THE TENSION: The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 3 Oct

Heads up folks, this news rolls downhill.

Former Clintonista Dick Morris says the Foley scandal is the nail in the GOP coffin: In a curious way, the former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) scandal will be to the Republican congressional leadership what the Monica Lewinsky imbroglio was to the Clinton presidency.
What is important is that all of the venality and hypocrisy, so evident when congressmen hire their wives or freeload on trips paid for by lobbyists or cram the budget with unjustified earmarks or encourage their sons and daughters to become highly paid lobbyists cashing in on their special access — all of those misdeeds, have suddenly acquired a poster boy: Rep. Foley!

In an attempt to influence the abortion debate, Ms. magazine is releasing its fall issue next week with a cover story titled "We Had Abortions," accompanied by the names of thousands of women nationwide who signed a petition making that declaration, reports AP.

According to AP, North Korea triggered global alarm on Tuesday by saying it will conduct a nuclear test, a key step in the manufacture of atomic bombs that it views as a deterrent against any U.S. attack. But the North also said it was committed to nuclear disarmament, suggesting a willingness to negotiate. AP also reports that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday a North Korean nuclear test would be "a very provocative act," and she prodded Asian nations to rethink their relationships with the North Koreans.

Local D.C. cops say recently installed cameras are not appreciably helping to fight crime. NBC4 reports many D.C. police said they had hoped that installing dozens of new surveillance cameras across the city would assist them in cracking down on crime, but the system does not appear to be working as planned.

AP reports Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) trounced the domestic automakers in the U.S. marketplace last month, posting a 25 per cent year-over-year sales increase. General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) and DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) each saw their sales slip by a few percentage points, while Ford Motor Co.'s (NYSE:F) sales gained 4.7 per cent.

President Bush, on a campaign swing in the West, is telling voters that the Democratic Party is weak-kneed on national security and shouldn't be trusted to hold the reins of Congress, reports AP.

Reuters reports James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" is the song most requested at British funerals and remembrance services, closely followed by Robbie Williams's "Angels," according to a survey released on Monday.