News-7 Poll: Webb surges ahead of Allen  —  Democrat Jim Webb has surged ahead of Republican George Allen in the last poll of the campaign, conducted for News-7 by SurveyUSA.  —  The survey shows Webb with 52% of the likely voters, with 44% going to Allen.

For Democrats, Even a Gain May Feel Like a Failure  —  In most midterm elections, an out-of-power party picking up, say, 14 seats in the House and five seats in the Senate could call it a pretty good night.  —  But for Democrats in 2006, that showing would mean coming up one seat shy of taking control of both the Senate and the House.

Stop Illegal Robocalling!:  Democrats Send Cease and Desist Letter to Republicans  —  ABC News' Ellen Davis Reports: Bob Bauer, General Counsel for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a cease and desist letter to Don McGahn, General Counsel of the National Republican Campaign …

U.S. envoy to Iraq likely quitting post  —  WASHINGTON - Zalmay Khalilzad, the plainspoken dealmaker and Republican insider who has won praise and criticism for attempts to broker Sunni political participation in Iraq's fragile government, is likely to quit his post as U.S. ambassador in Baghdad …

Sleepwalking into the gathering storm?  —  The Washington DC Examiner Newspaper, The Examiner  —  WASHINGTON - "You ask, what is our aim?  I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."

Saddam: a tribute  —  Three months ago, Tony Blair warned the world that an "arc of extremism" now stretches across the Middle East from Iran to Lebanon.  This phenomenon, he suggested, threatens the survival of the very values on which western society is based.  Yet, when Blair came to power, no such claim could have been made.

White House miffed by Fla. GOP candidate  —  PENSACOLA, Fla. - The closer the election came to the finish line, the more President Bush's aides battled the perception he was doing his party as much harm as good and was unwanted in many districts.  —  On Monday, Bush jetted to a conservative corner …

Saddam verdict lacks details  —  The final court session and verdict today were fast, direct and clear, but not clear at all.  —  In less than 10 minutes, Saddam Hussein was told he was guilty of crimes against humanity, but never exactly how or why.  —  Was it the witness testimony that proved Saddam's guilt?

Re: Santorum Poll Released by Indicted Republican Operative  —  This poll raised a variety of concerns when it showed up in my mailbox this morning.  See below:  —  What is a very likely voter?  I've never seen that term in a poll before.  I've seen likely voter, registered voter and eligible voter …

Prediction thread  —  Here are my predictions.  Note, for the record, that I've been way off on my predictions the past two cycles.  So there's no particular wisdom or inside knowledge or track record to give these predictions any more weight than anyone else's.  They're just for fun.

N.Y. Plans to Make Gender Personal Choice  —  Separating anatomy from what it means to be a man or a woman, New York City is moving forward with a plan to let people alter the sex on their birth certificate even if they have not had sex-change surgery.  —  Under the rule being considered …

Hot Air introduces...the Absolute Moral Authority card  —  Find yourself in a jam?  Are your anti-war lies catching up with you?  Then use the Absolute Moral Authority card and get right out of trouble free.  Once you play the Absolute Moral Authority card, no one can ever question you again, no matter what you say or do!

Even Lower  —  Here's a flyer being distributed by the New York State Republican party:  —  The Democrats, in other words, want to let a darker-skinned man rape your white wife.  You know what?  I just found out nothing about Democratic values.  But I learned a hell of a lot more about Republican ones.

SEEING THE UNSEEN Part 1  —  Folks, as in The Olden Days, this is a long read.  It is an essay, not a blog entry.  Print it, copy and paste it, or just grab a cup of coffee and settle back.  —  Oh, and all the pictures enlarge with a click, if you are so inclined.  MMMnnnnn...pictures....

To: Our Readers  —  Democrats are set to gain 19 House seats, two Senate seats, and five governorships in tomorrow's elections.  It is a sign of Republicans' sorry state that, at this point, this is actually a very favorable outlook for them.  —  In the last day of the midterm election campaign …

The Press at War  —  What ever happened to patriotic reporters?  —  We are told by careful pollsters that half of the American people believe that American troops should be brought home from Iraq immediately.  This news discourages supporters of our efforts there.  Not me, though: I am relieved.

Sec. of Virginia State Board of Elections Finds Widespread Incidents of Voter Suppression  —  Threats of Incarceration, Changed Polling Locations, and Fliers to "Skip the Election."  —  Over the past several days, voters throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia have filed complaints …