TIME names 10 Americans over 60 who are aging gracefully: Toni Morrison, Joan Baez, Martha Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Sandra Day OConnor, Paul Newman, Colin Powell, Robert Redford, Philip Roth and Warren Buffett. A Time.com poll, to be posted Sunday, October 9th at www.time.com/poll, asks people to vote among these 10 or nominate others.
NATION: The Two Knocks on Miers (p. 37) President George W. Bush hoped to avoid making the kind of miscalculation his father had made with David Souter by picking Harriet Miers, someone he knew so well, as Supreme Court nominee, yet now he stands accused of doing just that, writes TIMEs Nancy Gibbs. Among the rarest honors that President Bush bestows is induction into the Hundred Degree Club, TIME reports. Its members are the aides who have managed to keep up with him running a dusty three-mile course at his Crawford, Texas, ranch when the temperature is above 100. Harriet Miers, Bushs loyal White House aide, was one of the few women to spend time clearing cedar with Bush on the ranch and pacing him on his runs, and over the years he got to know her well enough that he was sure she would help him avoid his fathers fate, TIME reports.
The Avian Flu - How Scared Should We Be? (p. 30). Haunted by Katrina, Washington scrambles to prepare for a much deadlier kind of natural disaster. TIMEs Christine Gorman offers a primer on the risks of a flu epidemic and the governments preparations for countering it.
VIEWPOINT: Lessons from the 1918 Flu (p. 96) The clearest lesson from Katrina is that plans are not enough. They must be put into practice. Preparation matters, writes John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza. Even in the chaos of 1918, people who knew what to expect and had been trained did their duty, often in heroic fashionIf we prepare well enough, we wont need heroes; well just need people doing their jobs.
IN THE ARENA with JOE KLEIN: How Bush Should Renovate the West Wing (p. 29) Its probably time to renovate the West Wing staff under new leadership," writes TIME's Joe Klein. "And there arent three people in the Pentagon who can understand why Donald Rumsfeld is still Secretary of Defense after presiding over one of the great debacles in American military history: the failure to prepare for the Iraqi insurgency. With 1,200 days left in office, A more likely way to regain footing would be a Grand New Policy Proposal, Klein suggests. All of us high-minded pundits would just be thrilled if the President decided to launch an energy-independence Manhattan Project to help extricate the nation from the thrall of the oil sheiks.
NOTEBOOK: Rove Redux (p. 22) As top Bush aide Karl Rove prepares for his fourth grand jury appearance, the federal probe into who leaked CIA operative Valerie Plames identity to the media is believed to be wrapping up. But the investigation has taken a toll on White House aides, many of whom now fear that the special counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, is intent on issuing indictments. Fitzgeralds office, although very professional, has been very aggressive in pursuing people, the adviser said. These guys are bullies and they threaten you.
Threat to a Waste Watcher (p. 22) Should there be a time limit for protecting whistle-blowers jobs? The Bush Administration seems to think so, TIMEs Mark Thompson reports. Case in point: Ernie Fitzgerald, the Air Force cost analyst who in 1969 told Congress about $2 billion in cost overruns on the C-5 cargo plane, prompting President Nixon to tell officials to get rid of that son of a bitch. A court order saved Fitzgeralds job, but he says its under threat again. Fitzgerald, 79, tells TIME his role has eroded under President Bush. His reports on how much aircraft should cost have been ignored by superiors, he says.
WORLD: Gazas New Strongmen (p. 48) Abu Samhadana, founder of an armed militia called the Salah ed-Din Brigades, and his troops have a new target: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his security services, who are struggling to impose order in Gaza, home to 1.5 million Palestinians. Abbas predecessor, Yasser Arafat, used to send Samhadana $10,000 a month, but Abbas ended those payments in February, TIMEs Jerusalem bureau chief Matt Rees reports.
Faces of Resistance (p. 51) The U.S. hopes to persuade Iraqs Sunnis to join the political process. But the constitution they are voting on may push them toward the insurgents instead, TIMEs Bobby Ghosh reports from Baghdad. Whether or not Sunnis come out to vote in large numbers in Saturdays referendum, the underlying tensions that have pulled Iraq to the brink of civil war arent likely to disappear. Few Sunnis have faith in the U.S.-sponsored political process or the Shiite and Kurdish leaders who have risen to power in Baghdad. The vote on the constitution may serve only to heighten Sunni estrangement, since it will probably pass no matter how many Sunnis come out to vote against it. There is a sense that we are losing control of our destiny, says Hatem Mukhlis, a prominent Sunni politician. We feel marginalized, victimized and completely alone. The U.S. exit strategy in Iraq hinges on convincing moderate Sunnis that its in their interests to embrace democracy and accept political setbacks with grace.
SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE Log onto www.time.com for the latest news on the earthquake that hit South Asia.
LETTER FROM MOSCOW: A New Home for a (Very) Old Comrade? (p. 54) As a post-Soviet generation comes of age and consumerism is the rage, Lenin, the father of the Bolshevik Revolution is irrelevant, TIMEs Paul Quinn-Judge writes from Moscow. No one discusses Lenin, not even our teachers, says Serezha, 17. And yet nearly 15 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lenins body retains its place of honor in Red Square, where it has lain since 1924. Now Russias ruling lite is exhuming an old debate: whether to move Lenins body out of the mausoleum and bury it.
SOCIETY: Screening the Priests (p. 57) While seminaries have always screened candidates through interviews, personal references and, often, written spiritual autobiographies, the process has become increasingly complex and now takes from one to three years, TIMEs David Van Biema and Sean Scully report. Thomas Plante, a Santa Clara University psychology professor and one of several dozen U.S. therapists who screen candidates for Roman Catholic seminaries, is comfortable with the 20% and 40% of the priesthood he believes are homosexually oriented. He notes that while Catholic teaching calls homosexuality a disorder, the American Psychiatric Association dropped that descriptive decades ago. Being gay in and of itself, I would hope, wouldnt prevent someone from becoming a priest, he says. All four church-contracted psychologists interviewed by TIME agreed vociferously with his contention that homosexuality doesnt make one more likely to sexually abuse children.
What Will the Bishops Do Next? (p. 58) A senior Vatican official told TIME that a more absolute ban on homosexuality would be impossible to enforce. What does it mean to be gay? he asks. You have to acknowledge the complexity of the situation, but you also have to enforce the discipline. The first step, according to this official, is ridding the priesthood of those who proudly acknowledge a gay identity. Its almost like glorying in the sin, he said. The church says gays should be treated with dignity, but its 1992 update of the catechism calls homosexual acts intrinsically disordered.
10 QUESTIONS For Billy Crystal (p. 8) If I had any regrets in my career, as much as I enjoy learning more about acting, I would have said no to Soap and continued to develop my stand-up, Billy Crystal tells TIMEs Richard Zoglin, on the eve of the five-city tour of Crystals one-man show, 700 Sundays, about his New York childhood and death of his father. The book version (the directors cut) is due Oct. 31. I loved the time, and what we did on the show was important. But I think if I looked back - yeah, I should have waited for something that may have fit me better.
SHOW BUSINESS: A Pair of Jokers (p. 75) Mel Brooks, whos producing the movie version of The Producers starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, tells TIME Matthew has the advantage over Nathan. Hes done a lot more films. Nathan very carefully has to be on his toes to keep up with the nuances of Matthews performance, because movies are very focused and very pointed. You dont do close-ups on stage. TIME saw an exclusive screening of The Producers.
PEOPLE PAGE: Q & A with Jeff Bridges (p. 95) In a Q & A with TIME, Jeff Bridges, whose 1998 film, The Big Lebowski, is due on DVD Oct. 18, was asked if he fretted about playing a pothead. I talked to my family about this. My daughter said, Dad, youre an actor. Its make-believe. I guess drugs are lightweight compared to seeing your dad kiss other women, he says.
FASHION: Paris Frill Seekers (p. 7) Designers try to steer a new course through fashion doldrums with collections that flounce, flow and flatter, TIME Style & Design editor Kate Betts reports from the Paris fashion shows.