Audio: John Kerry on America's lazy, uneducated military  —  People send me these audio clips all the time and I'm never sure whether to run them or not.  Without the audio of the whole speech, I can't tell if the comments were later qualified, retracted, embellished, etc.

Black Democrats Cross Party Lines To Back Steele For U.S. Senate  —  George's Politicians Lash Out at State Party  —  A coalition of black Democratic political leaders from Prince George's County led by former county executive Wayne K. Curry endorsed Republican Michael S. Steele's bid for the U.S. Senate yesterday.

In Baghdad, a Force Under the Militias' Sway  —  Infiltration of Iraqi Police Could Delay Handover of Control for Years, U.S. Trainers Suggest  —  BAGHDAD — The signs of the militias are everywhere at the Sholeh police station.  —  Posters celebrating Moqtada al-Sadr, head of the Mahdi Army militia, dot the building's walls.

Bush Says 'America Loses' Under Democrats  —  White House Talk Heats Up As Polls Show Tight Races  —  President Bush said terrorists will win if Democrats win and impose their policies on Iraq, as he and Vice President Cheney escalated their rhetoric Monday in an effort to turn out Republican voters in next week's midterm elections.

Warming Called Threat To Global Economy  —  Failing to curb the impact of climate change could damage the global economy on the scale of the Great Depression or the world wars by spawning environmental devastation that could cost 5 to 20 percent of the world's annual gross domestic product …

Democrats Are Seen to Gain in Statehouse Races  —  Candidates for the Iowa Legislature answered questions at a forum in Waterloo last week.  Analysts say local campaigns are getting rougher as control slips toward centralized parties or interest groups.  —  More than 6,000 state legislative seats …

Polls: 4 key Senate races tight  —  (CNN) — With a week to go before voters cast their midterm election ballots, four key Senate races remain statistical dead heats, and Republican Sen. Mike DeWine faces uphill sledding in his re-election battle in Ohio, according to new CNN polls released Tuesday.

Rushing for the Exit  —  IF WE LEAVE IRAQ, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SUPPORTERS OF DEMOCRACY?  —  To say that "exit strategies" from Iraq have become the flavor of the month would be to exaggerate the situation to the point of absurdity.  Exit strategies are not even the fall fashion.

Republicans See Edge From Early Voting  —  Democrats Question Specific Claims and Believe  —  They Are Catching Up With the Trend  —  WASHINGTON — Down in the polls and with their majorities in Congress at risk, Republicans say they have some good news in early-voting statistics that suggest …

JI Poll: 4th district race a statistical dead heat  —  A new poll gives Democrat Diane Farrell a 4-point advantage over U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4th District - essentially the reverse of their showing a month ago in a similar survey.  —  But because the latest poll carries a margin …

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOU WIN AN ELECTION EVEN IF YOU LOSE ***Updated***  —  UPDATE 10/31/06 6:44am: In case you thought I was kidding, here are today's batch of headlines supporting the Democratic election storyline:  —  CNN - Poll: Stumping Not Helping Bush Popularity  —  NYT - Democrats Are Seen to Gain in State Races

Poll: Stumping not boosting Bush popularity  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush's popularity has not been buoyed by a series of public events in recent days, a new CNN poll suggests.  —  Bush's approval rating hovers in the high 30s, where it has been throughout October.

British scientists grow human liver in a laboratory  —  British scientists have grown the world's first artificial liver from stem cells in a breakthrough that will one day provide entire organs for transplant.  —  The technique that created the 'mini-liver', currently the size of a one pence piece …

How the Web Prevents Rape  —  ALL THAT INTERNET PORN REDUCES SEX CRIMES.  REALLY.  —  Does pornography breed rape?  Do violent movies breed violent crime?  Quite the opposite, it seems.  —  First, porn.  What happens when more people view more of it?  The rise of the Internet offers a gigantic natural experiment.

The Six-Year Itch  —  Democrats may take Congress, but will it matter in the long run?  —  As Democrats begin, in George W. Bush's words, "measuring the drapes" in the offices of the House speaker and Senate majority leader, it's worth looking back on the history of sixth-year-of-the-presidency off-year elections.