Hotline After Dark — Kerry Critized For Being Not Very Funny  —  Did the last day of October bring the surprise the GOP has been waiting for?  Cable coverage was all over John Kerry's remark on the troops and the admin's response:  —  CNN's Cooper: "Election 2006, it is beginning to look …

U.S. Central Command Charts Sharp Movement of the Civil Conflict in Iraq Toward Chaos  —  A classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the United States Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict.

Is CNN Trying To Defend George Allen's Goons?  —  On CNN Newsroom this morning, hosts Heidi Collins and Tony Harris were covering the incident at George Allen's speech yesterday, where blogger and constituent Mike Stark was physically assaulted by apparent members of Allen's staff.

Governor race a tossup … The Maryland governor's race is a virtual tie less than a week before Election Day, as Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s relentless attacks on Mayor Martin O'Malley's record on crime and schools have eroded the Democrat's support in the Baltimore suburbs, a new poll for The Sun shows.

What's Wrong With The Press Corps?  —  This.  Greenwald comments: … It's not just unseemly, it's unprofessional.  The point of journalism, of punditry, of analysis, is that it's independent.  That doesn't mean it's not ideological, or even totally non-partisan, but that it's not written to attract external approval.

This Is No Fun  —  I just thought I would go on record stating that the last few weeks and months have really sucked for me.  I spent my whole life in the GOP- starting in 1984 with county meetings, going to Teenage Republican camp (my friends called it Hitler Youth Camp …

House control in range for Democrats-Reuters poll  —  WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Democrats are ahead in races for 12 of 15 key Republican-held seats in the U.S. House one week before the Nov. 7 elections, placing them within striking range of winning control of the chamber, according to Reuters/Zogby polls released on Wednesday.

Pelosi's Unintelligent Choice  —  If Democrats win control of the House next week, Nancy Pelosi's first test as speaker will arrive long before the 110th Congress convenes.  Her choice to head the House intelligence committee — unlike other House committees, this one is left entirely …

Tomorrow's News: Sweeney's Alleged Domestic Abuse  —  Joe Mahoney and I report tomorrow off a state police report of an incident in which Rep. John Sweeney's wife apparently called the police to report domestic violence.  —  The full story follows:  —  POWERFUL UPSTATE Rep. John Sweeney got …

Campaign 2006: The Continental Divide  —  Ed Perlmutter, center, a Democrat seeking an open House seat near Denver, with a voter, Maxine Dunham, and Rollie Heath, a former candidate for governor.  Democrats are courting independents like Mrs. Dunham.  —  Campaigning in suburban Wheat Ridge …

Wages, benefits on upswing  —  WASHINGTON — Wages and benefits paid to American workers rose last quarter by the most since 2004, as the unemployment rate matched a five-year low.  —  The Labor Department said Tuesday that its employment cost index rose 1 percent compared with the second quarter.

WHY DID HE DO IT?  —  John Kerry's gaffe yesterday was a self-inflicted wound, greatly compounded by his refusal to apologize and his bizarre attack on the Republicans, as if they had somehow made him stick his foot in his mouth.  One wonders what possessed Kerry to say that soldiers are both dumb and lazy …

Dems hold record 15-point edge over GOP  —  NBC/WSJ poll: Worst may be over for Republicans after Foley sex scandal … WASHINGTON -  —  Mark Murray  —  The final pre-election NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll suggests that Democrats continue to have a significant advantage heading …

Video: New RNC ad calls on Kerry to apologize  —  Note to the RNC: stop coding your embedded ads to auto-start.  Update: Fixed!  —  They've got an online petition going, too.  —  Kerry hasn't yet released the full video or transcript of his speech at the Angelides event so it's still unclear …

Blagojevich holds steady despite latest allegations  —  Gov. Rod Blagojevich maintained a sizable advantage over Republican Judy Baar Topinka even as new corruption allegations surfaced involving his close supporters, a new Tribune/WGN-Ch. 9 poll shows.  —  A week before the election …

Race Preferences Vote Splits Michigan  —  Three years after the Supreme Court heard Jennifer Gratz's challenge to the University of Michigan's affirmative action policy, she is still fighting racial preferences, this time in a Michigan ballot initiative.  —  "We have a horrible history …