Table of Contents

10 QUESTIONS: Emmy host Gary Shandling on reality TV, meditation and how he stays funny 8

LETTERS 10

NOTEBOOK

Russian Regret How Russia blocked attempts to negotiate in North Ossetia. Was there another way out of the tragedy in Beslan? 15

MILESTONES: President Clinton is on the mend; Michael Eisner is on his way out 19

IN THE ARENA: Joe Klein on why Bush is getting away with, well, everything 21

NATION

COOL UNDER FIRE The battered Democrat insists he will prevail, but Republicans are getting exactly the race they want 22

INTERVIEW: TIME talks with Senator Kerry about Iraq, the Swift Boat ads and his comeback plan 26

THE BUSH RECORD: Contested memos raise new questions about the President's military record 32

WORLD

DEADLOCK With U.S. control slipping in Iraq, it will take more than force to solve the standoff 36

FALLUJAH: TIME's Brian Bennett in the perilous streets of Iraq's most infamous "no-go" zone 43

SCIENCE

STORM WATCH Why hurricanes hate Florida 46

BUSINESS

BREWING A BRAND A makeover for Colombian coffee icon Juan Valdez 49

COVER

HOMELAND INSECURITY A special investigation reveals how badly we've lost control of our southern border--and the real costs of illegal immigration 51

SOCIETY

DETOX DORMS Colleges provide safe havens for recovering addicts 67

ARTS

A TRIBAL HOME Native Americans finally tell their story at a new museum 68

MUSIC: Senator Tim McGraw? 71

MOVIES: John Sayles' Silver City 74

YOUR TIME

HEALTH: Alternatives to angiograms; good news for short people 77

MONEY: Does it make sense to buy a house and tear it down? 78

STYLE: Offbeat at home; the new style guides; deco redux 80

PEOPLE: Bacall bashes Kidman; Diddy as daddy; Tony Danza talks 83

ESSAY: Advice for Clinton from a bypass survivor: don't laugh 84

COVER: Photo-Illustration by Arthur Hochstein