winning elections these days is voter suppression, intentionally putting up barriers between eligible voters and the ballot box.  The House of Representatives took a shameful step in this direction yesterday …

Bush, McCain reach agreement on tribunal laws  —  Deal comes as House, Senate wrangle over how to treat enemy combatants  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush and Republican negotiators led by Sen. John McCain have reached an agreement on legislation covering tribunals for enemy combatant suspects, NBC News has learned.

Hell of a Times  —  These are edgy times at the Washington Times.  —  Still one of the most important right-wing organs in the nation, the paper has a circulation base of around 100,000.  According to a source close to senior management, in the past two decades it has burned through far more than the $1.7 billion previously reported.

Mahmoun's Style  —  I keep talking about this with people in real life, but it deserves a blog mention as well — Mahmoun Ahmadinejad has a pretty sweet hipster style.  It all starts with a beard not unlike the one I and many of my twentysomething male friends sport.  But it goes deeper.

Ga. Republican says he supports "methods necessary" for detainees  —  WASHINGTON - Georgia congressman Lynn Westmoreland backed away from comments he made suggesting that he supports torturing terrorism suspects, but said intelligence agencies should be given latitude to use "the methods necessary" to get information from detainees.

The NY Times, Keeping Hope Alive  —  The NY Times headlines great news for the Democrats! … Dead Tree readers of a liberal persuasion get even more encouragement in this version, (sub heds not on-line): … The Democrats are going to party like its 1994!  Adam Nagourney and Janet Elder return to this in the second paragraph:

HUD staff told to favor allies  —  Exclusive: Inquiry finds no proof aides heeded Jackson's urgings  —  WASHINGTON - Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson urged top aides to take contractors' politics into account when handing out grants and deals, an internal department review has found …

Matthews: 'I Have Been...Against This Bulls**t War From The Beginning'  —  This morning on Imus, MSNBC's Chris Matthews blasted the media for not covering the Iraq war.  Matthews said that while people are still fighting and dying the Iraq, war "has been taken off television, and Bush must love it."