Lazy and uneducated photo of the day!  —  Someone just sent me this.  I think it's too good to be true, but you can inspect the full-sized version yourself by clicking the image.  —  If it is a photoshop, it's awfully well done.  —  Update: Readers think it's real.  I concur.

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.

Rush's Interview with President George W. Bush  —  RUSH: Mr. President.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Hey, Rush, how are you?  —  RUSH: Never better.  It's a thrill to have you on the program today and many thanks for making time for us.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir, for giving me a chance to visit with you.

In Lamont Race, Bitter Democrats Do Pre-Mortems  —  Lieberman Seems to Hug Big Lead in Connecticut; Ned Speaks in Past Tense; Lefties Blame Wolfson; Brazile: Bloggers 'Give You Wind But Not Sail'  —  Ned Lamont, Connecticut's Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, crossed the rainy street alone.

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.

Nearly half of Americans uncertain God exists: poll  —  Nearly half of Americans are not sure God exists, according to a poll that also found divisions among the public on whether God is male or female or whether God has a human form and has control over events.

Bush says Rumsfeld, Cheney should stay  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday he wants Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney to remain in his administration until the end of his presidency, extending a job guarantee to two of the most-criticized members of his team.

Air Force said to seek $50 bln emergency funds  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force is asking the Pentagon's leadership for a staggering $50 billion in emergency funding for fiscal 2007 — an amount equal to nearly half its annual budget, defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said on Tuesday.

Letter from Mike Stark  —  The following is a letter to NBC29 from Mike Stark, the man who was tackled for a comment he made at Senator Allen's campaign stop in Charlottesville on Tuesday.  —  My name is Mike Stark.  I am a law student at the University of Virginia, a marine, and a citizen journalist.

Allen's Fumbles, Romney's Gain  —  Even before the votes are counted, over the Republican Party a "thick darkness broodeth" — words from a Victorian hymn, for a party with a Victorian tendency.  But one Republican, who is not running for anything this year, will emerge from this bruising season with enlarged prospects.

SECRET POLICE  —  MILITARY GOV'T MAY BE BEST ANSWER  —  WE went to Iraq to overthrow a police state.  Through a combination of stubbornness, naivete and noble intentions, we've replaced it with another police state - more violent, more corrupt and less accountable.