Afghan troops get a lesson in American cultural ignorance  —  KABUL — During the Vietnam War, American soldiers shipped out armed with government-issued guides to the distant land and the mysterious people.  —  In Afghanistan, the U.S. military has tried training sessions, embedded cultural advisers …

The attitude cultivated in America under one term of President Obama  —  Ignorance?  Apathy?  Mediocrity?  All of the above?  —  In a video taken outside a Romney rally, one Obama supporter shares why he won't vote for Romney.  Pay close attention, because this is what happens …

Drop in Ohio voter registration, especially in Dem strongholds, mirrors nationwide trend  —  “Don't boo, vote,” President Obama often says in his stump speech whenever crowds boo a Romney plan.  —  The off-hand call to vote may be by design.  It comes amid a precipitous decline …

On ‘This Week’: Gov. Chris Christie and David Plouffe  —  Chris Christie and David Plouffe on This Week (New Jersey State Governor's Office/ABC)  —  Days before the critical first presidential debate next week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and White House senior adviser David Plouffe join …

Des Moines Register Iowa Poll: Obama leads Romney by 4 points  —  © Des Moines Register and Tribune Co.  —  President Barack Obama leads Republican nominee Mitt Romney 49 percent to 45 percent in the battleground state of Iowa, a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll has found.

Defining moment eludes Mitt Romney  —  Mitt Romney could use a big moment.  —  Since he began stumping, the GOP presidential nominee's campaign events have been nearly identical — perfectly staged and choreographed, but forgettable.  If it weren't for the occasional state flag hanging behind him …

Is torturing “material witnesses” constitutional?  —  I always get a sick feeling when I see DAs on cop shows blithely say they can hold a suspect as a material witness until they find the evidence to charge him.  (They always “need” to because the suspect is “one of the really bad ones.")

In Libya, security was lax before attack that killed U.S. ambassador, officials say  —  On the eve of his death, U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was ebullient as he returned for the first time in his new role to Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city that embraced him as a savior during last year's civil war.

President of the Future  —  One of the reasons why Barack Obama is regarded as the greatest orator of our age is that he's always banging on about some other age yet to come — e.g., the Future!  A future of whose contours he is remarkably certain and boundlessly confident …

Over 1,000 rally against anti-Islam film in Dearborn; another protest planned today  —  More than 1,000 rallied Friday night in Dearborn against the anti-Islam movie that has sparked protests around the world.  —  Organized by Arab-American leaders, the rally was the third protest in metro Detroit over the movie, the biggest one yet.

Supreme Court Faces Crucial Rulings in Coming Term  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court returns to the bench on Monday to confront not only a docket studded with momentous issues but also a new dynamic among the justices.  —  The coming term will probably include major decisions on affirmative action …

Youngest inmate leaves Guantanamo  —  Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to five war crimes  —  The youngest prisoner to be held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre has been returned to his native Canada.  —  Omar Khadr had been held at the US base in Cuba since 2002, after being detained in Afghanistan aged 15.

Debates Rarely Nudge the Needle  —  Nixon's flop sweat may have cost him the 1960 election, but in most cases presidential debates such the one coming up on Oct. 3 don't have much effect on an election, writes Miranda Green.  —  From Al Gore's loud sighing to Jimmy Carter saying he consulted …

Will The Post be about news or opinion?  —  Republicans think the news media are being too easy on Barack Obama.  In fact, 60 percent of them say so, a figure that's up from 55 percent four years ago, when Obama ran against Sen. John McCain.  That's the conclusion of a poll conducted Sept. 20-23 …