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 …

No surprise: Oct. follies arrive  —  Welcome to the spectacular surprises of October 2006.  A tour de force in the political theater of the absurd.  Let's review:  —  North Korea tests a nuke.  It should be shocking and surprising.  But North Korea's nuclear posturing is old news …

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.

Allen and Webb in Virtual Tie, Post Poll Says  —  Northern Virginia Voters' Views Differ From Rest of Commonwealth  —  Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) and Democratic challenger James Webb are virtually tied in a race that could shift the balance of power in Washington and which reinforces …

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 …

Guilty Until Confirmed Guilty  —  When President Bush rammed the bill on military commissions through Congress, the Republicans crowed about creating a process that would be tough on terrorists but preserve essential principles of justice.  "America can be proud," said Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the bill's architects.

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 …

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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 …

Slums, drugs, and spousal abuse  —  STATE AUDITOR CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D-Missouri) has cast herself as a champion of "strong, small town values" in her 2006 challenge to incumbent Republican Senator Jim Talent.  A mere twenty-three days before the election, in a race which could decide control of the Senate …