Intelligence failure cited in Korean crisis  —  Recent U.S. intelligence analyses of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs were flawed and the lack of clarity on the issue hampered U.S. diplomatic efforts to avert the underground blast detected Sunday, according to Bush administration officials.

Exclusive: Book says Bush just using Christians  —  'Tempting Faith' author David Kuo worked for Bush from 2001 to 2003  —  More than five years after President Bush created the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, the former second-in-command of that office is going public with an insider's tell …

AP's Reid Story Doesn't Add Up  —  Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) "collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years," the AP reports.  —  Except that's wrong.  Reid made a $700,000 profit on the sale, not $1.1 million.

Hastert Aides Interest Ethics Panel  —  Staff Members' Knowledge of Foley's Actions With Former Pages in Question  —  With House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert denying personal knowledge of former representative Mark Foley's activities, investigators for the House ethics committee are bearing …

Avoiding Political Embarrassment the Columbia University Way  —  How do you avoid political embarrassment at Columbia University these days?  —  Disinvite invited guests to a talk sure to interest conservatives and other hawks in the larger NYC community.  —  Why, we wonder …

NUREMBERG-STYLE TRIALS PROPOSED FOR GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTICS  —  CONTACT: MARC MORANO ( marc_morano@epw.senate.gov ), MATT DEMPSEY ( matthew_dempsey@epw.senate.gov )  —  A U.S. based environmental magazine that both former Vice President Al Gore (http://gristmill.grist.org/print/ 2006/9/19/11408/1106? …

Will Voters Pull the Trigger?  —  The old theater adage demands that if you show a pistol in Act 1, you'd better fire the gun in Act 3.  That same wisdom applies to politics.  —  The voters have been pointing a symbolic gun at the Republican regime in Washington for many months now.

Tony Snow Knows How to Work More Than One Room  —  It's Gloves Off (and Pass the Hat) for Bush Spokesman  —  On the morning of Oct. 2, Tony Snow did six back-to-back television interviews from the White House lawn, and one phrase came back to haunt him.  —  While criticizing Mark Foley …

Baker's Panel Rules Out Iraq Victory  —  WASHINGTON — A commission formed to assess the Iraq war and recommend a new course has ruled out the prospect of victory for America, according to draft policy options shared with The New York Sun by commission officials.

Fraud alleged in St. Louis voter sign-up  —  ST. LOUIS - Election officials say hundreds of potentially bogus registration cards, including ones for dead and underage people, were submitted by a branch of a national group that has been criticized in the past for similar offenses.

Insurers Get an Earful From Senator  —  Sometimes, political connections come in handy.  Ask Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi.  —  Mr. Lott, a Republican and former majority leader, is one of thousands of homeowners on the Gulf Coast who have been fighting with their insurers over payments for damage in Hurricane Katrina.