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.

U.S. obeys order to abandon checkpoints  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops on Tuesday abandoned checkpoints around the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City on orders from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the latest in a series of moves by the Iraqi leader to assert his authority with the U.S. administration.

Abstinence message goes beyond teens  —  The federal government's "no sex without marriage" message isn't just for kids anymore.  —  Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money …

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.

ABC News' Mark Halperin on The Way To Win.  —  The Hugh Hewitt Show  —  HH: In this election season, a bold new bestseller is on stands everywhere, The Way To Win: Taking The White House In 2008, authored by Mark Halperin, the political director of ABC News, John F. Harris …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

RANGEL & VEEP IN ALL-OUT WAR  —  REP. RIPS 'S.O.B.' AFTER TAX ASSAULT  —  Rep. Charles Rangel yesterday blasted Dick Cheney as a "son of a bitch" after the vice president said the Harlem lawmaker would raise taxes and destroy the economy if Democrats take control of the House.

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 …