FBI probe: Lieberman campaign to blame for crashing own Web site  —  A federal investigation has concluded that U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's 2006 re-election campaign was to blame for the crash of its Web site the day before Connecticut's heated Aug. 8 Democratic primary.

Petraeus Overplays His Hand  —  That statement by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker pretty much sums up what he and Gen. David Petraeus presented to Congress yesterday.  Iraq is hard, but we are making headway; victory is possible, if we only persevere.  —  Except that in making this pitch, Petraeus and Crocker overplayed their hand.

Report: Jimmy Carter to Meet With Hamas Leader in Syria  —  NEW YORK CITY — Former President Jimmy Carter is reportedly preparing an unprecedented meeting with the leader of Hamas, an organization that the U.S. government considers one of the leading terrorist threats in the world.

The New Liberal Taboo  —  What a spectacle.  It is now respectable for Democrats to assert, even to welcome, military defeat (see here).  But if a Presidential campaign functionary so much as hints at support for free trade, he's banished to policy exile.  —  That's the meaning …

Clinton leadership a study in missteps  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton wants voters to decide the nomination based on who can coolly and competently run the country.  She had better hope they don't study her recent campaign too closely for the answer.  —  Clinton has overseen two major staff shake-ups in two months.

Teacher breaks wall of silence at state's Muslim public school  —  Recently, I wrote about Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA), a K-8 charter school in Inver Grove Heights.  Charter schools are public schools and by law must not endorse or promote religion.  —  Evidence suggests, however …

Obama Prepares Argument to Discard Public-Financing Principle  —  Despite his previous pledge to enter into the public financing system should he be the Democratic presidential nominee,* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has recently been reluctant to re-commit to entering the system.

Two Cheers for Newsroom Buyouts  —  THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE BAD NEWS COMING OUT OF NEWSROOMS.  —  Advertising revenue at newspapers has fallen off a cliff and may tumble all the way to the bottom of the Marianas Trench if the promised recession arrives.  Average circulation is down, too …

Report criticizes immigration chief for Halloween party  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A report criticizes a top immigration official for attempting to conceal her role in a controversial Halloween costume party.  —  Julie Myers, then-acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement …

Obama's Minister Problem  —  I have tried to get over my unease surrounding Barack Obama's response to the sermons and writings of his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.  But the unanswered questions remain.  —  I am a strong supporter …

Michelle Obama visits Harrisburg  —  HARRISBURG —This was Michelle Obama's “mom time” in her husband's campaign for president.  —  She'd come Tuesday to meet with 50 working women who filled a room at a Harrisburg preschool, anxious to talk to Barack Obama's wife.  —  But they'd have to wait.

NYT Mag On Matthews: The Excerpts  —  Earlier: Forthcoming?  NYT Mag Piece on Matthews.  —  Earlier: Leibovich Dishes On Matthews  —  Earlier: NYT Mag On Matthews: NBC Forced Chris To Apologize.  —  We've got an advanced copy of Mark Leibovich's piece on Chris Matthews, entitled “Chris Matthews, Seriously.

More Cowbells?  More White People!  —  Overzealous event coordinators?  A rare, unforced error committed by the Obama campaign's site advance teams.  —  From an article in the Tartan, the daily newspaper Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Democratic Soft Money Group Ramps Up  —  The Fund for America, a political organization aligned with several major players in Democratic politics, has raised better than $11 million — largely from wealthy individuals — since its inception last November and doled out nearly half that sum …

The Great McCain Story You've Probably Forgotten  —  WHAT AN OLD ANECDOTE ABOUT MO UDALL IN THE HOSPITAL REVEALS ABOUT MCCAIN'S CHARACTER. … By 7:30 we were on the road, and McCain was reminiscing about his early political career.  When he was elected to the House in 1982, he said, he was “a freshman right-wing Nazi.”

Pelosi Pooh-Poohs the ‘Dream Ticket’ (Again)  —  With the Democratic presidential contest showing no sign of ending any time soon, many within the party — led by former New York governor Mario Cuomo — believe the only way to solve the problem is for Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton to share the ticket this fall.