THE TENSION: Thursday Morning News Open Thread

Koom by ya y'all, today, 21 Sep, is The International Day of Peace.

According to Matt Drudge, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez will wrap up his NYC visit early this morning to high-tail it back to Caracas. I guess the diablo is in the details.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been invited to speak at Columbia University this Friday, University officials confirmed Wednesday night.

Over objections of Democrats who compared the bill to segregation-era measures aimed at disenfranchising Southern blacks, the House yesterday passed legislation that would require voters to show a valid photo identification in federal elections, reports the Washington Times. It's interesting to note that segregation is not an issue when a valid photo ID is required for other things including check cashing, the operation of a motor vehicle, and to buy beer and smokes.

Bob Novak writes Republicans have closed large gaps on the national generic ballot in two polls now. Typically, Republicans gain seats when they trail by less than five percentage points on the generic. Obviously, that won't happen this year. Republicans have maxed out the current gerrymander, and they don't have enough truly competitive races on the table right now. Democrats will gain seats, either way -- but recent developments add credibility to Republican hopes of keeping the House.

Speaking of winners and losers, AFP reports Hezbollah supporters have headed towards the Lebanese capital for a massive "victory" rally after the devastating war with Israel amid suspense over whether the group's chief Hassan Nasrallah will emerge from hiding.

Iran nuke deadlines slip to October. With Iran still resisting a freeze on its nuclear activities, the United States and five partners have decided to set yet another deadline in hopes that Iran will finally agree to terms paving the way for substantive talks on its nuclear program, according to the Washington Post.

Reuters reports Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday said it would slash prices on nearly 300 generic prescription drugs to $4 starting in the Tampa, Florida, area and plans to expand the plan to all of Florida in January. Keep in mind many Democrat's scathing attacks on Wal-Mart while complaining that the Bush administration tax cuts hurt the middle class.