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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

What's Hastert saying on Foley affair?  —  « Is Senate campaign ad racist?  Latest postings  —  What's Hastert saying on Foley affair?  —  House Speaker Rep. Dennnis Hastert (R-Ill.) is before the House Ethics Committee now.  He's been there for more than two hours, presumably explaining his role in the Foley Affair.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.