Poll: Public supports strikes in Iraq, Syria; Obama's ratings hover near his all-time lows  —  Americans overwhelmingly view Islamic State terrorists as a serious threat to vital U.S. interests and, in a significant shift, widely support airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Condi Rice: The one person who could save the NFL  —  Condoleezza Rice made a startling admission to the New York Times in 2002.  The then-national security adviser to President George W. Bush said it was “absolutely right” that she wanted to be commissioner of the National Football League.

‘Wonkish’ GOP congressman counting most on anti-Dem sentiment to score Senate seat  —  HOUMA, La. — If Bill Cassidy wins the Louisiana Senate contest, it may have more to do with President Obama, Harry Reid and Mary Landrieu than with him.  —  And that's just fine with Cassidy.

The Twenty-Eight Pages  —  On the bottom floor of the United States Capitol's new underground visitors' center, there is a secure room where the House Intelligence Committee maintains highly classified files.  One of those files is titled “Finding, Discussion and Narrative Regarding Certain Sensitive National Security Matters.”

Monica Wehby backs gay marriage in TV ad  —  A Republican Senate candidate in Oregon will unveil a television commercial Tuesday that highlights her support for gay marriage — a reflection of the rapidly shifting politics of the issue.  —  Monica Wehby, a pediatric neurosurgeon …

Capital Punishment, Another Failed Government Program?  —  ATLANTA — TO opponents of the death penalty, recent accounts of botched executions and DNA-based exonerations of death-row prisoners have revived hope that judges and voters will finally see capital punishment for what it is: an intolerable affront to human dignity.

Deval Patrick: Hillary Clinton is ‘fantastic’ — but ‘voters want competition’  —  Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks at a Charlie Crist campaign office in West Palm Beach as Crist looks on.  To the left is state Rep. Bobby Powell, D-Riviera Beach; to the right is Palm Beach County Mayor Priscilla Taylor.

The Perils of Standing While Hispanic in the Bronx  —  Meet Santiago Hernandez, 23.  He lives in the Bronx.  On a Monday evening last month, he was standing in front of an apartment building at around 6 p.m. when two NYPD police officers appeared and demanded permission to frisk him.  He complied.

Obama's Untruth, Inc.  —  Let us count the ways: bald lies, lies of omission, mythography, amnesia, redaction . . .  We can usefully view the Obama administration's chronic untruthfulness as a sort of multifaceted corporation of untruth, with all sorts of subsidiaries.  —  THE BALD LIES OF POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY

In D.C., a 13-year-old piano prodigy is treated as a truant instead of a star student  —  Avery Gagliano is a commanding young pianist who attacks Chopin with the focused diligence of a master craftsman and the grace of a ballet dancer.  —  The prodigy, who just turned 13 …

Clay deputy's son, 2, accidentally fires father's gun inside Wendy's; bullet fragments strike boy, 3 others  —  The 2-year-old son of a Clay County sheriff's deputy was struck in the foot by a shattered bullet fragment and sustained minor injuries when his father's personal handgun accidentally discharged …

Hawks GM Ferry responds to smoking gun letter about inappropriate comments  —  ATLANTA —  Atlanta Hawks General Manager Danny Ferry has issued a response to a letter accusing him of making inappropriate racial remarks during a conference call.  —  On Monday, Channel 2's Sports Director …

Democrats Have Plenty of Reasons to Dread November  —  Midterms are generally referenda on the incumbent president, and Obama's latest overall approval ratings are among his lowest yet.  —  LINES TO SHARE  — In the House, the best news for Democrats is that you can't lose seats you don't have

NM Dem Says GOP Guv Martinez ‘Does Not Have a Latino Heart’  —  Susana Martinez of New Mexico is the first female Hispanic governor in the country.  She's also a gun-toting, tough-on-crime conservative Republican, and that's got Democrats in New Mexico itching to defeat her.

Steven Sotloff spokesman blasts White House handling  —  A spokesman for Steven Sotloff's family contends the slain American journalist was sold to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by Syrian rebels and says the Obama administration “could have done more” to save him.

Record Greenhouse Gas Levels Impact Atmosphere and Oceans  —  Carbon Dioxide Concentration Surges  —  The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2013, propelled by a surge in levels of carbon dioxide.  This is according to the World Meteorological …