ALLEN'S REVENGE: EXPOSES UNDERAGE SEX SCENES IN OPPONENT'S NOVELS  —  Sen. George Allen, R-VA, unleashed a press release late Thursday that exposed his rival's fiction writing, which includes graphic underage sex scenes.  —  The press release, as provided by the Allen Campaign:  —  WEBB'S WEIRD WORLD

Rush Apology: I Was Wrong.  Fox Took Too Much Medication  —  RUSH: I want to make an apology here.  You have number seven from the audio sound bite roster ready to go?  All right, let her rip.  —  FOX: The symptoms that I had in the ad that I did, that's called dyskinesia, and that's actually from too much medication.

G.O.P. Moves Fast to Reignite Issue of Gay Marriage  —  The divisive debate over gay marriage, which played a prominent role in 2004 campaigns but this year largely faded from view, erupted anew on Thursday as President Bush and Republicans across the country tried to use a court ruling …

Rumsfeld Tells Iraq Critics to 'Back Off'  —  With his chorus of critics expanding deeper into Republican ranks, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told detractors yesterday to pull back as U.S. and Iraqi officials grapple with the uncertainties of laying out Iraq's course.

The Year Of Playing Dirtier  —  Rep. Ron Kind pays for sex!  —  Well, that's what the Republican challenger for his Wisconsin congressional seat, Paul R. Nelson, claims in new ads, the ones with "XXX" stamped across Kind's face.  —  It turns out that Kind — along with more than 200 …

Muslim cleric apologizes for rape remark  —  SYDNEY, Australia - Australia's most prominent Islamic cleric vowed Thursday to stand strong against widespread outrage over his description of women who don't wear head scarfs as "uncovered meat" who invite rape.

Mahdi Army, Iraqi Police Battle in Baquba  —  The Mahdi Army continues to flaunt its power.  It's decision time for Maliki.  —  Iranian proxy Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army has yet again fought government forces in pitched street battles.  The scene of the latest fighting is the city of Baquba …

I.R.S. Going Slow Before Election  —  Mark W. Everson, commissioner of internal revenue, said he regularly discussed the potential impact of agency actions with senior staff members.  "We are very sensitive to political perceptions," Mr. Everson said.  —  The commissioner of internal revenue …

PULLS SUPPORT OF TROUBLED COMPTROLLER  —  Attorney General Eliot Spitzer delivered a devastating blow yesterday to Alan Hevesi, withdrawing his re-election endorsement, saying the scandal-scarred state comptroller is unfit for office, and laying the groundwork for a replacement.

Democrats Fear Disillusionment in Black Voters  —  Last weekend, Jim Webb, the Virginia Democrat who hopes to oust Senator George Allen, crammed in visits to 12 black churches, and for several weeks he has been pumping money into advertisements on black radio stations and in black newspapers.

Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendlyAbsorbing Gay Pain & Praise, Clinton Says She's Evolved  —  In an appearance early Wednesday evening in front of roughly three-dozen LGBT leaders, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton indicated that she would not oppose efforts by Eliot Spitzer …

Bush, Signing Bill for Border Fence, Urges Wider Overhaul  —  President Bush signed into law on Thursday a bill providing for construction of 700 miles of added fencing along the Southwestern border, calling the legislation "an important step toward immigration reform."

Is that a fact: Ad twists Bachmann's crime views  —  A recent ad uses one Senate vote unfairly against the GOP candidate in the tight Sixth District race.  —  A highly deceptive ad by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee takes one vote out of context to distort congressional candidate Michele Bachmann's record on crime.

Keith Ellison's deplorable legislative record.  —  I ran across this and thought you all would appreciate a glance at the kind of nut-jobbery Keith X Hakim-Ellison engaged in during his tenure at the at the MN House of Rep's.  —  1. 2005-2006 Legislative Session he authored a bill …

2006: THE BIG PICTURE  —  We've been through a lot together this election cycle, and now we're headed for the last round-up on November 7th.  Your Crystal Ball staff will be tweaking our predictions right up until election eve, taking into account last-minute shifts, scandals, and surprises.

Andrew Sullivan on The Conservative Soul  —  The Hugh Hewitt Show  —  HH: Joined now by Andrew Sullivan, author of The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How To Get It Back, in bookstores everywhere.  I will link it at Hughhewitt.com a little bit later.  We've got Andrew for the next hour and a half.

Salon Interview: Camille Paglia  —  It's been a while since Salon last heard from our favorite intellectual and one of our founding contributors, Camille Paglia.  But with so much tumult in the air, we felt the need to ask her to survey the strange tectonic shifts in our political and cultural landscape …