Democrat poster-child abuse, the nutroots' pushback, and the continued campaign to silence the Right  —  I received an e-mail from a NYTimes reporter this afternoon: … I gave him these comments: … I also told him this: … Here's the NYTimes story, which actually turned out much fairer and more balanced than I expected.

Fred Wins, Chris Loses (Update: My Prediction Comes True)  —  The first debate with Fred Thompson was expected to reveal whether the lanky actor had what it takes to make a national run for the office.  Instead, it revealed Chris Matthews as a hack of the first order, one who tried his best to torpedo Thompson — and failed utterly.

Dead Reverend's Rubber Fetish  —  Autopsy: Pastor found in wet suits after autoerotic mishap  —  An Alabama minister who died in June of "accidental mechanical asphyxia" was found hogtied and wearing two complete wet suits, including a face mask, diving gloves and slippers, rubberized underwear …

Seven GW students admit to hanging controversial posters  —  A group of seven GW students sent an e-mail to The Hatchet late Tuesday night admitting to hanging hundreds of controversial posters around campus early Monday morning.  —  The students - Adam Kokesh, freshman Yong Kwon …

LGF Poll: Who Won the GOP Debate?  —  Which Republican candidate turned in the best performance in the October 9 debate?  —  Sam Brownback  —  Rudy Giuliani  —  Mike Huckabee  —  Duncan Hunter  —  John McCain  —  Mitt Romney  —  Tom Tancredo  —  Fred Thompson

Bartlett Unleashed: On Flip-Flops, a "Dud" and the Guy With the Funny Name  —  Dan Bartlett, formerly one of the closest advisers to President Bush, has been offering a tough analysis of the GOP field.  (White House Photo Office).  —  One of President Bush's closest advisers …

An Israeli Strike on Syria Kindles Debate in the U.S.  —  A sharp debate is under way in the Bush administration about the significance of the Israeli intelligence that led to last month's Israeli strike inside Syria, according to current and former American government officials.

Iraq: Iran's hand in the Shiite truce  —  Key Iraqi Shiite leaders Muqtada Al-Sadr and Abdel Aziz Al-Hakim announced a truce between their rival movements Oct 6.  Al-Hakim heads the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), Iraq's largest and most cohesive Shiite political faction, which has close ties to Iran.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Torture Appeal  —  The Supreme Court today turned down the chance to elaborate for the first time in more than 50 years on the "state secrets privilege" by refusing to hear an appeal filed on behalf of Khaled el-Masri, who claims he was abducted and tortured …

Iranian-Born German Soccer Player Refuses to Play Israel  —  An Iranian-German soccer player who plays for the German national under-21 side has asked not to play against Israel in a friendly on Oct. 12.  The team has accepted his request, angering Germany's Jewish lobby.

"Ward Churchill to teach unsanctioned course on CU campus"  —  Dangerous.  Anti-establishment.  Edgy: … If Churchill's special brand of anti-American, white guilt-fueled BDS is strong enough to get college students to attend extra classes — for which they'll receive no credit …

Killer law  —  Last November it became a crime for a woman to have an abortion in Nicaragua, even if her life was in mortal danger.  So far it has resulted in the death of at least 82 women.  Rory Carroll reports on the fight to have the law changed  —  María de Jesús González was a practical woman.