Three Choices, Mr. President  —  The Least Bad Option on Iraq: Disengagement and Damage Control  —  Dear Mr. President:  —  As soon as the midterm elections are over — and regardless of their outcome — you will have to make the most consequential decision of your presidency …

'06 ELEX: BACK TO TOSS-UP  —  The latest polls show something very strange and quite encouraging is happening: The Republican base seems to be coming back home.  This trend, only vaguely and dimly emerging from a variety of polls, suggests that a trend may be afoot that would deny the Democrats control of the House and the Senate.

Video: Caviezel et al. respond to Michael J. Fox's stem-cell ad  —  Sort of.  Fox's spot is a campaign ad for Claire McCaskill.  Caviezel's clip is an ad opposing Amendment 2, the stem-cell initiative on the ballot in Missouri.  —  If you believe in "ensoulment," you're probably with Caviezel.

Cubin tells challenger, 'I'd slap you'  —  The Libertarian challenger for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat says Rep. Barbara Cubin offended him by uttering a slur related to his physical disability.  —  Thomas Rankin said Cubin approached him after a campaign debate on Sunday and said …

Some Voting Machines Chop Off Candidates' Names  —  Computer Glitch Affects Voters in 3 Jurisdictions; Error Cannot Be Fixed by Nov. 7  —  U.S. Senate candidate James Webb's last name has been cut off on part of the electronic ballot used by voters in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville …

Bush's new tack steers clear of 'stay the course'  —  Phrase became liability for GOP in election year … Today show  —  President Bush and his aides are annoyed that people keep misinterpreting his Iraq policy as "stay the course."  A complete distortion, they say.

Seats in Danger, Democrats Proclaim Their Conservatism  —  Listening to Congressional candidates in middle Georgia, it is easy for someone to think that he is in a different year and, possibly, a different country.  —  Democrats defend themselves against accusations that they are rubber stamps for their party's leadership.

Self-Portraits Chronicle a Descent Into Alzheimer's  —  When he learned in 1995 that he had Alzheimer's disease, William Utermohlen, an American artist in London, responded in characteristic fashion.  —  "From that moment on, he began to try to understand it by painting himself," said his wife …

Women in Journalism  —  I certainly suggest folks read my friend Dana Goldstein's article on why Gail Collins, the retiring editor of The New York Times op-ed page, didn't do more for women in punditry.  Dana takes the moment to meditate on the sorry state of women in political journalism.

Remember Global Cooling?  —  Why scientists find climate change so hard to predict.  —  Hot and Cold: Signs of global warming at a dried-up pond in China in August 2006 (left) and a 1975 NEWSWEEK report on the threat of global cooling.  —  In April, 1975, in an issue mostly taken …

Poll: War Evens Up Race In 4th District  —  The race between incumbent Republican Chris Shays and Democrat Diane Farrell for Connecticut's 4th Congressional District is now tied and is being driven more than ever by the war in Iraq, according to a new poll commissioned by The Courant.

Conyers Hones A Case Against President Bush  —  WASHINGTON — The Democratic leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is promising that her party has no plans to pursue impeachment of President Bush if it wins a majority in next month's elections.  But she intends to allow the House Judiciary Committee …

Photographer Worked With - and Kidnapped by - Arab Terrorists  —  Emilio Morenatti, a Spanish photographer working for the Associated Press, was kidnapped Tuesday morning in Gaza.  His photos show he was trusted by Palestinian terrorists.  —  No terror organization has yet taken responsibility …

Elections could be most costly in US history  —  Next month's midterm elections will be the most costly congressional races in US history, with business interests contributing three-quarters of the estimated $2.6bn that will be spent, says a non-partisan research group.

Rising Radical Center  —  HANCOCK, Mich. — President Bush's six-year effort to create an enduring Republican majority based on a right-leaning coalition is on the verge of collapse.  The way he tried to create it could have the unintended consequence of opening the way for an alternative majority.