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.

In first speech back, Reid blasts Koch brothers  —  It took Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) less than 10 minutes on Monday to mention conservative billionaires David and Charles Koch in his first floor speech after Congress's five-week August recess.

A President Whose Assurances Have Come Back to Haunt Him  —  WASHINGTON — When President Obama addresses the nation on Wednesday to explain his plan to defeat Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria, it is a fair bet he will not call them the “JV team.”  —  Nor does he seem likely to describe Iraq as …

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.”

Rothenberg: Senate GOP Gains At Least 7 Seats  —  While the current Rothenberg Political Report ratings don't show it, I am now expecting a substantial Republican Senate wave in November, with a net gain of at least seven seats.  —  But I wouldn't be shocked by a larger gain.

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 …

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.

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 …

Watergate's most lasting sin: Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and the pardon that made us all cynics  —  Ford let Nixon off 40 years ago today.  That launched Iran-Contra, “too big to fail” — and proved power trumps law  —  When you've published a book about Watergate, your phone rings off …

All Criminal Charges Dropped!  —  Contact: Emily Kirkland, Communications Coordinator for Better Future Project, 646 623 5271, emily@betterfutureproject.org  —  FALL RIVER, MA — In a major — and unexpected — victory for the climate movement, the criminal charges against two men who used …

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.

2014 Is Not 1931  —  Robert Kagan accuses Obama of appeasement.  Where's his evidence?  —  Everyone has—or should have—a list of the commentators they disagree with fundamentally but nonetheless admire.  When it comes to foreign policy, Robert Kagan tops mine.

Udall: Beheaded American Journalists Would Have Wanted Cautious Approach to ISIS  —  The president has in recent days taken fire from members of his own party for taking a low-key approach to tackling the problem presented by the Islamic State, particularly as the images of two American journalists kidnapped …

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

Harry Reid set to lead Democrats, in majority or not  —  “Harry Reid is our leader, and I certainly do support Harry,” said Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.).  “And I have a huge race going on right now, and I will be victorious.  And I will be back next year.  And we can talk all about that then.”