Obama, Edwards attack; Clinton bombs debate  —  PHILADELPHIA - - We now know something that we did not know before: When Hillary Clinton has a bad night, she really has a bad night.  —  In a debate against six Democratic opponents at Drexel University here Tuesday, Clinton gave the worst performance of her entire campaign.

Shocking Inside DC Scandal Rumor: A Media Ethics Dilemma  —  So I was down in DC this past weekend and happened to run into a well-connected media person, who told me flatly, unequivocally that "everyone knows" The LA Times was sitting on a story, all wrapped up and ready …

Longtime Bush adviser leaving State  —  WASHINGTON - Karen Hughes, who led efforts to improve the U.S. image abroad and was one of President Bush's last remaining advisers from the close circle of Texas aides, will leave the government at the end of the year.

Police report sheds new light on Curtis encounter  —  State Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center, admitted to having sex with a man he met at an adult video store in Spokane last week, according to a police report released Tuesday afternoon.  —  The police report offers a damning and far different version …

Hillary la Française, Cherchez la Femme?  —  It's an odd cultural inversion.  —  The French first lady, the one in a role where wives traditionally ignored and overlooked their husbands' peccadilloes for the greater gain of keeping their marriages intact and running the Élysée Palace …

Navy Destroyer Battles Pirates  —  Sailors from the Norfolk-based destroyer James E. Williams boarded a North Korean merchant ship that had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, while two other Navy vessels tailed a pirated Japanese ship in the same region.

Jay Rockefeller channels Dick Cheney's fear-mongering to urge telecom amnesty  —  Leading telecom advocate Fred Hiatt this morning turned over his Washington Post Op-Ed page today to leading telecom advocate Jay Rockefeller, the Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman …

UFOs and Alien Life  —  In the weird last minutes of the debate (the period, by the way, when The Fix made it onto the basketball court in high school) Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) gave us a highlight.  —  Asked about the statement by actress Shirley MacLaine that Kucinich had seen a UFO at her house, Kucinich said that he had.

Judge Who Lost Pant Suit Loses Job  —  Roy L. Pearson Jr., the administrative law judge who lost his $54 million lawsuit against a Northeast Washington dry cleaner, lost his job yesterday and was ordered to vacate his office, sources said.  —  Pearson, 57, who had served as a judge for two years …

Officials: Boy With Matches Started Fire  —  SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - Officials blamed a wildfire that consumed more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes last week on a boy playing with matches, and said they would ask a prosecutor to consider the case.

Everything Sucks, I Blame Mexicans  —  Given that the basic conclusion is that the public is really unhappy with Bush, the Republicans, and the status quo there's something pretty depressing about this Democracy Corps (PDF) strategy memo based on some polls and focus groups.

FEC Complaint Filed Against Hillary Clinton for President Committee  —  How much longer are we going to let the crimes of Democrats, particularly those of the Clinton Machine, go unpunished?  As the co-authors of a book about the rampant corruption in the Democratic Party …

Perrin Responds to 'Death Threat' Challenge: 'Uh, I Forgot'  —  Dennis Perrin, who posted an irresponsible, libelous accusation at Huffington Post that an LGF reader threatened to "track down his IP address and kill him," has posted a typically insult-laden response to my challenge to prove his allegation …

Tax law: Are you eating those pumpkins?  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Revenue is taxing jack-o'-lanterns this Halloween.  The new department policy was implemented after officials decided that pumpkins are used primarily for Halloween decorations, not food, and should be taxed …

ASK DR. HELEN: SHOULD MEN GET MARRIED?  —  If PJM's advice columnist Dr. Helen Smith ever doubted that the institution of marriage was getting to be an increasingly risky and expensive proposition for men - her readers have certainly educated her, forcing her to think carefully about whether or not to advise them to head to the altar.