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

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 …

Poll: Middle class voters abandoning GOP  —  WASHINGTON - The 2006 election is shaping up to be a repeat of 1994.  This time, Democrats are favored to sweep Republicans from power in the House after a dozen years of GOP rule.  —  Less than two weeks before the Nov. 7 election …

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.

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 …

In the Libby Case, A Grilling to Remember  —  With withering and methodical dispatch, White House nemesis and prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald yesterday sliced up the first person called to the stand on behalf of the vice president's former chief of staff.  —  If I. Lewis "Scooter" …

News Release: Gross Domestic Product  —  In order to view the PDF files on this page, the free Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed.  —  Recorded message: (202) 606-5306  —  GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: THIRD QUARTER 2006 (ADVANCE)  —  Real gross domestic product …

Calling Out the New York Times  —  The U.S. Department of Defense is now taking its requests for corrections public through a website known as For the Record (located at http://www.defenselink.mil/home/ dodupdate/index-b.html).  Here, the Department of Defense is openly calling for corrections …

Melting Snowflakes  —  If Rush Limbaugh and his pals in the media still think that Michael J. Fox is acting, they should check out this video clip from ABC News from last July.  The guy is so clearly trying to do something good here.  It just kills me that these heartless bastards are attacking …

The networks' refusal to accept ads for The Dixie Chicks documentary  —  (updated below)  —  The new documentary, Shut Up & Sing, chronicles the hostile and sometimes threatening conduct directed towards The Dixie Chicks after one of the group's members criticized the Commander-in-Chief …

Video: Matthews cries raaaaaaaacism; Update: Matthews says Michael Steele needs to appear "child-like," "unthreatening"  —  How can we lecture Sunnis and Shias about reconciliation when Republicans are running ads showing white women attracted to black men?  Also, Rush Limbaugh …