NY+Times+2+nov

 **** __Out of Race, Karzai Rival Is Harsh Critic of Election__ **** By CARLOTTA GALL and JEFF ZELENY Abdullah Abdullah announced that he would not participate in the Afghan runoff election, effectively handing a new term to President Hamid Karzai.

****NEWS ANALYSIS**** **** __With Karzai, U.S. Faces Weak Partner in Time of War__ **** By DAVID E. SANGER President Obama faces a new complication in Afghanistan: Enabling President Hamid Karzai to regain enough legitimacy to help the United States find a way out of the war.

**** __Democrats Strive to Hold Governor Posts in Two States__ **** By DAVID W. CHEN and DAVID M. HALBFINGER President Obama’s rally in New Jersey for Gov. Jon S. Corzine underscored the White House’s resolve to stave off defeat. Virginia voters will also choose a new governor.

****DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION**** **** __Britain Sets Tough Laws for Texting While Driving__ **** By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Britain has become one of the more aggressive countries in attacking the use of cellphones while driving.

****DIPLOMATIC MEMO**** **** __Europe Still Likes Obama, but Doubts Creep In__ **** By STEVEN ERLANGER Many Europeans argue that President Obama has not broken enough with Bush administration policies, while some Americans say the Europeans are too passive and not providing much help.

**** __South Koreans Struggle With Race__ **** By CHOE SANG-HUN South Koreans were taught to take pride in their nation’s “ethnic homogeneity,” but in the past seven years the number of foreign residents has doubled.

**** __Pittsburgh Mayor Faces Tests if Re-elected__ **** By IAN URBINA At 29, Luke Ravenstahl faces new trials as Pittsburgh struggles with a declining population, a shrinking tax base and fiscal problems with its pension plan.

**** __Obama Strategy on Health Care Legislation Appears to Be Paying Off__ **** By ROBERT PEAR and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG After earlier fits and starts, legislation to insure nearly all Americans is approaching votes in the House and in the Senate.

****NEWS ANALYSIS**** **** __Off-Year Races May Provide Insight__ **** By ADAM NAGOURNEY The experts try to decipher the meaning of two governors elections and a Congressional contest.

****DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION**** **** __Britain Sets Tough Laws for Texting While Driving__ **** By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Britain has become one of the more aggressive countries in attacking the use of cellphones while driving.

**** __Many in U.S. Want Texting at the Wheel to Be Illegal__ **** By MARJORIE CONNELLY Nearly all Americans say sending a text message while driving should be illegal, a New York Times/CBS News poll says.

**** __History of Legal Tangles for Raj Rajaratnam and Galleon__ **** By ALEX BERENSON The case may be more complex than it first appears. Friends paint Raj Rajaratnam as outgoing and generous, and different from Wall Street stereotypes.