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 …

Mehlman: Controversial Ford attack ad is 'fair'  —  RNC Chairman denies ad uses race as a wedge issue in Tenn. Senate race … Washington Bureau Chief … TIM RUSSERT, MSNBC ANCHOR: Joining us now, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman.  —  Ken Mehlman, welcome.

The Note: Pending: Six Days of November Surprises  —  It Isn't a "Surprise" If You Expect It  —  By MARK HALPERIN, DAVID CHALIAN, TEDDY DAVIS, TAHMAN BRADLEY, and EMILY O'DONNELL with KARUNA SESHASAI, MONA RAPHAEL, and MICHELLE DUBERT  —  How the (liberal) Old Media plans to cover the last two weeks of the election:

The Beltway Retreat  —  The insurgents are hitting their targets—in Washington. … So said Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih on Monday, in a BBC interview while in London for talks with Tony Blair.  If only such statesmanship prevailed on this side of the Atlantic …

Poll: Senate within Dems' grasp, but pitfalls remain  —  Control of the chamber could hinge on the outcomes in Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia.  —  Washington — Democrats are within range of capturing a Senate majority, but face potentially decisive resistance from rural voters …

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.

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 …

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 …

It's the Politics, Stupid  —  Gail Collins couldn't do bupkis for women in journalism.  That's because there's only so much journalists themselves can do about the problems of women and punditry.  —  Gail Collins stepped down earlier this month as editor of the New York Times opinion pages.

New Jersey Same-Sex Marriage Decision Tomorrow  —  Per the NJ State Supreme Court: … In '02, two gay couples sued New Jersey for denying them the right to marry.  The Supreme Court finally heard oral arguments in Feb. Consider the political repercussions if NJ becomes the second state in the country to legalize gay marriage.

Drug raid yields Los Alamos documents  —  WASHINGTON - A drug raid on a Los Alamos scientist's home in New Mexico turned up what appeared to be classified documents taken from the nuclear weapons lab, the FBI said Tuesday.  —  Police discovered the documents at the scientist's home while making …

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 …

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.

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 …

U.S. MILITARY: NO SIGNS OF SOLDIER MISSING IN IRAQ  —  Oct. 24: 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldiers stop traffic in the Karradah district looking for a missing translator.  —  Oct. 24: 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldiers stop traffic in the Karradah district looking for a missing translator.

Ford camp's answers vary on Playboy party  —  The way Republicans like to tell it, Harold Ford Jr. partied with Playboy playmates at a Super Bowl Party last year.  —  So, was he there or not?  —  Responses from the Memphis Democrat and his campaign have varied: