Ouch!  Hillary Clinton's softer image is clawed over dumped cat  —  AS THE "first pet" of the Clinton era, Socks, the White House cat, allowed "chilly" Hillary Clinton to show a caring, maternal side as well as bringing joy to her daughter Chelsea.  So where is Socks today?

Live-Blogging the Republican Debate  —  Gay Marriage |  8:19 p.m. Mr. Romney, alone among the leading (at least as measured by the polls) candidates, supports the ban on gay marriage.  He says that's because children are affected too.  "I want to make sure that our kids have a mom and a dad," he says.

Gonzales could be prosecuted, McKay says  —  The U.S. Inspector General may recommend criminal prosecution of departed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the conclusion of an investigation, possibly as early as next month, the fired former U.S. attorney for Western Washington told a Spokane audience Friday.

Zogby Poll: Half Say They Would Never Vote for Hillary Clinton for President  —  Other top tier candidates in both parties win more acceptance; Richardson & Huckabee favored most  —  While she is winning wide support in nationwide samples among Democrats in the race for their party's …

AMSTERDAM IS A RIOT: VIOLENCE ROCKS IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS  —  PJM Groningen: Unrest in the Moroccan neighborhoods of Amsterdam have many fearing that the chronic violence that rocked the Paris suburbs will spread to the Netherlands.  If the Dutch police don't get much tougher much faster …

SHERMAN FREDERICK: Not so wild about Harry  —  Is Nevada turning on its lion in the winter?  —  The political headline of last week, "Reid's popularity falls among Nevadans," wasn't all that surprising.  Nevada's never been particularly wild about Harry Reid.

Soldier's children die in accident on way to Army hospital  —  hyan@dallasnews.com  —  Army Spc. John Austin Johnson seemed to have a gift for evading tragedy.  —  During two years in Iraq, the soldier from Fort Bliss, in West Texas, survived five improvised explosive device blasts and several grenade attacks.

Vice President's Remarks to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy  —  VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Thank you very much, Roger.  Thanks for the kind words, and thank all of you for the welcome this morning.  I've been looking forward to have the opportunity to join the conference.

Stephen Colbert On Meet The Press  —  Presidential candidate Stephen Colbert gave an interview to Tim Russert this morning on Meet The Press and in typical Colbert fashion, he lays out his agenda and plan to lose the race.  Russert questions him, tongue in cheek, on some of the more controversial statements …

Seal of approval  —  Just like Freddie Krueger, the terrifying lead character in "Nightmare on Elm Street," Don Imus is coming back.  And as with Freddie, there is something about the I-Man that is scary but irresistible.  —  But not irresistible to everyone.

20/20: The Debate Is Not Over  —  Sorry, libs.  Stossel's gonna getcha!

'Meet the Press' transcript for Oct. 21, 2007  —  Stephen Colbert, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Kate O'Beirne, Sally Bedell Smith, Judy Woodruff  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Barack Obama challenges Hillary Clinton on the Iraq war.  —  SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) …

Clinton Finds Way to Play Along With Drudge  —  As Senator Barack Obama prepared to give a major speech on Iraq one morning a few weeks ago, a flashing red-siren alert went up on the Drudge Report Web site.  It read, "Queen of the Quarter: Hillary Crushes Obama in Surprise Fund-Raising Surge …

Indian-American Elected Louisiana's Governor  —  Bobby Jindal, a conservative Republican congressman from the New Orleans suburbs and the son of immigrants from India, was elected Louisiana's governor Saturday, inheriting a state that was suffering well before Hurricane Katrina left lingering scars two years ago.

Warning over oil production decline  —  World oil production has already peaked and will fall by half as soon as 2030, according to a report which also warns that extreme shortages of fossil fuels will lead to wars and social breakdown.  —  The German-based Energy Watch Group will release …

The Early Word: G.O.P. Debate Tonight  —  The G.O.P. presidential contenders, whose ranks shrunk by one this week, will be in Orlando, Fla. tonight to square off in a debate sponsored by Fox News, which will be broadcast on the network at 8 p.m. Eastern.  —  The Sarasota Herald-Tribune's …