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.

Rush Limbaugh attacks Michael J. Fox: " ...he was either off the medication or he was acting.  He is an actor, after all."  —  Rush Limbaugh will say anything to attack anyone who challenges George Bush and his policies.  This time, his target is Michael J. Fox.  Meds are something Rush does have a little experience with.

REPORT: Bush Officials Were 'Rooting' For North Korea to Test Nuclear Weapon  —  Senior Bush administration officials wanted North Korea to test a nuclear weapon because it would prove their point that the regime must be overthrown.  —  This astonishing revelation was buried in the middle …

MTP Transcript for Oct. 22  —  Barack Obama, David Broder, Charlie Cook, John Harwood, Robert Novak  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Only 16 days until the midterm elections.  Will the Democrats retake control of the Congress?  What would they do if they did?

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?

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

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.

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."

RNC Mailing Accuses Pa. Democrat Of Helping To Start the War in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — Voters in Pennsylvania's rural, conservative 10th Congressional District received an unlikely mailing earlier this month accusing a former Navy lieutenant of helping start the Iraq war.

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.

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.

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 …

Columnist Settles in Propaganda Case  —  Columnist Armstrong Williams has reached a settlement with prosecutors regarding payments he received from the Education Department to promote President Bush's agenda.  —  Under the agreement, Williams admits no wrongdoing but will have to pay $34,000.

Late Nite FDL: God Bless Barney Frank  —  "The right to privacy should not be the right to hypocrisy.  These people who want to demonize other people shouldn't be able to go home, close the door, and do it themselves."  (Barney Frank on the practice of outing gay Republicans, hat-tip to my secret lovaaaah, Jesus' General)

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 …

Poll: GOP could lose control of Congress  —  Just two weeks before Election Day, poll results continue to signal that Republicans could lose control of one or both chambers of Congress.  —  ELECTIONLINE: What do you think?  —  The latest USA TODAY/Gallup national poll, taken over the weekend, shows that:

The battlefield widens for House GOP seats  —  A tide of discontent has made a growing number of races competitive.  —  LA CRESCENT, MINN. — The temperature is dropping, but six-term Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.) is sweating more than usual for this time of year.

Uneasy for a Reason  —  In the midst of the campaign month of October came the news last week that the population of the United States has passed the 300 million mark.  There's a sharp contrast between the negativity of the political climate and the robustness of our demographic increase …