Republicans' Hold On the South Gets Test in Tennessee  —  Region's New Demographics  —  May Help Harold Ford Jr.,  —  Centrist Black Candidate  —  Sen. Frist's Seat Up for Grabs  —  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Race has long been a deciding factor in Southern politics, helping determine …

LYNN CHENEY IN CNN SITDOWN, SLAPDOWN: DO YOU WANT AMERICA TO WIN?  —  Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, took on CNN Friday evening during an interview with anchorman Wolf Blitzer.  —  Transcript:  —  CHENEY: You made a point last night of a man who had a bookstore in London where radical islamists gathered.

Played Like A Cheap Violin  —  The Associated Press is reporting that the kerfluffle over the so-called silencing of the Dixie Chicks and the ads for their new movie appear to be nothing more than a publicity stunt.  So say the networks involved, NBC and CW.

Bloomberg Sends Troops to Help Lieberman  —  In the Lieberman campaign office in Hartford are, from left, Korinne Kubena, Ariel Dvorkin, Crystal Cook and Brian Honan.  All but Ms. Cook are on loan from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City.  —  In his battle for re-election …

Buzz in Virginia  —  Emails began pouring in earlier today about a rumor on Capitol Hill about some trouble in Sen. George Allen's (R-VA) divorce file.  Josh Marshall and others cannot get a response from the Allen campaign.  —  It seems everyone is emptying their opposition research files today.

Investigators Say Speaker's Aide Hindered Inquiry of Hill Security Contracts  —  Two former House committee investigators who were examining Capitol Hill security upgrades said a senior aide to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert hindered their efforts before they were abruptly ordered to stop their probe last year.

Democrats Get Late Donations From Business  —  Corporate America is already thinking beyond Election Day, increasing its share of last-minute donations to Democratic candidates and quietly devising strategies for how to work with Democrats if they win control of Congress.

HamNation: Racism!  It's Everywhere!  —  It's in every political ad, as long as you look hard enough.  According to my findings, even Harold Ford Jr. himself is sending coded messages.  —  My column, on the same subject, is here.  As one of my commenters put it so well, "I'm fixin' to throw a fit over this."

Australia Muslim cleric suspended  —  Australia's top Muslim cleric has been barred from preaching for up to three months, after comparing immodestly dressed women to "uncovered meat".  —  Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali's comments, suggesting that women who did not wear a headscarf attracted sexual assault …

DEATH COMES FOR THE CUBAN TYRANT  —  Last Wednesday, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro may have slipped into a coma.  —  On Saturday, his sycophant, Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, flew into Havana (scroll down), possibly to bid a final farewell to his Cuban master.

Deterring Kim Jong Il  —  In an interview aired last week, George Stephanopoulos put the question to President Bush: What would he do if "North Korea sold nukes to Iran or al-Qaeda?"  Bush replied, "They'd be held to account."  —  Seeking specifics, Stephanopoulos asked: "What does that mean?"

Press Briefing by Tony Snow  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MR. SNOW: Welcome.  A couple of items of business, and then we'll go to questions.  A little bit ago the President placed a phone call to Tom Tidwell, who is the Deputy Regional Forester at the U.S. Forest Service …

Missouri Senate: Talent by Two  —  Talent (R) 48% McCaskill 46%  —  In the contest of inches that has marked the Missouri Senate race from the start, the most recent Rasmussen Reports election survey shows incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Talent leading Claire McCaskill 48% to 46% (see crosstabs).

Is There Progress Through Loss?  —  A national election, a national decision.  —  A year ago I wrote a column called "A Separate Peace," in which I said America's leaders in all areas—government, business, journalism—were in some deep way checking out.  They saw bad things coming …

The Choice Could Not Be Clearer  —  It is common, if sad, that people sometimes dismiss American political debates because they see no great differences between the parties.  But, as is often the case, those differences are far more easily seen the closer we get to Election Day.