Huffing and Puffing  —  We can no longer afford to accept the unacceptable and tolerate the intolerable.  —  On October 11, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke—and it became clear just how bad things are.  Interviewed by the San Francisco …

A GOP PRE-MORTEM: So is it over for the GOP majorities in Congress?  It's still too early to say, I guess, but when even John Hinderaker is sounding extremely gloomy that's certainly the way to bet.  —  So I want to stress, for the edification of any Republican leaders who might pay attention …

Bush keeps revising war justification  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush keeps revising his explanation for why the U.S. is in Iraq, moving from narrow military objectives at first to history-of-civilization stakes now.  —  Initially, the rationale was specific: to stop Saddam Hussein from using …

Where Do We Find Such Men? … He saw the threat and acted, without hesitation or concern for himself to protect his friends.  No time to consider the alternatives, organize a protest or conduct a poll.  —  That brave young man seized the moment sacrificing himself to save his brothers.

It's Official: To Be Married Means to Be Outnumbered  —  Amanda Hawn and Nate Larsen recently in their apartment near San Francisco.  "Moving in together has simplified life," Ms. Hawn said.  —  Married couples, whose numbers have been declining for decades as a proportion of American households …

The flying spaghetti monster  —  Why are we here on earth?  To Richard Dawkins, that's a remarkably stupid question.  In a heated interview, the famous biologist insists that religion is evil and God might as well be a children's fantasy.  —  Editor's note: This is the latest entry …

White House Upbeat About GOP Prospects  —  Self-Assurance of Bush, Rove and Others Is Not Shared by Many in the Party  —  Amid widespread panic in the Republican establishment about the coming midterm elections, there are two people whose confidence about GOP prospects strikes …

Correcting Olbermann's Report On David Kuo  —  "The vast majority of what David writes is factually untrue."  —  The Bush White House toward David Kuo's new book?  —  Nope.  It's his former boss, Craig Winn of the out-of-businss company Value America, about Kuo's prior book, Dot.bomb …

First openly gay person elected to Congress dies  —  Former Mass. Rep. Gerry Studds had a blood clot in his lung, husband says  —  BOSTON - Former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress, died early Saturday at Boston Medical Center, several days after he collapsed …

Why Air America Failed  —  Recent opera-related disagreements with Jonah aside, I think this argument he highlights as explanation of Air America's tumble into bankruptcy is pretty sound (conclusion, of course, excepted): The liberal radio market was actually quite crowded, mainly due to the overwhelming popularity of NPR.

Report: FBI probing Weldon's aid to daughter  —  A glossy Democratic mailer has been circulating the district all week about how U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon allegedly used his political influence to steer lucrative contracts to his daughter.  Today, McClatchy Newspapers is expected to publish …

A Call To Arms  —  If you're not already well versed in the travesty that happened to Biting Beaver, click here to read her story and here to read the consequences.  —  Long story short: an adult woman with several children in a committed relationship was not able to obtain emergency contraception in time …

Democrats Have Intensity, but G.O.P. Has Its Machine  —  Clif Kelley, a retired economist from Columbus, Ohio, is the walking, talking, fuming embodiment of what pollsters say is a defining feature of this election: the intensity of Democrats.  —  Mr. Kelley and a handful of fellow Democrats …

U.S. Citizen Facing Execution in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers for an American citizen facing execution in Iraq appealed Friday in U.S. federal court to keep the man in American custody _ preventing his death _ while another case is being appealed.  —  The citizen, Mohammad Munaf …

Salman Rushdie: His life, his work and his religion  —  In the 17 years since Ayatollah Khomeini passed a death sentence on Salman Rushdie, the writer's unflinching criticism of the religion into which he was born has never been stifled.  Now, as the force of Islamist fury reverberates around the world …

'No coup attempt against Musharraf'  —  [ 14 Oct, 2006 1459hrs IST IANS ]  —  ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has denied a report suggesting there had been a coup attempt against President Pervez Musharraf after his high-profile visit to the United States.  —  Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao …

Friday Night Fights: Conservative Woman KOs Bill Maher and Ben Affleck  —  It is quite doubtful that HBO's Bill Maher knew what he was in for when he scheduled Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute to be on his "Real Time" panel Friday night.  After all, with CNN's Lou Dobbs …