Violence Against Women on Rise in Iraq and Afghanistan

So much for bringing democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan:

Women are facing increasing violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, especially when they speak out publicly to defend women's rights, a senior U.N. official told the U.N. Security Council.

I guess this means that the Bush administration is backing down from its "benchmark" plans:

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday that anyone demanding deadlines for progress in Iraq should "just back off," because it is too difficult to predict when Iraqis will resume control of their country.

All of a sudden the GOP has rediscovered the gay marriage issue; just in time for the election. Concern about Republican voters coming out to vote, and the desire to turn attention away from a disastrous war in Iraq, explains this cynical use of an issue that should've been forefront months ago:

The divisive debate over gay marriage, which played a prominent role in 2004 campaigns but this year largely faded from view, erupted anew on Thursday as President Bush and Republicans across the country tried to use a court ruling in New Jersey to rally dispirited conservatives to the polls.

Democrats have their problems also. Voters don't care for either party. The Democratic Party has nothing to offer despite a Republican control of government that has had little to offer African Americans. It has less to do with fear that votes will be stolen by Republicans:

For Democrats like these in tight races, black voter turnout will be crucial on Election Day. But despite a generally buoyant Democratic Party nationally, there are worries among Democratic strategists in some states that blacks may not turn up at the polls in big enough numbers because of disillusionment over past shenanigans.

And they don't have much of a solution for the Iraq problem:

Democratic leaders and candidates are virtually unanimous in opposing the president’s conduct of the war, and most advocate American disengagement — either quickly or slowly. But most are not calling for an immediate withdrawal of American forces or offering a vision of what postwar Iraq should look like. They say they stand for change, but the variety of formulations is dizzying.

The dramatic drop in home prices is symptomatic of serious underlying problems with the economy. It also suggests why voters don't think much of Bush's economic policies:

The median price of a new home declined to $217,100 in September from $240,400 a year earlier, Thursday's report showed. It was the biggest decrease since an 11.2 percent year-over-year drop in December 1970, the Commerce Department said. The median price was the lowest since $211,600 in September 2004.