John Kerry Supports The Troops As Special-Education Cases  —  John Kerry has never hidden his contempt for the armed forces very well, not even when he served as an officer in the Navy.  Yesterday the mask slipped a little bit, as John Ziegler at KFI notes on his website, and Allahpundit mirrors at Hot Air.

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.

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.

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.

Campaign Gone South  —  Florida's Katherine Harris Continues Her Senate Race, Shedding Staff Along the Way  —  Katherine Harris, who is trying to become a U.S. senator, says she is writing a tell-all about the many people who have wronged her.  This includes, but is not necessarily limited to …

Iraq prime minister orders opening of checkpoints  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — U.S. and Iraqi checkpoints around Sadr City and other parts of Baghdad have opened with vehicles passing through unchecked, following an order by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the U.S. military said 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 …

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.

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.

PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSES MIDTERMS; WAR ON TERROR STRATEGY WITH SEAN HANNITY  —  This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," October 30, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.  —  SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: And welcome to "Hannity & Colmes."  Thank you for being with us.  I'm Sean Hannity.

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 …

Heavy coverage at midterm favors Democrats, study says  —  The media mix By Peter Johnson  —  Network news coverage has favored Democratic candidates in the midterm election, and the page scandal involving former congressman Mark Foley has been the main story line, drawing almost as much coverage …