International:
Iran Test Launches Several Missiles During War Games
Iran test-fired dozens of missiles, including one that could reach Israel, in military maneuvers Thursday that it said were aimed at putting a stop to the role of world powers in the Gulf region.
The display of military power came as Iran remains locked in dispute with the West over its nuclear program, and just three days after U.S.-led warships finished naval exercises in the Gulf that Tehran branded as "adventurist." More info here

Saddam Verdict May Come Ahead of Midterm Elections The verdict in the trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was recently postponed until November 5, two days before the U.S. midterm elections.

Asked today whether the verdict would be a factor in the U.S. elections, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said, “You are absolutely right, it will be a factor.” Snow said the verdict “may fit into a larger narrative about an Iraqi government that has been doing what the president has said all along.” He portrayed the decision as yet another turning point for Iraq. “This is a benchmark episode, where the Iraqi people are taking control of their own destiny,” he said. Watch it

here

The Issue…
When Americans go to the polls on November 7, they will not be voting because Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) “botched a joke” about President Bush on Monday, notwithstanding the national media's 48-hour fixation on Kerry's remarks. Nor will they be voting because President Bush, also on Monday, claimed that if critics of his Iraq policy are victorious, "the terrorists win and America loses." (That comment was mostly ignored.) According to the final pre-election New York Times/CBS poll, Americans will be voting because they desperately want a new direction in Iraq. The Times reports, "Americans cited Iraq as the most important issue affecting their vote, and majorities of Republicans and Democrats said they wanted a change in the government’s approach to the war." Just 29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing Iraq strategy, "matching the lowest mark of his presidency," and nearly 70 percent "said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war." (Veterans advocacy group VoteVets.org has released a powerful ad underscoring this point, titled "Because of Iraq..." Watch it.)

Major Right-Wing Evangelical Leader Accused Of 3-Year Relationship With Male Prostitute
A male prostitute alleges that he had a three-year relationship with prominent right-wing evangelical leader Ted Haggard, who has said that homosexuality is a “

sin” and “devastating for the children of our nation and for the future of Western civilization.” Haggard denies the allegation.
Haggard is president of the National Association of Evangelicals, representing more than 30 million conservative Christians. Time Magazine ranked him as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals and Harper’s contributing editor Jeff Sharlet noted, “No pastor in America holds more sway over the political direction of evangelicalism than does Pastor Ted.”

Haggard…also stepped down as senior pastor at his 14,000-member New Life Church pending an investigation by a church panel, saying he could “not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations.”

“I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity,” Haggard said in a written statement. “I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date. In the interim, I will seek both spiritual advice and guidance.”

In Other News:

Only 29 percent of Americans approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq, “matching the lowest mark of his presidency.” Nearly 70 percent said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war, and 80 percent said Mr. Bush’s latest effort to rally public support for the conflict amounted to a

change in language but not policy.

The number of

Iraqi civilians who died last month in political violence has reached 1,289. The number — nearly 42 people per day — was up 18 percent from the 1,089 such fatalities in September.

The Bush administration is delaying the release of an annual hunger report until after the elections. The Agriculture Department report, which has generally been released in October, has shown steady increases in the number of people struggling with hunger. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said, “

It seems like a pattern is emerging where the administration simply tries to bury bad information the closer they get to the election.”

An internal State Department review has found that U.S. officials screened the public statements and writings of private citizens for criticism of the Bush administration before deciding whether to select them for foreign speaking projects.

From The Right:
Ann Coulter: Jihad is fun! Vote Democrat!
John Kerry is the "botched joke" of American politics. For those of you keeping score at home, John Kerry has now called members of the U.S. military (a) stupid, (b) crazy, (c) murderers, (d) rapists, (e) terrorizers of Iraqi women and children. I wonder what he'll call them tomorrow.

From The Left:
William Rivers Pitt: Speaking of Apologies William Rivers Pitt writes: "Since we're talking about apologies, George W. Bush owes more than a few. In a just world, he would be made to personally appear before the families of all the dead, and all the wounded, in order to beg for their forgiveness."

Thought To Ponder:
"There is no line this president has not crossed - or will not cross - to keep one political party in power," says Keith Olbermann. "He has spread any and every fear among us in a desperate effort to avoid that which he most fears - some check, some balance against what has become not an imperial, but a unilateral presidency."
Keith Olbermann

(Sources: TownHall, TruthOut, MercuryNews, AP, NY Times, FOXNews, WashingtonPost, Time, Harpers, NY Times, AP, Arizona Christian News)