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White House Refutes Woodward's New Book; Israel Withdraws Troops from Lebanon

Aired October 01, 2006 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is our top story, the new 9/11 tape: two smiling terrorists shown together more than a year and a half before the attacks.
Now, seen on the right, 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta, and on the left, Lebanese terrorist Ziad Jarrah. The tape also shows Osama bin Laden addressing a crowd in Afghanistan.

The tapes surfaced in London. But why and how it came to light still isn't clear. Here's CNN's Paula Newton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): The tape runs about an hour, and is silent throughout, but no less chilling. Specifically, what seems so out of place is to see these two hijackers together in a very joking type of jovial way.

What they are actually doing in the video, The Sunday Times says their looking at their martyrdom wills, going over them, trying to decide exactly how they will reading those martyrdom wills on the air.

Then you see them look straight down the barrel of the camera and give their martyrdom wills.

We are told U.S. authorities had this tape for quite some time. They have been through it. They have tried to get lip readers to understand what these men are saying. They have seen much of the tape that also includes Osama bin Laden giving a speech to about 1,000 hardcore al Qaeda supporters.

Also very out of place in the video are scenes of children that really do startle you when you first see them.

In general, though, most people say that this tape, although it is quite old, was at the time a very significant piece of evidence in that it takes two of the masterminds of 9/11 and puts them together in Afghanistan quite crucially 21 months before 9/11 just happened. It gives us a glimpse into exactly how long this operation was in the planning stages and how complicated it actually was.

Paula Newton, for CNN, in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now a short time ago, I spoke about the tape and what it might mean with Peter Bergen. He's our CNN terror analyst.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: What was your reaction when you first saw the tape?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, it's very kind of interesting historical material. There's nothing really new in it in terms of news. But it does show Mohammed Atta and Ziad Jarrah, the two lead pilots in the 9/11 plot in Afghanistan. If there was any doubt that anybody had that these guys were responsible for the 9/11 plot, this tape, I think, should put that to rest. Here they are reading their wills in preparation for the 9/11 plot.

There's also material of bin Laden addressing a group of al Qaeda members, sort of comporting himself sort of like a religious figure, a cleric, if you will.

Interesting in that picture, he's wearing a Yemeni dagger. And this footage would have been taken in the run-up to the attack on the USS Cole In Yemen. And bin Laden very rarely wears this Yemeni dagger. And it was a way of signaling to his followers and the camera person who was taking this footage that the Cole plan was kind of going to come to fruition, relatively soon, Carol?

LIN: When you take a look at the videotape, you also see a number of other people. We know that Jarrah and Atta are dead. But is there intelligence to be gathered when examining this videotape?

BERGEN: Well, yes, there would be.

But, you know, I have yet to see the whole thing. My understanding is it's about an hour. You know, usually these al Qaeda video productions would, they would kind of make a point of not showing people that didn't have some sort of public profile or were going to in the future.

So I think from the intelligence point of view, yes, there will be intelligence that look at the tape carefully. And my understanding is they've had it for some period of time.

On the other hand, al Qaeda, when we interviewed bin Laden for CNN in '97, they were pretty careful to make sure that we were not able to film people they didn't want us -- you know, want publicly out there.

LIN: Peter Bergen, thank you.

BERGEN: Thank you, carol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now, under arrest in Pakistan, six suspected Taliban fighters from Afghanistan. Officials say the men had bullet wounds, and were being treated at a hospital in the border town of Quetta. Police arrested them at the hospital.

The men will either be handed over to Afghan authorities or remain in Pakistan.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Now, a political storm, you might say, on Capitol Hill is intensifying. The controversy centers around ex-Congressman Mark Foley, and the e-mail messages the Florida Republican allegedly sent to underage pages, some sexually explicit

The House Ethics Committee is investigating. And Foley has resigned.

But top Democrats say that is not enough. Today Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the Ethics Committee. She's urging members to immediately investigate when Republican leaders knew about the e-mails, and what they did once they found out.

Pelosi also wants the GOP leadership to be questioned under oath, calling that central to the investigation.

CNN's Gary Nuremberg has more on the fall-out from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six term Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley seemingly vanished after his resignation Friday. A congressional source telling CNN he is somewhere no one will be able to find him.

(on camera): At issue are two sets of electronic messages Foley sent to boys who had served as congressional pages, one series to a 16-year-old last summer suggestive, but not sexually explicit, the other, a series of instant messages that are explicit.

(voice-over): Some members of the House Republican leadership learned of the first set of suggestive e-mails last fall. Representative John Shimkus who oversees the page program says he confronted Foley and ordered him to cease contact with the 16-year- old. Other members of the leadership learned of that this spring.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I think they thought that they had solved the problem. No one knew about the second set of e-mails.

NUREMBERG: Democrats argue the leadership should have done far more.

REP. SHERROD BROWN, (D) OHIO: If it's proven that leaders in Congress did nothing, nothing to protect those children, those 15 and 16-year-olds, those leaders in Congress should resign their leadership positions.

NUREMBERG: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Sunday said, Republican leaders, quote, "chose to cover it up rather than protect those children" and wants the leadership questioned under oath.

The House did approve an ethics investigation of Foley Friday night, But a congressional watchdog group says that's not enough.

MELANIE SLOAN, CONGRESSIONAL WATCHDOG: I think it's important that an outside counsel come in and talk to everybody in the House of Representatives and find out who knew what when, and what they did with that information.

NUREMBERG: She says her group forwarded the first set of e-mails to the Fbi early this summer.

SLOAN: We know that the FBI obviously didn't really look at this matter, they didn't start talking to a lot of pages, because if they had, these instant messages would have come up much sooner.

NUREMBERG: Foley's staff left his office for the last time Friday. Over the weekend, Foley's name was ripped from the wall and police have been ordered to protect evidence for a possible criminal investigation.

Foley, talking about President Clinton in 1998, said of the liaison with Monica Lewinsky, quote, "it's vial. It's more sad than anything else to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction.

Gary Nuremberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And this just in to the CNN center, we have word out of the House speaker's office, Dennis Hastert, Gary Nuremberg standing by in Washington, D.C. -- Gary.

NUREMBERG: Good afternoon, Carol

Some reporting from CNN's Dana Bash who covers, as you know, congress. Dennis Hastert, it's a letter to the attorney general of the United States asking that Alberto Gonzalez investigate the Foley matter on Capitol Hill. This just released moments ago.

As you know, the House on Friday night authorized an ethics committee investigation. But Hastert says in the letter that was just handed to us, they do not have jurisdiction over federal law or over him upon his resignation from office. Therefore, Mr. Hastert goes on to say, as Speaker of the House, I hereby request that the Department of Justice conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House pages to determine what extent any of his actions violated federal law.

It's a lengthy letter. It goes on to draw a distinction between the first series of e-mails that Republican leadership was made aware of last fall, and the second, more incendiary, more sexually explicit instant messages that were revealed by ABC News earlier this week.

Drawing that distinction, Mr. Hastert says in his letter to the attorney general, that unlike the first communication, the second communication was a set of instant messages that contained sexually explicit statements and were reportedly generated three years ago. He wants a complete investigation of that. Goes on to say he would like the department to undertake an investigation into who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any former or current house pages, and what actions such individuals took, if any, to provide them to law enforcement.

I request that the scope of your investigation include any and all individuals who may have been aware of this matter, be they members of Congress, employees of the House of Representatives or anyone outside of Congress.

Your attention to this serious matter is appreciated.

And then some more words in this two-page statement, a letter released just moments ago from the Speaker of the House to the attorney general of the United States, asking for a Justice Department investigation of those Foley e-mails. -- Carol

LIN: I have to say, Gary, he's asking for a criminal investigation of anyone who had contact with -- or knowledge of these e-mails? Members of Congress, anybody at all?

NUREMBERG: That's exactly right. And it follows, as you know, on the Democratic voices over the weekend for an investigation outside of the House Ethics Committee. The minority leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, made that request earlier today following his appearance on a talk show.

LIN: Gary, does anybody know where Mark Foley actually is right now?

NUREMBERG: Dana bash was told by congressional source on Friday, he is somewhere where you will not find him.

LIN: Somewhere we will not find him. All right. Well, you've got to wonder if the next story is going to be that he fled the country. I mean, if there's going to be a Justice Department investigation, nobody knows where he is.

Gary, this story gets stranger by the day. Thank you.

NUREMBERG: It does.

LIN: Well, coming up at the bottom of the hour, we're going to learn more about who Mark Foley really is. CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us live from west Palm in THE NEWSROOM.

And a quick reminder, check the CNN political ticker for the big political stories as they happen. Check the ticker every day, several times a day at CNN.com/ticker.

Now, Capitol Hill, the corporate board room, maybe even your bedroom, private eyes using high-tech tools, and getting the goods.

And Watergate to Terrorgate, Bob Woodward's new book and the White House is in a state of denial.

But first, you've heard it before, baseball and drugs, now is another major league scandal brewing? You're in THE NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Well, Bob Woodward's explosive new book, we're going between the lines. His latest target: the terror war with President Bush in the bull's eye. A live report from Washington in less than ten minutes.

Here are also some of the most popular stories on CNN.com. North Charleston, South Carolina, police investigate a multiple murder at a mobile home park. Michael Simmons is charged with shooting five people, purportedly his wife and her four children. Police say he was not the father of any of the kids.

And Canadian revocery crews found a fifth victim today in the rubble in the collapsed overpass near Montreal, all were killed when their cars were hit by falling concrete yesterday.. The vehicles were crushed so badly the wreckage barely reached the knees of one firefighter.

Now, search crews in the Amazon rainforest are combing through the wreckage of a Brazilian airliner. So far, no signs that any of the 155 people on board survived.

You can read more details about this story and much more at CNN.com. Just click on the most popular tab.

So will it end up being a major league scandal? A report out today links some of the biggest names in baseball with allegations of doping. The Los Angeles Times cites a federal agent's affidavit from a former player. It accuses pitchers roger Clemens, and Andy Pettite and a few other players of using performance enhancing drugs.

Now, Larry Smith is here with all those details. Larry you were actually out at the ballpark today talking with folks.

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, talking to some of the Houston Astros, dare we say this went away for a little bit, it was kind of quiet on the steroid front. But I think it's back now for the offseason. No question, Carol.

The Los Angeles Times published a report based on statements that former pitcher Jason Grimsely (ph) allegedly made to federal agents in late May and earlier June. According to the L.A. Times Grimsley implicates, as Carol mentioned Houston Astros pitchers Rogers Clemens and Andy Pettite as having taken performance enhancing drugs.

Clemens denied the accusasion, saying, quote, "I've been tested plenty of times, my physicals I've taken -- they have taken my blood work. I've passed every test. Again, I find it amazing that you can throw anybody out there," end quote. Pettite also denied the report stating, "I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in baseball. I don't know what else to say except to say it's embarrassing my name would be out there," end quote.

Now, the Astros today defended their teammates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I read the report. I really don't put any stock in it. I've played with these guys for three years and at no point has it even crossed my mind that they might be taking something.

LANCE BERKMAN, HOUSTON ASTROS: I just feel bad for Andy and for Roger, because, you know, it's one of those situations where, I mean, I could say, well, so and so, I know it for a fact, took steroids. Even if I was lying or didn't know what I was talking about, well, his reputation would always have a cloud of suspicion around it just because I threw that accusation out there.

PHIL GARNER, ASTROS MANAGER: Our guys have been tested the Major League Baseball program. Rocket (ph) was tested in the World Baseball Classic Program and both guys have been clean. There's no reason for us or anybody to think they've been doing anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Well, according to the Times report, Grimsley (ph) also allegedly told investigators that Baltimore Orioles player and former American Leauge most valuable player, Miguel Tejada, used anabolic steroids.

Tejada denied the allegations and comments to the Baltimore Sun saying, quote, "I know that I've never used that. And I know I am clean. I'll get checked out for anybody, any time, any moment whenever they want, " end quote.

Now, Grimsley (ph) admitted using human growth hormone, steroids and amphetamines. The Times says its report is based on the affidavit investigators used to search Grimsley's (ph) house. Players names were blacked out when the document was originally made public -- that was back on May 31.

Now, the report relies on information from two anonymous sources.

A spokesman for Major League Baseball said the league has no information on how the affidavit was obtained or even its accuracy.

Now, certainly there's a liable issue that could come into play as well, here. Roger Clemens saying today that if one of his sponsors should drop him as a result of these allegations, his lawyers would then get involved.

So again, this could be the very beginning of something very nasty in the months to come.

LIN: So, what was the reaction out at the ball park today of these players in the news?

SMITH: Yeah. The players were all, to a man, they very strongly backing up bioth their teammates, Clemens and Pettite. Many of them said, you know what, I don't think this is very really an issue. They really believe that the new steroid policy put in place by Major League Baseball earlier this year and over the winter last year has really cleaned up the game.

So, everyone really said they didn't give it much weight.

LIN: All right. Larry Smith, thank you.

SMITH: OK.

LIN: Well, flamboyant receiver Terrell Owens returned to the football field today. Owens caught five passes to help the Dallas Cowboys trounce the Tennessee Titans. Five days ago, Owens was admitted to a hospital after a prescription drug overdose that was first ruled a suicide attempt. It was later ruled accidental.

Dismissing the "State of Denial." The White House on the offensive as Bob Woodward writes and tells all.

Also, people of Mark Foley's past talk about the present.

Stay with us in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Get ready to see more of this man this week. Bob Woodward is pushing his new book and he's pointing fingers at Bush administration. The "State of Denial" is about the terror war. And it was -- it has the White House sending out denials of its own.

so let's go straight to the White House and our Kathleen Koch -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the White House certainly knew this book was coming. It was no surprise. So, ever since those first excerpts began appearing late last week, the White House has been pulling out all the stops, trying to counter Woodward's allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Woodward book has the White House playing offense.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The book is sort of like cotton candy, it kind of melts on contact.

KOCH: Biting dismissals followed Saturday by a detailed rebuttal of claims the president concealed deteriorating conditions in Iraq and ignored early requests for more troops.

But the White House has less to say about the revelation that CIA director George Tenet and his counterterrorism chief Coffer Black (ph) two months before 9/11 requested an emergency meeting with Condoleezza Rice to sound the alarm that intelligence showed al Qaeda would soon attack the United States.

The book claims Rice was, quote, "polite, but they felt the brushoff."

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: We're puzzled by this. No one has seen these type of quote before. Each of these participants went before the commission and testified. So, Condoleezza is stratching her head, because we don't believe that's an accurate account.

KOCH: Democrats want answers about whether the meeting occurred and if so, why the 9/11 commission and the rest of the country were never told about it.

SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE: They were obliged to tell the 9/11 commission when they were investigating of all relevant meetings that took place relevant on the attack on 9/11. This sure sounds relevant to me. Why did they not do that?

REP. JANE HARMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: I find that stunning. It's as close as a smoking guns you can get.

KOCH: There has already been debate over what impact the book's Iraq revelations would have on voters in the coming mid-term elections.

BARTLETT: Voters fully understand mistakes have been made. So I don't know that this book is going to influence their attitude at all.

KOCH: But the possible concealment of an early warning about the 9/11 attacks could be more damaging.

DAVID GERGEN, FRM. PRSEIDENTIAL ADVISER: There is a credibility gap in this administration that has now become a canyon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: As to Woodward's claims of administration infighting and suggestions by top aides that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld leave, the counselor to the president, Dan Bartlett today said that, well, when it comes to Rumsfeld, President Bush still has full confidence in his Defense Secretary -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Kathleen.

Now, be sure to watch "LARRY KING LIVE" tomorrow might. Bob Woodward is going to be his guest. Larry is going to take your phone calls and e-mails as well.

That's Monday night, 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

Now, no doubt there could be other political surprises this month. Later this hour, the people pushing the parties. Who will get out the vote? One top analyst joins us live.

And the sudden resignation of Congressman Mark Foley, we go into his past to understand the president next in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

What began with a bang has ended on a more muted note. Israel says almost all its troops have withdrawn from southern Lebanon. Now a tough question remains. Was the 34 day Israeli offensive in Lebanon worth it? Here's CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They went in with a roar and they left Lebanon Saturday night with a wave, a low key end to a controversial military operation, bringing the troops home in time for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The goal of Israel's offensive was to win the freedom of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah on the border and to defend (ph) the militant organization. More than 150 Israelis and as many as 1,200 Lebanese were killed in the 34-day war. When it was all over, the two soldiers were still missing and while Hezbollah took a beating, it still had its fangs. Last weekend, Hezbollah leader, Hasan Nasrallah (ph) told supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs the group has 20,000 rockets for use against Israel.

Many Israelis across the political spectrum, accuse the government and the army command of incompetence. But despite the political uproar, other Israelis look on the bright side. Israel has destroyed many of Hezbollah's bunkers. And almost 6,000 United Nations troops are now deployed in southern Lebanon. The force is expected to reach 15,000.

HIRSH GOODMAN, ANALYST, TEL AVIV U.: And so the international community with a real mandate this time will preclude further trouble.

WEDEMAN: But as one front goes quiet to the south, trouble. In Gaza, running gun battles between Hamas security and Palestinian police demanding their salaries. Largely unpaid, since donors lead by the United States and European union suspended aid to the Palestinian authority following Hamas' election victory earlier this year. While in Ramallah (ph) in the west bank, other protesting Palestinian policeman occupy and set fire to a government building. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appealed for calm and told the policeman to stop their protests.

Lebanon cooling off perhaps. Gaza's internal problems definitely heating up. This as Israel's army command is reportedly considering broadening ground operations in Gaza to stop Palestinian militants from firing homemade rockets into Israel. And into all of this, in a few days, U.S. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to come to the Middle East and make sense of it all. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Another bloody day across Iraq. Police have found 50 bullet riddled bodies scattered across Baghdad. Some show signs of torture. Police believe the killings are the result of sectarian violence. Meanwhile there was no let up in the attacks. At least six bombings killed four Iraqis and injured 25 others.

News across America now, a South Carolina man faces five counts of murder. Michael Simmons is reportedly accused of killing his wife and her four children. Their bodies were found yesterday in the family's home in North Charleston. Simmons reportedly lives there but was not the children's father.

And six people are dead in a multi-vehicle crash in Illinois. It happened last night in St. Claire County in the southern part of the state. Police say five of the victims ranging in ages from seven to 64 were from the same family.

And a solemn memorial service today at Lake George, New York. One year ago 20 people died when their tour boat capsized and sank. The victims were tourists from Michigan and Ohio. Well, today their families dedicated a memorial to their loved ones.

And remember Brian Nichols? He's the man accused of killing four people in the Atlanta courthouse rampage and he faces a hearing tomorrow. Prosecutors say he called a woman he's accused of raping and tried to intimidate her from jail. They say he also got his hands on a cell phone somehow and may have been plotting an escape.

Your company could be someone else's business. In 10 minutes, we're going to show you the high tech tools of corporate espionage. But first, the issues, the candidates and the parties. I'm going to talk with a top notch political analyst on the people pushing the politicians.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: CNN is your hurricane headquarters and meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking the fifth Atlantic hurricane of the season. We're talking about hurricane Isaac. So how concerned should we be about this one Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, if you live in Newfoundland, Labrador, you do need to pay very close attention. It's a hurricane now, 80 miles per hour winds Carol, but it is going to weaken a little bit and become a tropical storm. We do that that it will be impacting the Avalon (ph) peninsula in particular. You could see some very strong gusty winds here. There you can see the storm itself pushed east of Bermuda today and it's now moving in a northerly direction and it's moving very, very rapidly, 21 miles per hour and we usually see that eight to 10 miles per hour on a tropical system.

But you can see we've got the big system here off to the west and that's going to start to shear it apart as we talk about those winds, not favorable for the system to continue to get stronger. So we don't think that will happen. So that's the best news that we can tell you. Still a little iffy as to whether or not it's going to be making a direct hit but we do think it's going to be close and the chances are that it will as a strong tropical storm. It's moving so fast that this is going to be happening by tomorrow night. We think the rain will arrive already probably by tomorrow morning. But the rain fall amount is pretty minimal because it's moving so quick.

Back here at home across the U.S., we've got a little system here into the northeast bringing some rain across Boston and also some much needed moisture across parts of the southwest, the nation's mid section Carol, absolutely beautiful. Temperatures very warm. In fact, we've had about half a dozen record highs today in the plains.

LIN: I thought fall was already here.

JERAS: You think?

LIN: Thanks, Jacqui, see you later.

With just over five weeks left until Election Day, do you know what the candidates stand for and how you're going to vote? Well, there are people already making predictions about your plans. Joining me is Amy Walters, senior editor of the "Cook Political Report." Her job is to analyze political races. And Amy, you do a pretty good job. I mean you won the, what is it called, "The Washington Post" crystal ball award?

AMY WALTER, EDITOR, COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Yes, I did.

LIN: Congratulations.

WALTER: Thank you.

LIN: What do you predict for this year, the Democrat's chance of regaining control of the House and the Senate?

WALTER: If there were ever a year where Democrats have a very good chance of taking control of the House. And we're talking about the House as more likely than the Senate right now. It would be this year. Going back to what you all were talking about earlier with the idea about a hurricane, we've had sort of a political hurricane here growing. The environment has been so bad for Republicans for so long. A combination of Iraq, the president's dropping approval ratings.

LIN: Now the Foley scandal.

WALTER: And now this. I mean we just have had and remember, this is a Congress that already was looking at approval ratings in the 20s. So a Congress that's not very well not thought of, voters feeling very pessimistic. Just overall, we have an environment that suggests that there will be significant change to the status quo. The only question right now is whether Republicans who say that they're sufficiently prepared for the storm are able to block and deflect some of its intensity.

LIN: What do you make of the breaking news that we had a short time ago that the House speaker has now asked the Justice Department to take over this notion (ph) of an investigation of Mark Foley and the scandalous e-mails and IMs.

WALTER: There's no question that what they'd like to be able to do is to get the - actually to move forward on this and to say, we understand this is a serious -- the serious nature of this and we want to get right behind it, right on top of it and sort of put it off for now. You know, put it to the Justice Department and let them handle it.

LIN: Do you think this helps turnout, though? Does this kind of rally the faithful? But also people who might not necessarily come out to vote in mid term elections because things seem awfully interesting lately and a lot is at stake.

WALTER: You know what's interesting and we're going to keep watching this very closely as we go through the rest of the election. But the bottom line is, for most of the summer, what we noticed in polling was when you ask the question, how enthusiastic are you to vote this year? Democrats had a significant advantage on that question over Republicans. Democrats, again, as you pointed out, people who are angrier tend to be more motivated to vote. People who are dispirited tend to stay home. What Democrats really want to do, which is why the focus is so heavy right now on things like Iraq, is to get those people who are the angriest, who are the most motivated, make sure that they come out to vote. Republicans want to put it back on the issues they think their faithful will be interested in, taxes, terrorism and such

LIN: All right. So what is actually going to be the winning issue, do you think, at the polls? What are people going to be voting on?

WALTER: There you go Carol. That's the $64,000 question. If you're a Republican, you hope that they go in and they're thinking about things like terrorism and they're thinking about things like taxes. If you're a Democrat, you hope that what's foremost on their mind is Iraq and Washington and sort of what's been happening in Washington.

LIN: Amy Walter, we'll see what happens in less than five weeks away.

WALTER: I know, we're getting close.

LIN: OK, editor of the "Cook Report," appreciate it.

WALTER: Thank you.

LIN: A reminder, check the CNN political ticker for the big political stories as they happen. Check the ticker every day, several times a day at cnn.com/ticker.

All right. Political campaigns do it. So do major corporations like General Motors, Hitachi and Oracle. Look at some spying secrets, next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: There's been breaking news this hour as we have learned that House Speaker Dennis Hastert is asking the Justice Department to officially investigate Mark Foley, his contact with pages, underage pages on Capitol Hill and who actually saw and were aware of those instant messages and e-mails and whether there should be a criminal investigation. We heard a short time ago from our very own Gary Nurenberg who has just talked with Dana Bash on Capitol Hill, that the request is to be conducted against anybody who may have known about those instant messages or e-mails, which include members of Congress.

This is to determine what extent, if any, Mark Foley's actions violated Federal law. In a quote here, Dennis Hastert says I also request an investigation into who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any former or current House pages and what actions such individuals took. The question on Capitol Hill, who knew what, when? All right, in the meantime, we had Susan Candiotti look into the background of Congressman Mark Foley. He has served what something like seven terms, Susan, representing the south Florida area. Many people know him well and it seems like they are pretty fond of him.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Six terms, yes, 12 years in the U.S. Congress. They are very fond of him and really feel blind sided by what happened. We dug into a bit of his background and looked into, for example, where his political roots lie. For example, we learned that, at six years old, according to an interview that he did years ago, a few years back with "The Hill," which is a Washington-D.C. newspaper. He said the spark for a political life for him came when he was only six years old. He stopped at a shopping center and there he ran into his congressman. As a child who was Paul Rogers and he noticed that the congressman was the center of attention as he was talking with his constituents. He said I want to be a part of that. That is my dream. Not to mention the fact that the congressman paid him $5 to hand out campaign brochures. But his friends describe him as someone who is very warm, very giving, love the political spotlight. But they say, when it came to his private live, Carol, he kept that very private. They had no inkling of any of this.

LIN: When you talked with his friends, has anybody actually spoken to him since he resigned on Friday?

CANDIOTTI: They tried to reach out. Those who we spoke with said that they tried to call him, but they have not been successful. Some of them said they are anxious for him to actually come forward and speak out publicly and to give his side of the story. They say the man is a fighter. That's the Mark Foley that they know. And in addition to that, one woman actually said because he is so secluded at this time, they are worried. They know he's surrounded by his immediate family, but they're concerned about, frankly, what lies ahead for him.

LIN: So he is with people. He's not on his own. I'm sure his friends are wondering about his own mental state, want to make sure that he's being cared for.

CANDIOTTI: He's very close to his older sister who has worked for him on his campaigns and very close to his elderly parents as well.

LIN: Because Dana Bash, in her words, apparently that he is someplace where he will never be found. Those are the words that she was using. So, that sounds pretty ominous. Where could he possibly be?

CANDIOTTI: Well, there is talk. They don't know. They said he's alone, the friends who know him. There's talk that he's in Washington. By quite frankly, a lot of people think that he is here in south Florida somewhere in a spot where he can't be found. Many of them feel that when the time is right, that he will want to say something because of his reputation as a fighter. But politically speaking they say, that part of his life is over.

LIN: You said he was - he has a reputation for being a fighter. Where did this political spark come from?

CANDIOTTI: Well, other than just the fact that they that say he loves people and he loves fighting for his constituents and getting the job done, so that's how they explain where that part of it came from. He's a very personable person as well. So perhaps that is where he had the spirit of doing for other people. And now, it would appear he's going to have to speak out for himself.

LIN: A personable person. When people say that they first meet him, what are their other impressions of him?

CANDIOTTI: Well, they said something that you wouldn't necessarily know about him. He loves to do impersonations. They say he's a very funny guy. And he loves to do impersonations of Bill Clinton as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger. And they said it would always bring down the house.

LIN: All right. Susan Candiotti.

CANDIOTTI: Perhaps that sense of humor might help him through this.

LIN: I know, it certainly has helped many people through crises. Susan Candiotti, thanks very much. She's reporting in from West Palm Beach after talking with people who know Congressman Mark Foley very well. Once again, the breaking news is that the speaker of the House is requesting that the Justice Department conduct an investigation into Congressman Mark Foley's conduct after explicit e-mails and instant messages were revealed, that he had been trying to communicate with congressional pages, as young as 16 years of age.

Now, in other news, spying isn't just for the CIA. Big companies like to dabble in their own kind of espionage, most recently Hewlett- Packard which made headlines for allegedly spying on its own board members. But as CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff reports, usually it's the competition that's targeted by overly curious CEOs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Through security doors, up a dimly lit staircase, the source for some very useful corporate surveillance devices. Spy Shops won't reveal names of corporate customers but says there are plenty buying all manner of spy gear.

MARIO VIVAS, SPY SHOPS INC: Lately, we're doing a lot of installations in companies.

CHERNOFF: Corporate espionage is as old as the profit motive. GM spied on its critic, Ralph Nader in the 60s. In the 80s, Hitachi got hold of confidential IBM computer designs and more recently, software company Oracle spied on Microsoft lobbyists by dumpster diving, going through their trash for which the company's chairman had no apologies.

LARRY ELLISON, CHMN & CEO, ORACLE: All we did was try to take information that was hidden and bring it into the light. That's all we did. I don't think that's arrogance, I think it's a public service.

CHERNOFF: While Oracle went low tech, today's high technology makes it possible to break into a competitor's computer system. What's your most popular item right now among companies?

VIVAS: This key stroke reporter is popular. I usually don't ask my customers what they need it for, you can capture passwords.

CHERNOFF: Then simply print out the passwords and other confidential information. To install this device, all you do is pull out the plug for the keyboard, pop this in and then push it right back into the computer, easy.

Access to an Air Canada computer password allowed competitor West Jet to spy on Air Canada's internal computer system. Indeed web cams, laptops, wireless networks, all these high tech devices can be open doors for corporate spies.

MARK ROWE, BENTLEY COLLEGE: Technology is increasing exponentially and so therefore is the means to abuse it.

CHERNOFF: How common is corporate spying? An Ethics Resource Center survey found one of every 25 employees has seen misuse of confidence competitive information. But one of the fiercest competitions in American business, Pepsi versus Coke had an entirely different outcome. This summer, a Coke employee tried to sell company secrets to Pepsico. But they didn't take the bait. Pepsico executives did the right thing and immediately told Coke. The result, criminal charges against three people, following a sting operation in which corporate competitors cooperated with each other. Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now is the time for you to report for CNN. We call it I-news and we use your pictures or video. Here's how it works.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ever wish you could say, I report for CNN? Well, here's how you can join the most trust name in news. When you have pictures or video of breaking news or cool stories from your part of the world, go to cnn.com and click on I-report. There you'll get complete instructions on how to submit your stories to CNN. It's fast and easy and if we use your pictures or video on air, you can tell your friends I-report from CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: There's much more ahead on CNN this evening. Coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM, the latest on Congressman Mark Foley's fall out. And we're in the last stretch of election campaigning. Will there be an October surprise? At 8:00 Eastern, CNN presents Donald Rumsfeld, Man of War. Our Frank Sesno (ph) takes an in-depth look at this complicated and controversial defense secretary. At 9:00 Eastern, Larry King weekend, it made the headlines last week, tonight, hear for yourself. Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer talks about their love and their new baby. And I'll be back at 10:00 Eastern tonight with a look at some up and coming rap artists. They are not who you think they are. Stay with CNN.

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