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 …

RNC anti-Ford ad, deconstructed  —  A Republican National Committee ad has got Harold Ford Jr.'s campaign screaming "racism" in Tennessee.  They wouldn't be screaming if the ad wasn't so effective — and funny:  —  Here's the script (H/T Hotline), highlighting the blond bimbo's comments.

Limbaugh Says Actor Fox Exaggerates Effects of Disease in Ads  —  Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh attacked actor Michael J. Fox for inserting his halting voice into the U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri, suggesting Fox was "acting" in a commercial where he's shown shaking …

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 …

GOP holds narrow lead in must-win Senate races  —  WASHINGTON — Republican Senate candidates have fought back to regain an edge in two key races, pivotal battlegrounds that could determine which party controls the Senate, according to a series of new McClatchy-MSNBC polls.

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.

Solidly Republican, Suddenly in Doubt  —  COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — It is, perhaps, the political equivalent of hell freezing over in the interior West.  —  This red state where conservative Republicans routinely wipe the floor with hapless Democrats has a Republican running for Congress who just might lose.

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.

'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.

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.

RAW DATA....I'm reading The Truth About Conservative Christians, by Andrew Greeley and Michael Hout, which is, by a good measure, the worst and most frustratingly-written book I've read in a long while.  It's a sociological picture of conservative Christians based on statistical analysis of recent survey data …

The Military's Love-Hate Relationship With Blogs  —  The military's love-hate relationship with blogs, which I mentioned in a column in the spring, has been on display in recent days, with the Pentagon sending mixed signals to bloggers.  Here is a recap of some of the coverage:

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 …

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 …

Abandon All Hope  —  This child was weak—perhaps injured or dying—as this photo was taken in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2004.  He may already be dead.  One thing is certain; the future of millions of children throughout the Middle East just like him will be affected by you very soon.

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.

YOUR THOUGHTS  —  The report that sex is always on the mind of men has one glaring flaw, when men are married, then sex becomes a distant memory.  —  You guy's are just now figuring this out ?  Jeeze,.....thank god we are not dependent on your group for the rest of lifes answers.