As G.O.P. Mopes, Bush Adds the Duties of Optimist in Chief  —  The capital is filled with Republicans convinced that they will lose the House and maybe the Senate.  So last week, the White House and party leaders convened a "friends and allies" teleconference to dispute what Ken Mehlman …

State Department official: I misspoke on Iraq policy  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A senior State Department diplomat apologized Sunday for having told the Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera on Saturday that there is a strong possibility history will show the United States displayed "arrogance" and "stupidity" in its handling of the Iraq war.

Obama Says He'll Consider A 2008 Bid for The Presidency  —  Democratic Senator to Decide After Elections  —  Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) opened the door to a 2008 presidential campaign yesterday, saying he has begun to weigh a possible candidacy and will make a decision after the November elections.

Babbling Idiots  —  Up until now I've resolutely ignored the mindless media chatter about a possible "change of course" in Iraq, both because of the absurdity of the metaphor (sinking ships can have only one course — straight down) and because so much of it appears designed simply …

Call to Action: Google-Bombing the Election  —  First, I want to thank everyone who has participated in the Use It Or Lose It campaign, designed to drive Democratic money from safe incumbents toward competitive Democratic challengers.  That campaign will continue throughout next week …

Washington Whispers  —  Calling President Bush's third and best treasury secretary, Hank Paulson, a different kind of bird than Washington is used to doesn't ruffle the feathers of the former Goldman Sachs chairman.  How could it?  A nature buff who got his start in birding at 26 …

Radical Islam finds US 'sterile ground'  —  Home-grown terror cells are largely missing in action, a contrast to Europe's situation.  —  NEW YORK - The Islamist radicalism that inspired young Muslims to attack their own countries - in London, Madrid, and Bali - has not yielded similar incidents in the United States, at least so far.

Electronic Voting Machines Could Skew Elections  —  Researchers, Candidates Have Little Confidence in Machines Designed to Make Elections Easier to Call  —  Cheryl Kagan, a former Maryland Democratic legislator, was shocked when she opened her mail Wednesday morning.  —  Inside, she discovered three computer discs.

Youths set passenger bus alight in Paris  —  A band of up to 30 youths forced passengers out of a bus in a southern Paris suburb in broad daylight, set it on fire and then stoned firefighters who came to the rescue, a police official said.  —  Police cordoned off the neighbourhood in Grigny …

A Nadir of U.S. Power  —  It's not exactly morning in America.  —  In Iraq, things get ever uglier, and the old remedy of extra troops now seems tragically futile.  The Bush team has recently tried putting thousands of additional soldiers into Baghdad, and the result after two months is that violence there has increased.

The Path to Power  —  Tennessee's Harold Ford Jr. is running from his party in one of the must-win Senate races for the Democrats.  His story-and the stakes on Election Day.  —  The sun is just rising over Chattanooga when Harold Ford Jr. begins to pray.  A young African-American congressman …

Chavez claims victory of sorts at U.N.  —  CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuela achieved its objective at the United Nations by preventing Washington's preferred candidate from winning a seat on the U.N. Security Council.  —  Venezuela is trailing Guatemala …

Kean on Politics  —  New Jersey's Political Scion Aims to Make A Name for Himself in Washington  —  HACKENSACK, N.J. If there were a drinking game whose rules required a swig each time Tom Kean Jr. asserted that his Senate race opponent is "under federal criminal investigation," …

Pakistan may ink another peace deal with militants  —  PESHAWAR: Maulana Faqir Mohamed, once most wanted cleric in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region, and his fellow militants are likely to ink peace accord with the government after Eid al-Fitr, as the government has released all his relatives as a goodwill gesture.

Mike McGavick for U.S. Senate  —  In Sen. Maria Cantwell and challenger Mike McGavick, Washington has two fully qualified choices for the Senate.  The better choice is the Republican, McGavick.  —  Some see this election as a referendum on George W. Bush.  If we did, we would be for a solid Democratic ticket.