Wednesday November 8, 2006

The Final Word: “The Times They Are A-Changin' Back Edition”

(The media experiment in which we conjoin the headline and last paragraph of each bylined article in the A-section of today's New York Times.)

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Democrats Take Control of House; Senate Hangs on Virginia and Montana:

In contrast to 2004 and 2002, when the president was sought after by Republican candidates throughout the country, Mr. Bush was extremely unpopular in many parts of the country this year, limiting the places where he was welcome to campaign. He was shunned by his party's candidate for governor in Florida on Monday, and Democrats ran hundreds of advertisements featuring their Republican opponents standing or sitting next to Mr. Bush. Nearly 4 in 10 voters leaving the polls said their vote on Tuesday was cast against Mr. Bush.

A Loud Message for Bush:

The younger Bush has rarely made that mistake. His circle had clearly hoped that the conservative base would come through in the end, saving the Republican majority even in the face of an unpopular war. But this time, it was not enough.

For Democrats, Time to Savor Victory at Last:

As Ms. Pelosi took the podium, smiling broadly and waving, people in the crowd began to dance harder, linking arms and kicking in a chorus line. From the crowd, someone yelled, "You go, girl!"

Clinton and Democrats Sweep Races in New York:

Several party officials say the Nassau County party leader, Joseph N. Mondello, is the favorite for the job. Yet other Republicans are aghast at the idea, saying that Mr. Mondello has allowed the party to wither in Nassau, a onetime stronghold. Mr. Mondello did not respond to phone messages seeking comment yesterday.

News Analysis: Formidable Task Awaits Spitzer: Trying to Get Albany to Budge:

Mr. Spitzer made his broad ambitions clear last night, calling his success "a victory not of one candidate or one party, but of all those irrepressible optimists who have hoped and dreamed of a resurgent New York."

Exit Polls Show Independents, Citing War, Favored Democrats:

In other questions asked of voters, a majority — nearly 6 in 10 — rated values issues like same-sex marriage and abortion as important.

Polling Places Report Snags, but Not Chaos:

In Ohio, an appellate judge ordered 16 polling places in Cleveland and the surrounding area to remain open an hour and a half later than normal, but all late votes were to occur on provision ballots.

Blogs Take Lead in Reporting Polling Problems, With Supporting Evidence on YouTube:

"Bloggers look a lot better than I thought they would," Mr. Stavropoulos said.

Other News

Democrats Topple G.O.P. Incumbents in Three Senate Contests:

One unsuccessful Democratic candidate, Harold E. Ford Jr., had faced an uphill fight in Tennessee. Despite running what political professionals called one of the most skillful campaigns in the country, he lost to Bob Corker, the Republican former mayor of Chattanooga, in the race for the seat vacated by the retirement of Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader.

On Wave of Voter Unrest, Democrats Take Control of House:

As they left for the campaign trail at the end of September, Republicans found themselves where they began, contending with the toxic fall-out of former Representative Mark Foley sexually suggestive messages to male teenage pages, throwing the party badly off message and providing a last straw for voters already upset with the majority.

Menendez Retains Senate Seat; Lieberman Prevails Over Lamont:

"It's very easy to be negative when it's anonymous," Ms. Menendez said. But, she said, "That's somebody's daddy you're talking about."

Despite Accusations, Hevesi Is Re-elected New York’s Comptroller:

But over the weeks, even as Mr. Callaghan appeared to inch closer to eclipsing Mr. Hevesi, it was Mr. Hevesi who was able to continue drawing in cash, raising $40,000 in a 24-hour period shortly after the Ethics Commission report. As a result, Mr. Hevesi was able to dominate the airwaves in the final days with ad after ad across the state.

Democrats Oust G.O.P. in Governing Six States:

Mr. Patrick served as a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in the early 1980s, working mostly on death penalty and voting rights cases. He met Bill Clinton, then the governor of Arkansas, when he sued him in a voting case. In 1994, when he was president, Mr. Clinton appointed Mr. Patrick assistant attorney general for civil rights, the nation's top civil rights post.

The Impetus for Changes: Voters Display Frustrations and Dissatisfactions:

"He was trying too hard to portray himself as something that his voting record didn't really indicate," Mr. Deters said. "I guess I would have been more inclined to vote for him if he'd been a little more straightforward on his feelings."

Nicaraguans' Votes Are In, and Ortega Is Back:

"The important point is not what he wants to do, the important thing is what is feasible to do," said Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, an economist and member of the Sandinista party. "Nicaragua has changed tremendously. The mandate he has received does not give him the opportunity to do his will."

British Muslim Sentenced in Terror Attacks:

He pleaded guilty last month to a charge of conspiracy to murder. Seven other people are to be tried in connection with the case next year.

In a Calm Corner of Darfur, Villagers Rebuild Ties:

And Ms. Abdullah said the food her Arab friend brought her in a fit of tears was very good. But it has been more than six months. And she has not seen the woman again.

Drilling Deep in the Gulf of Mexico:

"The easy oil is running out because it has already been found," said Ezio Plenizio, an Italian geophysicist aboard the Neptune, which belongs to the oil services company Schlumberger. "But 20 years ago, when I started in the business, people were already saying that oil is going to run out soon."

Los Angeles Paper Ousts Top Editor:

David Geffen and two other Los Angeles billionaires have expressed interest in acquiring The Times. The hope of some in the newsroom is that Mr. Geffen, or someone, will buy the paper and rehire Mr. Baquet as editor.

International

Naples Journal: As Mob Moves From Cigarettes to Drugs, Violence Rises:

Meanwhile, Marco L. is a fugitive in his own neighborhood. "I've learned you can't hang out in one fixed place," he said, "and I don't sit out here at night anymore."

Court Clears 6 of Criminal Charges in Crash of French Jetliner in 1992:

Airbus ultimately made changes to the A320's cockpit display panels based on recommendations of the accident investigators.

At the U.N., Discord Over Confronting Iran's Nuclear Ambitions:

"In our view it's much more than that. So we are trying to use the entire diplomatic tool kit in order to address the situation."

Suspects Still at Large in Iraqi Torture Case:

The statement was the marjaiah's first admission that it had backed the bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance; during the elections, the council had refused to openly endorse any party. Grand Ayatollah Najafi's statement appeared to be motivated in part by concern that the bloc was fracturing, saying that disagreement between the Shiite parties "will serve the enemies of Iraq."

Hussein Displays Courtesy After Death Sentence Fury:

Iraqi court officials have said since Sunday's verdicts that they foresee few reasons for a protracted delay in the appeal court's review of the case, and that they expect a ruling upholding the death sentences within two or three months. That, they have said, could clear the way for Mr. Hussein's execution as early as March. Since the death penalty in Iraq was restored by Iraq's interim government in 2004, more than 30 men, many convicted of insurgent offenses, have been hanged, and more than 300 others are on death row, Iraqi officials say.

Singapore Takes on Crows; One Down, 34,999 to Go:

"It's a job that nobody wants to do," he said, "but somebody has to do it."

Turkey and Europe: Why Strained Friendship Is Fraying:

"If the talks with the E.U. fail," he said, "we can be a prosperous, Western-looking democracy outside the E.U. Norway has done this, and so why can't we? We are undertaking reforms not for the E.U., but for the Turkish people."

National Report

Exit Polls Show Independents, Citing War, Favored Democrats:

In other questions asked of voters, a majority — nearly 6 in 10 — rated values issues like same-sex marriage and abortion as important.

Texas Inmates Protest Conditions With Hunger Strikes:

Most of what officials know about the complaints, she said, "we've gleaned from the antideath-penalty postings."

Heard the One About Mississippi? It's Fighting Back:

"A P.R. campaign might make us feel good," he said, but "I'm not sure it's going to help anything. What's going to help is education and economic development. We've been on the bottom economically since the Civil War, essentially our entire history."

Rockies' Goats Are Being Sent to Black Hills:

"We have had a dramatic increase of mountain lions in the Black Hills, and it could be predation," Mr. Benzon said. "We've also had a huge increase in recreation rock climbing, and that is generally where the mountain goats are."

Republican Hangs On to Frist's Senate Seat:

The crowd in the room packed with Corker supporters told its own story: It was almost entirely white.

A High-Profile Ouster in Pennsylvania:

Voters, apparently, did not agree.

South Dakotans Reject Sweeping Abortion Ban:

In Missouri, where one of the hardest fought Senate races in the nation was also being waged, voters considered a measure guaranteeing that any stem cell research legal under federal law be allowed in Missouri.

Ohio Democrats Win Races for Senate and Governor:

Ohio was one of several states that shifted this year to electronic touch-screen voting machines. Concerns that the new machines could create widespread problems were at least partly borne out, with reports that several dozen polling places in Cuyahoga County, in and around Cleveland, opened late because of problems with the machines. A judge ordered that 16 sites remain open an extra 90 minutes, until 9 p.m.

Rell Appears Likely to Gain a Full Term in Connecticut:

Going into the election, they were only two votes shy of a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly, and if they now pick up those critical last seats, Mrs. Rell may find it hard to govern.

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