Hastert Vows to Overcome Scandal  —  J. Dennis Hastert, who was installed as House speaker eight years ago through backroom maneuvering in a moment of crisis for his party, has no distinct power base in Congress, not much of a national reputation and, in an age of television politics, little polish in front of the camera.

In Border Fence's Path, Congressional Roadblocks  —  No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts.

Pelosi says she would drain GOP 'swamp'  —  WASHINGTON - Franklin Roosevelt had his first hundred days.  —  House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule.

Rice, in Baghdad, Insists That Iraqis Are 'Making Progress'  —  Wearing a helmet and a flak jacket and flanked by machine-gun-toting bodyguards to defend against insurgents, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came here Thursday, insisting that there were new signs of progress in Iraq …

Kim's message: War is coming to US soil  —  Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say.  Please click here if you are interested in contributing.  —  The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced on October 3 …

GOP's Hold on Evangelicals Weakening  —  Party's Showing in Midterm Elections May Be Hurt as Polls Indicate Support Dropping in Base  —  ANOKA, Minn. — Lynn Sunde, an evangelical Christian, is considering what for her is a radical step.  Come November, she may vote for a Democrat for Congress.

From a List to a GOP Civil War?  —  Copies of The List (see below) have been sent by gay politicos to a variety of social conservative groups that look to the Republican Party to make their religious right dreams come true.  The recipients include the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family …

Race for Senate control tightens  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats are within striking distance of winning control of the Senate in the Nov. 7 elections, USA TODAY/Gallup Polls in six key states show as the campaigns head into their final month.  —  The number of Republican-held seats …

Seizures of radioactive materials fuel 'dirty bomb' fears  —  SEIZURES of smuggled radioactive material capable of making a terrorist "dirty bomb" have doubled in the past four years, according to official figures seen by The Times.  —  Smugglers have been caught trying …

Angels and Intelligence Estimates  —  Lost between the Foley tsunami and the Woodward hurricane is the storm that began the great Republican collapse of 2006.  It was only a few weeks ago that the Republicans were clawing their way back to contention for the November elections …

Extremists planned mass Prague murders: paper  —Text+PRAGUE (Reuters) - Islamic extremists planned to kidnap dozens of Jews in Prague and hold them hostage before murdering them, the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes reported on Friday.  —  The Czech Republic's leading newspaper quoted unidentified sources close …

Wetterling ad overstates facts  —  The TV spot by the Sixth District candidate is wrong in stating that members of Congress admitted to a coverup - none has.  —  Patty Wetterling's latest TV ad, in which she calls for "the immediate expulsion of any congressman involved in a crime or coverup" …

Investigation to Look at Facebook  —  University Says Social Networking Site 'Not Exempt'  —  Columbia will review information and images posted on students' Facebook profiles as part of its investigation into Wednesday night's Minutemen brawl, a University spokesman confirmed Thursday evening.

A Calamity For Gay Republicans  —  Less than 24 hours after Rep. Mark Foley resigned in disgrace, some 50 gay Republicans gathered at a friend's house in Virginia.  They were in a brittle mood.  Foley — one of their own, in terms of sexual orientation and party ID — had, by his misconduct …

New Media A Weapon in New World Of Politics  —  At first glance, three uproars that buffeted American politics in recent weeks have little in common.  —  Former congressman Mark Foley (R-Fla.) ended his political career over sexually charged e-mails to former House pages.