Press Conference by the President  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much.  I'm going to spend a little more time on my opening comments than I usually do, but I'll save plenty of time for questions.  —  Over the past three years I have often addressed the American people to explain developments in Iraq.

NAACP: Tenn. Senate ad plays to racism  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A political TV ad targeting a black candidate for Senate contains what critics, including the NAACP, are calling racist sexual innuendo about a black man and white woman.  —  The Republican National Committee ad began airing Friday …

Michael J. Fox ads for Democrats spark backlash  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The campaign ad opens with a familiar boyish face, now atop a body that sways uncontrollably.  Michael J. Fox, wearing a shirt and suit jacket, talks directly to the camera.  —  "They say all politics is local …

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.

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.

Federal Rules Back Single-Sex Public Education  —  The Bush administration is giving public school districts broad new latitude to expand the number of single-sex classes, and even schools, in what is widely considered the most significant policy change on the issue since …

The House Elections  —  People are always asking me, Which party is going to win the House elections?  The answer is, I don't know.  We have very many more publicly released polls than we used to have, and therefore more basis for making estimates.  But they're still just estimates, subject to error.

Eight reasons conservatives must vote on November 7th  —  Why People of Conscience Can't Afford to Facilitate a Leftist Victory  —  For months, we've been hearing about the sour mood of U.S, conservatives, with left-leaning activists and liberal commentators savoring (and promoting) …

New Jersey court recognizes right to same-sex unions  —  TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) — New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples.  —  But the court left it to the Legislature to determine whether the state …

COVERING IRAQ: THE MODERN WAY OF WAR CORRESPONDENCE (EXTENDED VERSION)  —  Would you trust a Hurricane Katrina report datelined "direct from Detroit"?  Or coverage of the World Trade Center attack from Chicago?  Why then should we believe a Time Magazine investigation of the Haditha killings …

Best of the Web  —  Our item yesterday in which we reaffirmed our support for the liberation of Iraq brought some very interesting reader comments.  This is from an American there who asks not to be named: … Reader Russ Daniel makes an interesting point about the media side of the war:

BATTLING PREDICTIONS  —  FOR those who follow political news, there are now two kinds of time: Mainstream Media Time and Blog Time.  —  If your clock's set to Mainstream Media Time, you believe for a certainty that the Democrats are poised to win 20 to 40 seats in the House of Representatives …

For Governor in Maryland  —  WHEN HE RAN for governor of Maryland four years ago, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s claim to the job seemed to rest on little more than a sense of entitlement and a telegenic, genial personality.  In fits and starts, though, he has grown in the role to become a generally proficient …

ABC News Director To O'Reilly: Media Has Liberal Bias And 'We've Got To Fix That'  —  Yesterday, Mark Halperin, ABC Political Director and co-author of the new book The Way To Win, went on The O'Reilly Factor and agreed with Bill O'Reilly that members of the "old media" are too liberal and should …

Georgetown gets $20 million from prince promoting Islam  —  Just months later, university ejects evangelical Christians from campus  —  The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University has been renamed after Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal donated $20 million to its projects.

Audio: The Kennedy KGB Connection Updated  —  Kennedy assessed the situation and said "The problem here is the American president."  —  Earlier this week I interviewed Paul Kengor, author of The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.  The book is a fascinating and detailed study …

Porter rejects request  —  Congressman won't release phone records or schedule to disprove former aide's charges  —  Rep. Jon Porter refused Tuesday to release phone records or copies of his daily schedule, even though his office says the documents would disprove charges by a former aide …