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AP - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he saw and heard evidence that the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy is taking hold in critical Kandahar province.

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Time.com - Nine weeks before the midterm elections, Barack Obama finds himself on the wrong side of the polls. Where did all that adoration go -- and is a Republican sweep next?

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AP - President Barack Obama will speak to reporters Friday after the Labor Department releases its monthly jobless report.

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CQPolitics.com - Doug Sloan wants the microphone.

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AP - Delaware Republicans call Senate hopeful Christine O'Donnell a liar who "could not be elected dog catcher" in a fierce attack that underscores GOP fears of the tea party-backed candidate knocking off top recruit Rep. Mike Castle and winning the nomination.

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AP - An anti-abortion group plans to air radio ads in three congressional races calling for the defeat of Democratic incumbents, among the first ads to capitalize on a Supreme Court ruling this year that freed corporations to directly influence elections.

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Georgie Anne Geyer - WASHINGTON -- You have to wonder exactly what you're supposed to say in a week like this one, as President Obama officially declared the end to the U.S. war in Iraq and most Americans breathed a tempered sigh of relief.