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Republican campaign-finance agitator Christopher Shays has a reputation in Washington as a genuine Mr. Smith -- a testament to his skill as an actor, if not to his honesty.

Republican loyalists in Washington stood by their party for eight long years, expecting a chance to play on George Bush's team. It seems no one told them the president hates pros.

Republicans like to crank up the Washington-is-the-problem rhetoric for midterm elections. Remember the Contract With America? What'll they do now that government is the solution?

Travel isn't a luxury; it's the backbone of the service economy. And for Congress, which is toying with tax incentives to get people flying for the holidays, it's nearly a national-security issue.

If the Pakistanis are our best allies in the region, why do they praise the Taliban and burn our president in effigy? Maybe it's easier than facing up to their problems.

Biological weapons have never been a greater threat, and both Congress and the White House know it. Here's the briefing Dick Cheney got just after the attack.

War with Afghanistan seems inevitable, but how far will the U.S. go in its campaign against terrorism? And which other governments are we willing to topple?

With the tax cut squeezing his budget, how will W. sell voters on dipping into the Social Security surplus he swore he'd never touch? Maybe by changing the subject.