Poll shows Reynolds lags behind Davis after connection to Foley scandal  —  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) _ Rep. Thomas Reynolds is trailing behind his Democratic opponent after he was connected to the scandal involving former GOP Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, according to a poll released Saturday.

Lawmaker Saw Foley Messages In 2000  —  Page Shared Exchanges With GOP Rep. Kolbe  —  A Republican congressman knew of disgraced former representative Mark Foley's inappropriate Internet exchanges as far back as 2000 and personally confronted Foley about his communications.

AP: Allen didn't disclose stock options  —  RICHMOND, Va. - For the past five years, Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record), has failed to tell Congress about stock options he got for his work as a director of a high-tech company.  The Virginia Republican also asked the Army to help another business that gave him similar options.

NATO chief warns of Afghan tipping point  —  KABUL, Afghanistan - NATO's top commander in Afghanistan said Sunday the country was at a tipping point and warned Afghans would likely switch their allegiance to resurgent Taliban militants if there are no visible improvements in people's lives in the next six months.

Baker Sees Iraq Panel Departing From Bush Strategy  —  James A. Baker III , the Republican co-chairman of a bipartisan commission assessing Iraq strategy for President Bush, said today that he expected the group to depart from Mr. Bush's call to "stay the course."

Foley: The Final Straw  —  In 1994, pollster Frank Luntz helped congressional Republicans sweep into power.  Now he says the G.O.P. has become everything it once swore to destroy  —  Had enough?  —  America has.  Anyone who reads the polls accurately and honestly will acknowledge …

Guantánamo defense lawyer forced out of Navy  —  NEWARK, N.J. — The Navy lawyer who took the Guantánamo case of Osama bin Laden's driver to the U.S. Supreme Court — and won — has been passed over for promotion by the Pentagon and must soon leave the military.  —  Lt. Cmdr.

Iran arrests controversial cleric  —  An Iranian cleric, Mohammed Kazemeini Boroujerdi, has been arrested amid clashes between his supporters and police outside his house in Teheran.  —  Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of his followers, who had formed a cordon around his residence.

Leaving Foley, Parsing Rahm  —  As God is my witness, this will be my last substantive post on the Foley matter.  I'm Foleyed out.  Really, how much evidence needs to mount before everyone concludes that Foley was a twisted guy and that further evidence of Foley's twistedness becomes therefore irrelevant?

Iraq's Dark Day of Reckoning  —  If you were a Shiite, having suffered through a brutal insurgency and an incompetent government, would you give up your weapons?  —  When Iraq's current government was formed last April, after four months of bitter disputes, wrangling and paralysis …

DNC changes vets' page  —  An update to my blog post yesterday about the DNC's tribute to American troops that featured a Canadian soldier.  The foreign soldier has been replaced (hat tip - Mark):  —  At least it's the right flag.  —  (Good thing the webmaster made sure this one didn't slip through:)

Acclaimed Reporter Killed in Russia  —  Anna Politkovskaya, known for writing about human rights abuses in Chechnya, is shot in an apparent assassination.  —  MOSCOW — A prominent Russian journalist known for reporting of human rights abuses in war-torn Chechnya was shot and killed Saturday …

Hastert scratches New York fundraiser  —  WASHINGTON — Embattled House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert nixed plans to headline a mid-October fund-raiser in New York with Mayor Bloomberg — but will stand with President Bush on Thursday in Chicago.  —  The Bush White House will lend more support …

CAROLINA FREEDOM NET  —  Yes, I not only attended Carolina Freedom Net, but was a participant on the first panel.  Indeed, the focus of that first panel was supposed to be on the merits of blogging about local vs. national issues, and my fellow panel members pretty much focused on on national issues.

Mass Venezuela opposition rally  —  Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in support of the main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales.  —  Mr Rosales will face President Hugo Chavez in December's presidential poll.

US secretly woos Khatami  —  The Bush administration made secret overtures to former Iran president Mohammed Khatami during his visit to the United States last month in an attempt to establish a back channel via the ex-leader.  —  American officials made the approach as part of a strategy …

As Exemptions Grow, Religion Outweighs Regulation  —  EXEMPTIONS AVAILABLE Federal law gives religious organizations unique ways to challenge government restrictions on how they use their land or buildings.  In Boulder County, Colo., the Rocky Mountain Christian Church is using a new federal law …

Republicans try to implicate Pelosi in Predatorgate with nonsense  —  On the tube Republicans can throw anything into the wind without impunity even if the talking head knows it's garbage.  Take these two.  Rep. Kingston-GA and Rep. McHenry-NC, try to turn the Foley scandal into a Democratic conspiracy.