Bartlett: 'It's Never Been A Stay The Course Strategy'  —  On CBS this morning, White House Counselor Dan Bartlett claimed that the administration has "never" had "a stay-the-course strategy."  Watch it:  —  President Bush made the same claim over the weekend.  It's not true.

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.

Why Barack Obama Should Run for President  —  Though you probably know me as someone who's not a fan of Barack Obama, I do want the Senator to run for President in 2008.  I think it would be good for him, good for the party, and good for the country.  I'm big on process, on public debate …

BEST GOP HOPE: SCARE 'EM SILLY  —  WITH only two weeks left 'til Election Day, Republicans won't save themselves with phony optimism - pathetic claims that, somehow, they're mounting a comeback.  They need to sound a note of alarm and fill the airwaves with specifics of exactly what will happen if the Democrats triumph.

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," …

Open Secrets: Voting In The Blogosphere  —  Secret ballots are taken for granted in America these days, but it wasn't always the norm that it is now.  The first president elected by secret ballot was Grover Cleveland in 1892, so until Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, more presidents had been elected by open ballot than in secret.

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 …

We're Google.  So Sue Us.  —  Google attracts millions of Web users every day.  And, increasingly, it's attracting the attention of plenty of lawyers, too.  —  As Google has grown into the world's most popular search engine and, arguably, the most powerful Internet company …

Lamont camp presses complaints over Lieberman 'slush fund'  —  Officials in Ned Lamont's U.S. Senate campaign said today they expect to file complaints with both federal and state authorities concerning $387,000 in "petty cash" U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman spent before the Democratic primary election.

Don't panic, Iraq tells U.S. and UK  —  LONDON (Reuters) - Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih warned against defeatism and panic on Monday as his U.S. and British allies came under growing pressure to change their Iraq strategy in the face of relentless bloodshed.

God knows why faith is thriving  —  A group of leading atheists is puzzled by the continued existence and vitality of religion.  —  As biologist Richard Dawkins puts it in his new book "The God Delusion," faith is a form of irrationality, what he terms a "virus of the mind."

The Dow Jones Industrials Reach New High  —  Wall Street extended its October rally Monday as investors grew more optimistic about upcoming earnings reports and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will cut capital spending to drive overall returns.  The Dow Jones industrials shot up more than 110 points and crossed 12,100 for the first time.

Guns buyback has no effect on murder rate  —  HALF a billion dollars spent buying back hundreds of thousands of guns after the Port Arthur massacre had no effect on the homicide rate, says a study published in an influential British journal.  —  The report by two Australian academics …

We Can't Just Withdraw  —  I f only Iraq were like Vietnam.  After the 60-day siege of An Loc in the spring of 1972, where heavily outnumbered South Vietnamese troops and their American advisors rebuffed several North Vietnamese divisions, the Saigon government found itself …

In Balad, Age-Old Ties Were 'Destroyed in a Second'  —  Sectarian Battles Drive Out Sunnis, Create State of Siege  —  OUTSIDE BALAD, Iraq — At midweek, Shiite Interior Ministry commandos and their Shiite militia allies cruised the four-lane hardtop outside the besieged city of Balad …

Active-Duty Troops Launch Campaign to Press Congress to End U.S. Occupation of Iraq  —  65 Members to Send "Appeals for Redress" Under the Military Whistle-blower Protection Act  —  Contact: Trevor Fitzgibbon, 202-246-5303, or Alex Howe, or Laura Gross, 202-822-5200, for Fenton Communications

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.

Mud in the face  —  Clinton foe: 'Whew' she was hideous before 'work'  —  Hillary Clinton's Republican challenger is getting personal and it's not pretty: He says the senator used to be ugly - and speculates she got "millions of dollars" in plastic surgery.  —  "You ever see a picture of her back then?