Carter says U.S. tortures prisoners  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The United States tortures prisoners in violation of international law, former President Carter said Wednesday.  —  "I don't think it.  I know it," Carter told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.  —  "Our country for the first time in my life …

My reply to Respectable Liberal Blogger Ezra Klein and his fellow travelers; Plus: Hillary threatens S-CHIP critics  —  Update: Hillary Clinton, She Whose Hand Rocks The Cradle, warns S-CHIP critics to "lay off."  Or else what, Mrs. Clinton? … Hillary should lay off the kiddie shields.

Effort to Curb Illegal Workers' Hiring Blocked  —  A federal judge barred the Bush administration yesterday from launching a planned crackdown on U.S. companies that employ illegal immigrants, warning of its potentially "staggering" impact on law-abiding workers and companies.

On CNBC's The Big Idea, Coulter said that "we" Christians "just want Jews to be perfected"  —  During the October 8 edition of CNBC's The Big Idea, host Donny Deutsch asked right-wing pundit Ann Coulter: "If you had your way ... and your dreams, which are genuine, came true ... what would this country look like?"

Empire State Building to go green for Muslim holiday  —  New York's iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.  —  "This is the first time that …

An open letter to Steven Knapp, president of The George Washington University  —  2121 I Street, N.W.  —  Washington, D.C. 20052  —  Dear President Knapp,  —  Seven students at your institution falsely attributed the "Hate Muslims?  So Do We!!" fliers to The George Washington University chapter of Young America's Foundation.

Exclusive: Nearly 90 House Dems Sign Letter Pledging To No Longer Fund War  —  I've just learned that nearly 90 members of the House of Representatives have now added their names to a letter to the President pledging not to vote for any more funding for the war and only to vote for supplementals …

Paul Krugman, pussycat  —  The Conscience of a Liberal is um...not that polemic.  It's not that shrill.  There is an argument, to be sure, but the book has much more economic history than I had expected, and much more political history.  —  I've already blogged on The Great Compression …

Terror watch: Gonzales lawyers up  —  Still under investigation by Congress and Justice Department lawyers who once worked for him, the former attorney general has turned to a leading Washington attorney to help him beat the rap.  —  No sooner did Alberto Gonzales resign as attorney general …

ANDY AND ANN?!  —  ODDEST couple of the decade: lifelong Democrat Andrew Stein and arch-conservative cutie Ann Coulter.  The former city council president (when there was such a title) first took Coulter - author of "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans" - to the black-tie …

Ron Paul endorsed by Stormfront Radio  —  Thanks to MJS and Darryl for filling in.  Please check out their blogs, at Corrente and Hominid Views.  (Oh, and MJS and Darryl, I just got in and wasn't intending to post, so if you had something ready, please go ahead and publish it.  Thanks again.)

House Panels Vote for More Scrutiny Over Foreign Eavesdropping  —  Two Congressional panels on Wednesday rejected President Bush's request to renew the government's broad eavesdropping authority, and instead adopted a measure that would give federal judges greater oversight and more scrutiny …

Guantánamo Detainees Enjoy Historic Protections, Administration Says  —  The Bush administration, preparing for the next Supreme Court argument on the rights of the hundreds of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, asserts in a new brief that they "enjoy more procedural protections …

Marines Press to Remove Their Forces From Iraq  —  The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials.  —  The idea by the Marine Corps commandant …

'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Oct. 9  —  KEITH OLBERMANN, MSNBC HOST (voice-over): Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?  —  The nexus of politics and terror new development number one, the Bush administration blows the cover of the private intelligence firm that found the last Osama bin Laden tape.

Put Some Steak on the Plate  —  Last night's GOP debate featured strong, pro-growth, supply-side policies from the four major candidates — Rudy, Romney, McCain, and Thompson.  As Steve Moore reports in today's Wall Street Journal political diary, Ronald Reagan was actually the big winner …

PRESIDENTIAL CHEATING SCANDAL!  ALLEGED AFFAIR COULD WRECK JOHN EDWARDS' CAMPAIGN BID  —  Presidential candidate John Edwards is caught in a shocking mistress scandal that could wreck his campaign, The NATIONAL ENQUIRER has learned exclusively.  —  Sources have come forward to charge that the …