Why Barack Obama is Overrated  —  I usually avoid blogging about black "golden boy" Democratic politicians like U.S. Senator Barack Obama because I know I'll be accused of "player hating," but I can't let the hype parade pass without comment.  —  Barack Obama, the "He speaks so well!" …

The Hard Way Out  —  'Victory' Collides With Reality in Iraq  —  Some months ago, former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski was explaining to a senior Bush administration official his plan for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq over 12 months, in consultation with the Iraqis.

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 …

'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.

Bush Finding Welcome Mats as G.O.P. Looks for an Edge  —  President Bush cannot show up just anywhere in the waning days of this midterm campaign.  But there is a certain class of Republicans who are somewhere between eager and willing to have him at their sides.

Correction: Joe and 'Stay the Course'  —  Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has used the phrase "stay the course" several times in discussing the war in Iraq in recent years, echoing a key phrase of the White House, contrary to an article published today in The Times.

Congressman From Arizona Is the Focus of an Inquiry  —  Federal authorities in Arizona have opened an inquiry into whether Representative Rick Renzi introduced legislation that benefited a military contractor that employs his father, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

The GOP Leans on A Proven Strategy  —  Beset by discouraging polls and division within ideological ranks, the White House is accelerating efforts to woo back disaffected conservatives and energize the Republican base in a reprise of a strategy that succeeded in the last two campaign cycles.

Insult to Injury in Iraq  —  It's been coming for a long time: the idea that fixing Iraq is the Iraqis' problem, not ours — that we've done all we can and now it's up to them.  —  Such arguments have been latent in the Bush administration's Iraq strategy and explicit in Democratic critiques of that strategy for some time.

Idle Contractors Add Millions to Iraq Rebuilding  —  A prison built in Nasiriya, Iraq, by the Parsons group.  Overhead costs eat up large shares of such contracts.  —  Overhead costs have consumed more than half the budget of some reconstruction projects in Iraq, according …

One of FBI's 'Most Wanted Terrorists' confirmed dead  —  (CNN) — An al Qaeda operative wanted in connection with the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings was killed in April in Pakistan, American officials have confirmed.  —  Pakistani officials had said that Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah was killed …

Veiled Insult  —  Quite a long time ago, having briefly joined the herd of 20-something backpackers that eternally roams Southeast Asia, I found myself in Bali.  Like all of the other 20-somethings, I carefully read the Lonely Planet backpacker's guide to Indonesia and learned, among other things …

Western Press Ignores Iran's Hate-Filled Quds Day  —  The MEMRI Report  —  It is disturbing when the entire leadership of one nation, along with hundreds of thousands of its citizens, comes out with celebrations and parades every year that call for the annihilation of another country.

Add your comment Reader comments (26) … Did the women who had the abortions care about the child they destroyed?  I doubt it even entered their head what happened to the foetus after the abortion so little point in them saying they're upset or distressed now.  — Kate, Newcastle

Can the '20th hijacker' of Sept. 11 stand trial?  —  Aggressive interrogation at Guantanamo may prevent his prosecution  —  Bill Dedman  —  Mohammed al-Qahtani, detainee No. 063, was forced to wear a bra.  He had a thong placed on his head.  He was massaged by a female interrogator who straddled him like a lap dancer.