Chris Wallace, Caught Off Balance?  —  Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said that he was stunned when Bill Clinton accused him of a "conservative hit job" after he challenged the former president on his record in fighting terrorism.  —  "I thought it was a fair, balanced and not especially …

Teammates: Allen used "N-word" in college  —  WASHINGTON — Three former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen say that the Virginia Republican repeatedly used an inflammatory racial epithet and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s.

McCain Names Practices Detainee Bill Would Bar  —  Senator Says 3 Interrogation Methods Are Among the 'Extreme Measures' the Plan Would Outlaw  —  A Republican senator who played a leading role in drafting new rules for U.S. interrogations of terrorism suspects said yesterday that he believes …

Intelligence Report Stirs Debate on Terror Fight  —  An intelligence assessment that the war in Iraq increased Islamic radicalism, worsening the terror threat, set off a sharp debate today among American political officials over credit and blame for the war and the broader fight against terrorism.

Falwell says Hillary would spark base  —  WASHINGTON - The Rev. Jerry Falwell says a White House run by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton would energize his base of religious conservatives even more than if the devil were the Democratic nominee.  —  "I certainly hope that Hillary is the candidate," Falwell told a private prayer breakfast.

The Rise of Jihadistan  —  Five years after the Afghan invasion, the Taliban are fighting back hard, carving out a sanctuary where they—and Al Qaeda's leaders—can operate freely.  —  You don't have to drive very far from Kabul these days to find the Taliban.

Army Warns Rumsfeld It's Billions Short  —  An extraordinary action by the chief of staff sends a message: The Pentagon must increase the budget or reduce commitments in Iraq and elsewhere.  —  WASHINGTON — The Army's top officer withheld a required 2008 budget plan from Pentagon leaders …

In Tiny Courts of New York, Abuses of Law and Power  —  Some of the courtrooms are not even courtrooms: tiny offices or basement rooms without a judge's bench or jury box.  Sometimes the public is not admitted, witnesses are not sworn to tell the truth, and there is no word-for-word record of the proceedings.

Hurricane Chávez  —  HUGO CHAVEZ got the attention that he craves by comparing President Bush to Satan last week.  But the Venezuelan leader's absurd talk may be less threatening than his equally absurd incompetence.  Since Mr. Chávez took power seven years ago …

Millions of Seniors Facing Medicare 'Doughnut Hole'  —  Millions of older Americans are confronting a temporary break in their Medicare drug coverage this month that will require them to pay the full cost of their prescriptions or face the painful prospect of going without.

U.S. Senate candidates trade jabs  —  BUTTE — The audience was better behaved, but the candidates mixed it up more in the second fall debate between Republican U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns and his Democratic challenger, state Senate President Jon Tester.  —  "He wants to weaken our families …

Mel campaigns for new movie, against war in Iraq  —Text+LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie "Apocalypto," and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.  —  Almost two months after he railed against Jews …

For Bush, War Anguish Expressed Privately  —  FALMOUTH, Maine — They sat on two frayed chairs in a teacher's lounge, the president and the widow, just the two of them so close that their knees were almost touching.  —  She was talking about her husband, the soldier who died in a far-off war zone.

Losing Afghanistan  —  We're not adequately fighting the war we should be fighting.  —  As we marked the fifth anniversary of the worst attack on American soil, there was enormous discussion of the lessons of 9/11.  But after the bagpipes stopped, and news coverage turned to other issues …

Pope Benedict Demands Reciprocity  —  Pope Benedict XVI met with envoys from several Muslim nations today, greeting them warmly and emphasizing the need for dialogue between the faiths.  He did not offer another apology for his remarks at Regensburg two weeks ago, but he did remind the envoys …

U.N. shows why it's incapable of reform  —  The last intervention in public affairs Ted Turner made was a month or two back, when he recounted what an agreeable vacation he'd had in Kim Jong Il's North Korea.  (I sent him a postcard saying, "Wish you were still there.")