Rushing Off a Cliff  —  Here's what happens when this irresponsible Congress railroads a profoundly important bill to serve the mindless politics of a midterm election: The Bush administration uses Republicans' fear of losing their majority to push through ghastly ideas about antiterrorism …

New Hope for Democrats in Bid for Senate  —  Six weeks before Election Day, the Democrats suddenly face a map with unexpected opportunities in their battle for control of the Senate.  —  In Virginia, a state that few expected to be seriously competitive, Senator George Allen, a Republican …

Deja vu — Judith Apter Klinghoffer  —  POLL: AL QAEDA LOST IN IRAQ  —  Al Qaeda has desicively lost the Iraqi battlefield. … Iraqi confidence in Iraqi forces (as opposed to militias) is increasing while its confidence in US forces is decreasing.  Given US policies there can be little doubt …

Bush urges bickering allies on terrorism  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush appealed to the bickering presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday to put aside their differences and "strategize together" over dinner on ways to defeat the common enemy of terrorism.

Press Briefing by Tony Snow  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MR. SNOW: Good morning.  Welcome.  A couple of opening notes.  The President, today, or this evening, will be making brief remarks on the way to dinner.  I know a lot of you are interested in what's going to be happening.

PA-Sen: Rick Santorum Gets Feisty Defending GOP Leadership  —  Sen. Rick Santorum got a little edgy yesterday during a meeting with conservative bloggers on Capitol Hill.  The three-term Pennsylvanian senator looks to be fighting the toughest race in the country and it appears the pressure is catching up with him.

Chairman seeks review, possible removal of memorial inscriptions  —  PHOENIX — A state commission that authorized placement of the Arizona 9-11 Memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza will review controversial laser-cut inscriptions "and see if some of them could be removed," the panel's chairman said Wednesday.

Webb Denies Ever Using Word as Epithet  —  Racial Slur Overshadowing All Else in Contest  —  Democratic Senate candidate James Webb on Wednesday sought to explain remarks he had made a day earlier, in which he refused to say whether he had used the "N-word," but he insisted he has never used it as a racial epithet aimed at anyone.

Jeanine Pirro Under Criminal Investigation  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — NewsChannel 4's Jonathan Dienst has learned Jeanine Pirro, the Republican candidate for New York Attorney General, has been under state and federal criminal investigation.  — Images: Pirro Probed For Alleged Spy Plan

Ailes: `An assault on all journalists'  —  NEW YORK - Fox News chief Roger Ailes says former President Clinton's response to Chris Wallace's question about going after Osama bin Laden represents "an assault on all journalists."  —  Ailes said Clinton had a "wild overreaction" in the interview, broadcast on "Fox News Sunday."

Question for Michelle Malkin: Does the Conscience of a Conservative Still Exist?  —  I'm publicly calling out Michelle Malkin, someone whom I often disagree with but usually respect.  I hope she will think about it and respond thoughtfully and not angrily or flippantly.

Musgrave: Gay Marriage 'Is The Most Important Issue That We Face Today'  —  Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), the lead sponsor of the constitutional ban on gay marriage in the House, spoke this weekend at the Family Research Council's "Values Voter Summit."  (Other virulently anti-gay speakers were featured at the event.)

UK military claim Taleban defeat  —  The Taleban are tactically defeated in Helmand, the commander of the UK forces in Afghanistan has said.  —  Brigadier Ed Butler told the BBC that Nato had inflicted significant casualties on the Taleban who had failed to remove them from the south.

John Boehner Still Believes Saddam Was Tied To 9/11 And Had WMD  —  On Hardball this afternoon, House Majority Leader John Boehner was asked questions about Iraq.  Boehner insisted that Saddam had WMD and that we just "haven't found them yet".  Boehner also states that Saddam was supporting …

A Coordinated Character Assassination  —  It's an incredible shame that the Democrats have chosen to make the Virginia Senate Race a campaign about what African-American Bishop Gerald O. Glenn called "character assassination" rather than about the many issues facing Virginia.

What Would Jesus Do?  —  Atrios and Digby wonder where all our leaders who profess to be people of faith are with regard to torture, both Democrat (Obama) and Republican (Lieberman).  The question proceeds from an assumption that people of faith should naturally be against this sort of thing …