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Lou Dobbs Tonight
Escalating Violence in Iraq; Bush in Final Campaign Swing for GOP Candidates; Your Government at Work; Independent Joe Lieberman Is Way Out In Front Of Pack
Aired November 03, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, insurgents killed seven more of our troops in Iraq. Another American soldier is still missing. We'll have a special report from Baghdad.
And President Bush escalates his verbal assault on the Democrats' criticism of the war. The election is now just four days away.
All of that and more straight ahead.
ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT, news, debate and opinion for Friday, November 3rd.
PILGRIM: Good evening, everybody. I'm Kitty Pilgrim, sitting in for Lou Dobbs.
U.S. casualties in Iraq are rising sharply. Insurgents killed 11 of our troops in the first two days of the month.
Meanwhile, our government has been hosting some of Saddam Hussein's nuclear secrets on the Web. Until today, a government Web site had information that could have helped terrorists build a nuclear bomb.
John Roberts reports from Baghdad on the escalating violence in Iraq.
Jamie McIntyre reports from the Pentagon on nuclear secrets online.
And Andrea Koppel reports on the lawmakers' sudden decision to fire the auditor who monitored Iraq's reconstruction.
We turn first to John Roberts -- John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kitty, U.S. troops continue to fight and die in Iraq. Yesterday, seven soldiers and Marines died in Baghdad in the volatile western province of Al Anbar.
Anbar is the hotbed of both the Sunni insurgency and al Qaeda, who have made it their mission to attack U.S. forces wherever and whenever they can. Last month was the fourth deadliest for U.S. troops, but so for the opening days of November are equally deadly.
Those killings stand in sharp contrast to the pronouncement yesterday came from Major General William Caldwell, the spokesman for the multinational force, that violence had dropped off 40 percent. And just 24 hours after he made that declaration, 56 bullet-ridden bodies were found in Baghdad, bound, many of them showing signs of torture. The victims of sectarian violence. It was almost like it was an answer to what Caldwell had been saying.
And the Iraqi government is also preparing for the possibility of another spike in the violence with the verdict in the first Saddam Hussein trial expected on Sunday. Saddam's former attorney warned that a death penalty verdict could spark an explosion of insurgent and sectarian killings. In anticipation of that, leave was canceled for the entire Iraqi army and all members ordered back to their bases.
There was also another surprise visit from a high-ranking American official today. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte showed up unannounced in Baghdad for meetings with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Just days ago, you'll remember National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley made the same pilgrimage to Baghdad. Both men speaking with al-Maliki about the security and political situation in Iraq and presumably about the public feud that al-Maliki has been having with the United States in recent days.
The U.S. is anxious to push al-Maliki to institute the steps necessary to move Iraq ahead, which in recent days has run straight up against of al-Maliki's desire to present a public image of independence from America -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: John Roberts reporting from Baghdad.
Now, 11 of our troops were killed in Iraq in the first two months -- first two day of this month. That compares with 14 troops who were killed in the first two days of October.
2,829 of our troops have been killed since the war began, 21,419 troops have been wounded. And of those, 9,737 were seriously wounded.
President Bush again strongly defended his conduct of the war in Iraq today. The president also blasted Democrats as he made a final campaign swing across the Midwest.
Elaine Quijano is with the president right now in Le Mars, Iowa -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Kitty.
President Bush is campaigning here in Iowa for gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle. He just took to the podium a few minutes ago before a crowd of about 4,500 GOP faithful.
Now, this is part of the president's last '06 campaign push. Earlier today, he made two stops in Missouri, one in Springfield and one in Joplin, Missouri, to help boost the campaign of Senator Jim Talent, who is running neck and neck against his Democratic challenger, Claire McCaskill. Now, the president is trying to energize the GOP's conservative base, focusing on tried-and-true Republican issues like tax cuts and national security. The president also is staunchly defending his Iraq policy. And today in Missouri, the president used a new line to slam Democrats, accusing them of not having a plan to win the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They say they want to stop new attacks on our country but opposed letting the CIA detain and question the terrorists who might know what the plots are. Ask them the question: What's your plan?
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: What's your plan?
BUSH: If they say they want to win the war on terror but call for America to pull out from what al Qaeda says is the central front in that war, ask them this question...
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: What's your plan?
BUSH: They're not going to be able to answer that question. They have no plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, it is, of course, Iraq that continues to weigh down the president's approval ratings, which are now hovering in the 30s. Iraq also the same issue that makes many of his fellow Republicans nervous about their prospects for re-election.
Nevertheless, on the campaign trail, we have heard the president. He is not shying away from talking about this. We expect him to continue doing so. The next stop for him, Kitty, he will be campaigning tomorrow in Colorado -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Elaine Quijano from Le Mars, Iowa.
Thanks, Elaine.
And the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean, today blasted President Bush's management of the war. In an interview here on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, Dean said Americans cannot trust Republicans to defend this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: I don't know a Democrat that's talking about pulling out of Iraq right now. I do know a lot of Democrats who don't believe that the president has served us well by going in there.
We know that we have a problem. We know that we have to gradually disengage from Iraq. The president has no plan to do that. Staying the course with a strategy that doesn't work is not a plan. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Dean said the president's policies in Iraq could destabilize Turkey, one of our closest allies.
Corruption, waste and mismanagement in Iraq have cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. And now, incredibly, Congress is firing the auditor who has exposed some of the worst examples of fraud in Iraq.
Andrea Koppel reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a shocking revelation. Hundreds of thousands of small arms provided to Iraq's army and police forces, unaccounted for. The revelation made just this week in a report by the special inspector- general for Iraq reconstruction.
STUART BOWEN, INSPECTOR GENERAL, IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION: We don't make any assumptions about where these weapons are in our audit. We just identify where the material weaknesses are.
KOPPEL: Since January 2004, Stuart Bowen has led efforts to uncover waste, abuse and fraud in Iraq. But due to a provision in a recent bill to fund the U.S. military, Bowen and his team will have to shut down operations next year.
Democrats claim Republicans pulled a fast one.
REP. ROBERT ANDREWS (D), NEW JERSEY: We need to have that auditor operating. It is an outrage that this was taken out by a provision put into the bill in the middle of the night. It is also very typical of the culture of corruption that we see in Washington, D.C.
KOPPEL: But Republican Duncan Hunter, who was involved in the negotiations, says that's just not true. The documents prove Democrats knew of the plan in August, weeks before it was voted on.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: This isn't the old days where people walked in with pieces of paper in their pockets and slipped it into the reports. We have people sitting at the table going over every single word in the defense bill, and when it's done, just to make sure there's no mistake, as in here, everybody signs their name to it. So the Democrat representatives have signed their name, Senate and House, to this provision.
KOPPEL: In fact, a Democratic congressional source confirms that key Democrats were on board, telling CNN, "The agreement ensured the inspector-general could continue his work in Iraq for at least another year, and even then would give Congress another chance to weigh in."
(END VIDEOTAPE) KOPPEL: Still, in this highly charged political environment, just four days from midterm elections, Democrats aren't about to let go of a story that talks about even more problems in Iraq, even if, as it turns out, the premise may be questionable. And in the last several hours, Kitty, Democrats have fired off even more e-mails highlighting their spin on the story -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much.
Andrea Koppel.
Well, news about the auditor's dismissal comes one day after a huge contractor said it is pulling out of Iraq. Bechtel has completed nearly 100 projects at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of more than $2 billion. Fifty-two Bechtel workers were killed.
Well, a new example tonight of astonishing government bungling over Iraq. The Bush administration has shut down a government Web site about Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program. The site could have helped terrorists build a nuclear weapon.
Jamie McIntyre reports from the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Captured documents from the reign of Saddam Hussein left no doubt that the former Iraqi leader was seeking to build nuclear weapons back before the first Gulf War in 1991, but some of those documents posted on this U.S. military Web site for scholars to study may have constituted a basic guide to building an atom bomb, according to experts consulted by "The New York Times".
That set off alarm bills.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Obviously, we want to be in a position of protecting anything that might give an upper hand to people trying to build weapons of mass destruction.
MCINTYRE: "The Times" said about a dozen posted documents contained "charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy narratives" that go "beyond what is available elsewhere on the Internet," including "detailed information on nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives."
Questions raised by the newspaper prompted the office of director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, to immediately shut down the site and issue this statement: "... the material currently on the Web site, as well as the procedures used to post new documents, will be carefully monitored before the site becomes available again."
The documents were released last spring over the initial objections of Negroponte at the urging of Republicans in Congress, who argued they would help shed light on Iraq's WMD ambitions, but with the understanding that all two million documents, including many in Arabic, will be carefully screened. REP. PETE HOEKSTRA (R), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: The linguist will read the document, will share the information with the analyst, and then the analyst will make a decision as to whether that document should be released.
MCINTYRE: Hoekstra issued a statement in response to "The Times" report, saying, "I have always been clear that the director of National Intelligence should take whatever steps necessary to withhold sensitive documents." But critics argue the push to make the Iraqi documents public was a misguided attempt to find a justification for an unpopular war, a move that may now have backfired with an inadvertent lapse.
SPENCER BOYER, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: All it's done is made us less safe, having information like this that wasn't available publicly before on the Internet. And having countries like Iran and others who are seeking to have nuclear weapons programs have this information available to them, I think, is outrageous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The documents were all supposed to be subject to strict criteria to ensure that no sensitive nuclear weapons information was released. In addition to trying to figure out if that happened, U.S. government experts will also try to determine who may have downloaded the information while it was there on the Internet for the taking -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much.
Jamie McIntyre.
Still to come, legal immigrants from Latin America join the fight against illegal immigration.
We'll have a special report.
Also, new problems with e-voting machines just four days before the election.
And a stunning admission by one of the nation's most prominent pastors about his private life.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: A growing number of Hispanic-Americans tonight are strongly coming out against illegal alien amnesty and for strict enforcement of illegal immigration laws. They say illegal alien amnesty groups in no way speak for them.
Casey Wian reports from Escondido, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLAUDIA SPENCER, "YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME": We are fed up. And we say no amnesty.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Claudia Spencer is a legal immigrant from Mexico who is now a United States citizen. She's leading the newest chapter of the group, You Don't Speak for Me, which represents Latino Americans who favor border security and the enforcement of immigration laws.
SPENCER: All these illegal aliens are saying that they represent, they are speaking for Hispanic people. Well, we are Hispanics, and they don't speak for us.
WIAN: The group's national chairman is Albert Rodriguez, a World War II and Vietnam Army veteran.
ALBERT RODRIGUEZ, "YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME": We cannot accept this invasion from the south as we have it now.
WIAN: Others attending the rally included the San Diego minutemen and U.S. Congressman Brian Bilbray, who is also the son of a legal immigrant.
REP. BRIAN BILBRAY (R), CALIFORNIA: Anyone who even insinuates that we're going to reward illegal immigration must understand that it is a personal insult to every legal immigrant who played by the rules and followed the law. This is a personal assault on their integrity.
WIAN: Bilbray is in a tight congressional race with Francine Busby, who infamously told a group of immigrants in June that you don't need papers for voting.
(on camera): You Don't Speak for Me chose Escondido for its rally because the city council here recently voted to penalize landlords who rent to illegal aliens. They now make nearly 25 percent of Escondido's population.
(voice-over): The ACLU Friday filed a lawsuit to block the new law.
DAVID BLAIR-LOY, ACLU: Quite simply, this ordinance is abundantly illegal and unconstitutional. And before I get more into that, I want to say it's also inhumane.
WIAN: MALDEF, the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, supports the ACLU's lawsuit. It's one of the organizations these illegal immigrants say don't speak for them.
Casey Wian, Escondido, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Mexican federal police battled leftist rebels for a sixth straight day in Oaxaca, Mexico. Demonstrators demanding the overthrow of the Oaxaca government. They set buses and cars on fire. They rebuilt the barricades and readied the firebombs.
Mexican president Vicente Fox sent federal police to Oaxaca on Monday to end months of violent political unrest. Fox claimed on Monday that order and social harmony had been restored to Oaxaca.
Also tonight, communist China is aggressively expanding its military and economic influence across the globe. There is growing alarm over China's massive lending to African nations and its sweeping new energy deals.
Christine Romans reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Chinese soldier stands guard over a city playing host to 48 African leaders. In Beijing, billboards of African elephants and giraffes. Here, the opening ceremony welcoming almost every Africa leader.
Ethiopia's foreign minister extolling this growing relationship.
SEYOUM MESFIN, ETHIOPIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The last three years have witnessed (INAUDIBLE) in the volume of trade between Africa and China.
ROMANS: China securing billions of dollars in oil and mineral resources, and in return building railways and schools. But many see danger in these handshakes.
China giving Khartoum diplomatic cover as it tangles with the West over slaughter in Darfur. Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al- Bashir, accused of genocide, here opening a new embassy in China.
China rolling out the red carpet for Zimbabwe's president, who is a global pariah accused of impoverishing his people.
CAROLYN BARTHOLOMEW, U.S. CHINA COMMISSION: When you look at two -- two serious test cases, both Sudan and Zimbabwe, China is flunking the test of how a responsible player should be acting.
ROMANS: Sudan exports about $2 billion in crude oil each year, half to China. China is hungry for raw materials and for clout, hoping allies in Africa and Latin America will help it counter the United States on the world stage.
Also of growing concern to the West, China's lending practices, signing deals with regimes without including international standards fighting corruption and graft. China says it will not interfere in a country's domestic affairs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: So communist China grows ever closer to some of the world's most dangerous characters. Ironically, signing deals with American dollars. Nearly a trillion dollars in reserves put to use securing energy supplies, and some would say, Kitty, countering the United States diplomatically on the world stage.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much.
Christine Romans.
Well, still ahead, four days until Election Day, and citizens' groups say this nation is not ready. Early voting problems with e- voting machines are spreading nationwide.
We'll have a special report on that.
Also, we're live in Ohio, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., as candidates enter their final crucial weekend before the midterm elections.
And, did one of this nation's most powerful evangelical leaders pay for gay sex? Did he lose illegal drugs?
We'll have the latest on the sex scandal rocking this nation's evangelical movement.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: The people monitoring early voting on electronic voting machines are extremely worried tonight. Observers say what they've seen so far does not bode well for Tuesday, when a trickle of voters will become a flood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM (voice-over): With only four days to go to the midterm elections, and over 80 percent of all votes being counted by computerized systems, problems continue to mount with the electronic voting machines.
WARREN STEWART, VOTETRUSTUSA: There's already been some problems that have occurred during early voting. We have reports of votes flipping from one candidate to the other on touch screens. That's probably a calibration error. That's happened in Florida and South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas.
PILGRIM: Today alone, there have been reports of vote-flipping, broken equipment, candidate name errors, and missing smart cards.
SUSAN PYNCHON, FLORIDA FAIR ELECTIONS COALITION: I'm alarmed. I'm dismayed. I'm depressed at times about it, because it really is just such a severe situation. The public counting of our votes is one of the foundations of our democracy, and with these machines our votes are being counted in secret.
PILGRIM: For now, voters are stuck with the equipment and voter participation is more critical than ever.
LAWRENCE NORDEN, NYU BRENNAN CENTER: The most important lines of defense that we have against problems with the voting machines, while voters are voting, is the voters themselves. They are the only ones that see what's going on with the machine while they are voting.
PILGRIM: Voters are urged to play close attention while casting their ballots and speak up if anything goes wrong. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, one more thing. Most states are also now using computerized registration databases, and voters who believe their name has been improperly removed should request a provisional ballot and then follow-up to make sure their vote was counted.
Well, time now for your thoughts.
And Bob in Ohio writes us, "It amazes me just how hard and what long hours our lawmakers work during election time, seven days a week, nonstop. They always know how to solve all of the problems facing the country and the citizens. Well, please explain to me just what happens to all of that knowledge and that tremendous work ethic after they're elected into office. Is it the air in Washington?"
And Joe in Washington writes, "Lou, watching your show raises my blood pressure. Keep up the good work. I'll compensate with medication."
E-mail us at LouDobbs.com, and we'll have more of your thoughts a little bit later in the broadcast.
And each of you whose e-mail is read here will receive a copy of Lou's new book, "War on the Middle Class".
As we reported earlier, President Bush today said Democrats have no plan to win the war on terror. That's the subject of tonight's poll.
Do you believe that the Democrats have a plan to win in Iraq? Yes or no?
Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. And we'll bring you the results a little bit later in the broadcast.
And also, don't forget to join us this weekend as we begin LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK. It's each Saturday and Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, and it is a powerful look at this week's most important stories affecting you.
That's LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK, making it seven nights a week here on CNN for Lou Dobbs.
Coming up, he's not a Republican or a Democrat. But he's one congressional candidate who understands and addresses the worries of the American middle class. And we'll meet him.
Also, both chambers of Congress at stake? The best way to pick out the critical races is to follow the money.
We'll explain.
And thousands of evangelical parishioners are reeling over lurid accusations against Ted Haggard concerning a male prostitute.
We'll have the very latest on what the pastor says he did and did not do.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Tonight, one of this nation's most prominent evangelical pastors is making stunning new admissions about his private life. Reverend Ted Haggard said in an interview today that he bought crystal meth from Mike Jones, the male prostitute who says Haggard paid him for sex. Now, Haggard today still denies he had a sexual relationship with Mike Jones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. TED HAGGARD, NEW LIFE CHURCH: I called him to buy some meth, but I threw it away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And who were you buying the meth for?
HAGGARD: No one. I was buying it for me, but I never used it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you ever used meth before?
HAGGARD: No, I have not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So...
HAGGARD: And I did not ever use it with him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did you ever have sex with him?
HAGGARD: No, I did not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And at what point did you decide to throw away the meth?
HAGGARD: Right after. I never kept it very long because it's -- it was wrong. I was tempted. I bought it. But I never used it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how did you know that he would sell it to you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Haggard says he first contacted Jones because he wanted a massage and nothing more. But Jones said he had a three-year relationship with Haggard, and he told CNN's Don Lemon today that he never sold Haggard crystal meth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE JONES, HAGGARD'S ACCUSER: I did not provide him the meth.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK.
JONES: I did provide him initially the contact where he could get some.
LEMON: OK. He's saying he did not use it. Did he -- did you ever see him use it with you?
JONES: Absolutely.
LEMON: He did use it according to you.
JONES: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Mike Jones has partially failed a lie detector test. He says he went public with his relationship with Haggard to influence next week's vote across the country on amendments banning gay marriage.
Now, Haggard, a close Bush White House adviser, is a strong opponent of gay marriage, and Reverend Haggard has now resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
Well, the final push is on. It's the last weekend before Election Day. Candidates and supporters are rolling nonstop, and millions are being spent in states where the races are close.
In Connecticut, the Democrat who defeated Senator Joe Lieberman in the primary may find the tables turned this coming Tuesday, and in Chicago, a third-party candidate runs to make sure the voice of the middle-class is heard.
In Columbus, Ohio, Bob Franken reports on where the last-minute campaign troops and money are headed. Mary Snow is in Greenwich, Connecticut. She reports on what appears to be a Democrat versus Democrat election. Lisa Sylvester reports on the Illinois congressional race, where one of the candidates is banking on voters dissatisfaction with both major parties.
So we start with Bob Franken in Columbus -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kitty, it's just raining money, even more money, as this campaign comes to a close. Money and volunteers. But only in selected states.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): In some cases, they are taking money from one pocket and putting it into others. Republicans withholding resources, for instance, from Ohio Senator Mike DeWine, who has fallen behind.
By contrast, both sides are sparing no expense in Missouri's Senate race, where incumbent Jim Talent is in a fight truly too close to call.
In Montana, where the GOP's Conrad Burns is in a battle for his political life, President Bush tried to help Thursday.
In Virginia, where the incumbent George Allen is still neck and neck with the Democrat, in spite of one campaign blunder after another.
And Tennessee, where the crucial race is sometimes clouded by the issue of race.
And in the battle for the House, Democrats need 15 seats to take control, and they are spreading their wealth and hopes to a growing number of districts, as many as 60, now gearing up for a final push, including this one here in Ohio -- a genuine tossup.
REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: I'm Deborah Pryce, and this is my message.
MARY JO KILROY (D-HO), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I'm Mary Jo Kilroy. That's where I stand and why I approved this message.
FRANKEN: But this goes way beyond the TV ads. Here, there, and everywhere, the ground war is spreading.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks again, we appreciate your support. Have a good day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a Democratic household.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
FRANKEN: Supporters of Democratic candidates like Mary Jo Kilroy here are going door to door, trying to keep step with the Republicans in their highly successful 72-hour program to get out the vote.
KILROY: All of us together can counteract this 72-hour program the Republicans are already -- are always bragging about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll need you another couple nights.
FRANKEN: It has made a big difference for GOP candidates across the country, like Deborah Pryce.
PRYCE: We have the mechanism on the ground. We have it all locked and loaded. We just need to get the people to do the job.
FRANKEN: Much of that job is done out of sight, in direct-mail centers and in phone banks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is Dan. I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of the Republican Party.
FRANKEN: They are calling from both parties.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we count you on for some volunteer time to help elect Mary Jo?
FRANKEN: And one of the most interesting races of all is the one taking place in the West Palm Beach, Florida district that used to be a lock for the GOP's Mark Foley -- the same Mark Foley whose e-mail scandal is causing problems for Republicans everywhere. A nearly $2 million GOP cash infusion on behalf of the write-in replacement seems to have paid off. Incredibly, it's now a tossup.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: And pity the poor person who wants to avoid all this, because the candidates run and you can't hide -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Busy weekend. Thanks very much, Bob Franken.
Well, in Connecticut's Democratic primary, Senate incumbent Joe Lieberman learned how the state's Democrats felt about his support for the war in Iraq. They turned him out. And now with the election just days away, independent Joe Lieberman is way out in front of the pack. So Mary Snow reports from Greenwich, Connecticut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, CONNECTICUT: Praise the Lord, and praise the voters of Connecticut!
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator Joseph Lieberman thanked Hispanic clergymen for endorsing him in what he called a pivotal moment in his difficult campaign. The 18-year veteran senator is leading the polls as an independent candidate against Ned Lamont, the political newcomer who launched a stunning upset and defeated Lieberman in the Democratic primary.
LIEBERMAN: I'm encouraged, because the polls show that I'm continuing to enjoy support across party lines from people who are fed up with the partisanship in Washington.
SNOW: The main issue has been Iraq, an issue that put Ned Lamont on the map.
NED LAMONT (D-CT), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I got in this race about a year ago, because I really believe that George Bush is driving this country into a ditch, and Joe Lieberman has one hand on the steering wheel!
SNOW: Lamont has tried to portray Lieberman as being too cozy with the Bush administration. And even though Lieberman has tried to distance himself from the White House, it is clear he gets the president's support.
BUSH: This summer, we saw what happens when a Democrat rejects his party's doctrine of cut and run. Senator Joe Lieberman, a three- term Democrat from Connecticut, supports completing the mission in Iraq.
SNOW: Republican Allen Schlesinger has barely registered with voters, so Lieberman has Republican and independent support that has put him 12 points ahead in the polls, despite the fact colleagues like Senator John Kerry, seen here last month, traveled to Connecticut to support Lamont.
Lieberman portrays his challenger as a one-issue candidate who is inexperienced, but is not taking anything for granted. LIEBERMAN: But this ain't over. I mean, I am running against a guy with very deep pockets, who is willing to say and do about anything to get elected.
SNOW: In the final push, Lamont is bringing it back to the Iraq war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A vote for Joe Lieberman means more war.
SNOW: Lamont is touring the state in his bus, hoping for a late upsurge, putting another $1 million of his own money into the campaign.
LAMONT: We thought it was important, you know. Joe is hitting us pretty hard on the TV right now. We've got to be able to respond. But more importantly, we've got to give people a voice, a voice for real change in Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And with that money, has come an ad blitz. Actor Paul Newman is featured in one of the latest ads supporting Ned Lamont. Lamont himself has put in roughly $12 million of his own money into his campaign, but he has been outspent by the Lieberman camp, which has shelled out roughly $14 million.
Some of the latest ads for Lieberman shows voters where to find him on the ballots, since he'll be running as an independent, and a new poll out today shows that Lieberman is still holding a 12-point lead over Lamont, with the Republican candidate in the single digits.
And, Kitty, while Lieberman is running as an independent, he has repeatedly said that if he wins, he will continue to be a Democrat -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much, Mary Snow.
Well, voters across the country tonight are fed up with both political parties -- some are -- Democrats and Republicans alike. But an independent third-party candidate is poised to make a difference in Illinois's Eighth Congressional District. Lisa Sylvester reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill Scheurer is sure of one thing -- that he has a chance of winning Illinois's eighth congressional seat. Never mind the polls. They show the independent candidate with only 8 percent of the vote; Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean at 42 percent, Republican David McSweeney at 39 percent.
BILL SCHEURER (I), ILLINOIS CONG. CANDIDATE: The country's going in such a bad direction in so many important areas that I felt that really, as a matter of conscience, calling me to stand up and do something, because the two political parties are really in it together, and they are not doing anything to help the American people. SYLVESTER: Scheurer is running under the banner of the Moderate Party. It has no national structure, just a bunch of independent Illinois supporters, who felt that Washington politicians are not looking out for the American working family, only special interests.
SCHEURER: I don't think they ever saw themselves as representing the people. Not the way that campaigns are financed in the country today. They know who are they are representing, they know who paid for their campaigns, they know who sent them there. That's why we get the bad laws and bad representation we get, no matter which party you send to Washington.
SYLVESTER: On jobs, he opposes uncontrolled immigration and unfair trade agreements. The budget deficit, he calls it a $30,000 birth tax on every newborn. On health care, he points out one out of three of his neighbors is without adequate health insurance, a moral and business failure.
Nationally, it's expected to be the best year for independents since 1914. Political observers expect 6 percent of all voters to pick someone other than a Democrat or Republican at the top of the ticket.
RICHARD WINGER, BALLOT ACCESS NEWS: People got really mad at the Democrats about 10 years ago, and they remember why they are mad at the Democrats, but plenty of those same people are really mad at the Republicans now.
SYLVESTER: Scheurer may not win the election, but he hopes to win his point, that there are more than two-party choices out there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER: Among independent voters, Scheurer has 20 percent of the vote, and he has received financial backing from several unions, including the Teamsters and United Steel Workers -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much, Lisa Sylvester.
Well, coming up, our panel of political experts is here and they'll weigh in on what campaign strategists will pull out of their hats this last weekend before the election.
Also, our tribute to the country's servicemen and women who put their lives on the line around the world. Tonight, former Marine Tim Cook, he did three tours in Iraq and now he's back again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Congressman Bob Ney this afternoon announced he's resigning his seat immediately. He faced intense pressure to resign after pleading guilty to corruption charges last month. Now, Ney admitted receiving money, gifts and other favors from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Until today, he had refused to resign until his sentencing in January. Joining me tonight to discuss the latest from the campaign trail, just four days left before the election, Republican strategist and former Reagan White House political director Ed Rollins, Michael Goodwin of the "New York Daily News" and Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman.
And, gentlemen, thanks for being here.
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you.
PILGRIM: Let's start with the evangelical fallout today. Do you see this as really factoring in or not, or is it a last-minute distraction?
ROLLINS: I think it's a last-minute distraction. I think it's a personal tragedy, and I think obviously, you have to wait and see what the situation is, but it's certainly not going to drive any evangelicals away from the polls. I think those that are going to vote are going to vote because they care about the issues and I think that, you know, if this man did what he's being accused of, it's a hypocrisy issue as opposed to a political issue.
MICHAEL GOODWIN, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": I think it's also he's not a household name, I think, for most people, so within the evangelical community, he matters but I think for most people it's -- he doesn't rise to the level. It's hard to get outraged over it.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I see it a little differently, in the context of -- obviously, it's a terrible tragedy for his family and especially for his parishioners, I might add, but in addition to that, I think many people are just disgusted by the way there has been this desire, especially by the Republican right wing, to use religion in politics and to exploit religion in politics.
And I think that's a factor to consider, because ultimately we've see now, according to the Pew Research Center, the evangelical vote is now depressed by about 25 percent. Bush has lost tremendous ground there, and this is another example of why I think evangelicals might be frustrated.
PILGRIM: All right. Now that we have that out of the way, let's go to some polls, which, of course, just before the election, we have to turn to the polls. And let's look at this one. It's the voters most concerned about the Iraq war.
A "New York Times"/CBS News poll shows that 34 percent of those polled approve of the way that President Bush is handling his job as president, and also 29 percent of individuals approve of the way the president is managing the war. And they -- I guess 69 percent say they do not think the president has a clear plan for dealing with the situation in Iraq, the war.
ROLLINS: The Democrats, from day one, wanted to make this a referendum on the war and on the president's popularity. Republican members wanted to make it a referendum on the job they did back home. Unfortunately, the president has made a major assist in making the Democrats have it front and center. And if the last three or four days it's about the Iraq war and what have you, I think it's going to hurt Republican candidates.
PILGRIM: And certainly it's been in the forefront of the news, though, because of the high casualty rate, though.
GOODWIN: Right, and I think the president going out there sort of defending, defending, defending what he's doing I think is a mistake. A couple of weeks ago, we saw a little bit of softening, a little bit of suggestion of flexibility, and I think that was clearly aimed at getting off the stay the course mantra. Now he seems to be back in the kind of iron fist, defending Rumsfeld, I don't get it.
PILGRIM: It does seem a little confusing that the stay the course was dropped and then we still ...
ZIMMERMAN: You know, it's very interesting you bring that up, because in fairness to our colleague, Ed Rollins, had the Republicans followed the Rollins doctrine and run this campaign on the local issues, on issues of what local House members and Senate members have done in their states and in their districts, then it might be a very different environment.
But this Republican Congress gave George Bush a blank check across the board in Iraq, really never asked -- never provided the proper oversight or accountability. By their own admission they acknowledged that, and so you instead have an environment now where they are wedded to the Bush administration record, and I think it's very interesting, because it's not just George Bush defending his incompetence in Iraq. Worse than that, it's attacking the patriotism of those who don't.
ROLLINS: Individual members, though -- and there is hundreds of new commercials put on the air today, these closing days, and I think one of the things that we're fascinated with, more money will be spent in this congressional election than in the presidential election that was a historic high last time. And more money's being spent here and more commercials have been run, but no commercials are being run with the president. There's one ...
ZIMMERMAN: We Democrats are doing that.
ROLLINS: There's one -- right, there's one candidate in Utah in a very safe 80 percent Republican district, so the candidates are running local spots. And they clearly are trying to pull it back and not debate the war.
PILGRIM: Well, this is all politics are local theory?
ROLLINS: It is all politics are local, and that's the only thing that is going to salvage some of these Republicans.
ZIMMERMAN: There is one other Republican member of Congress who is running with the president. It's Congressman Shaw from Florida who is talking about his close relationship with President Clinton.
ROLLINS: And Santorum is too.
GOODWIN: Yes. But on the other hand, Nancy Pelosi shows up in a lot of Republican ads. So I think both of them are trying to tar the other team with kind of their weakest performers. So, look, I think there's no question the Democrats are in a great position right now. Whether they can take both houses, you know, the Senate is still a question. The House seems pretty far gone.
PILGRIM: OK. We're going to take a break. We'll be back with more questions. First, our panel is staying with us, and we do want you to vote in tonight's poll. Now, do you believe the Democrats have a plan to win in Iraq? Yes or no. Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll bring you the results in just a few minutes.
And coming up, we'll have more of our political panel.
Also ahead, we have "Heroes", and tonight a former marine who has seen more history in a few years than most people see in a lifetime. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: We'd really like you to vote in tonight's poll. Do you believe the Democrats have a plan to win in Iraq? Yes or no. And that's something I'd like to pose to the panel also.
What do you think, Ed?
ROLLINS: You know, the Democrats are going to be in an awkward position, because the president is going to control how long we stay in. All they can do is cut off the resources or they can basically subpoena generals and make them tell what the story is, but they don't have the authority to basically pull troops out or change the alteration of the plan.
GOODWIN: Democrats do not have a plan for winning the war in Iraq. However, I think the public is so disgusted with the war that it's not holding the Democrats' feet to the fire on the issue.
PILGRIM: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: I think Democrats have an important role to play here, and just as Ed said, by demanding oversight hearings, which have not been held to this date, and getting the facts out there, that's the only way we're going to be able to formulate an aggressive plan and certainly the Democrats have put a number of ideas on the table from phased redeployment to focusing on Afghanistan and going after Osama bin Laden.
And George Bush's message is, vote -- reelect Republicans, because the Democrats can't clean up the mess we Republicans created. It is not a compelling message.
PILGRIM: All right, you know, I want to get to a couple of races. I know we could go all day on this one. President Bush campaigned for Jim Talent in Missouri. He's in a dead hit with his opponent, who's Democrat Claire McCaskill, and this sort of refrain of what's your plan, what's your plan? Let's listen to what was said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On the issue that will determine the security of this country, the Democrats have taken a calculated gamble. They believe that the only way they can win this election is to criticize us and offer no specific plan of their own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZIMMERMAN: Brings back memories of President Bush in Virginia, just before the election trying to pull the vote for the Republican candidates for governor. And he did it and of course it was designed to motivate the base and what it did was mobilize Democrats. I think this strategy will backfire here like it did in Virginia.
ROLLINS: Well, he took a calculated risk, because this is the ultimate swing state and if for some reason Talent loses, Bush will be blamed for this last closing days and I think the race is so close that no one is going to know what difference it makes.
PILGRIM: All right. Yes.
GOODWIN: Right, I think Iraq is not popular anywhere, and so I think that kind of shoving it down people's throats in the last few days, goes against Ed's advice about trying to make it local, try to get it off Iraq, which is an unpopular topic for Republicans.
PILGRIM: Let's go to another race, Arizona. Now, the incumbent Senator Jon Kyl barely maintaining a lead over the incumbent, Jim Pederson, and let's look at the latest poll. It shows four-point lead over Pederson, Jon Kyl 46, Jim Pederson 41. What's your call on this?
ROLLINS: This is a big surprise. Kyl has been a very effective member. Arizona has been viewed as a Republican state although it's a changing state, and if this is an upset, then clearly the Democrats will have the Senate.
GOODWIN: Yes, I think that's what this says. This says that there's a tide sweeping through the country now and I think that this could be one of the things that just gets caught up in the last push.
ZIMMERMAN: Mike's point is very important, in the sense that you're seeing a changing demographic politically where the Democrats are now in play in Idaho, in Colorado, in Wyoming, in Arizona, in Nevada.
You're seeing really the Democrats expand their base in the western states and in the mountain states. And I think, also, Howard Dean's strategy of a 50-state strategy, building local party organizations beyond the traditional base, has worked effectively. PILGRIM: It's really interesting. OK last -- I think we have just time for one more, New Jersey. Senate race, ethics battle complete, Corzine has now decided to publicly back the fellow Democratic Bob Menendez, and the recent polls show Menendez has a slight lead over Tom Kean Jr., 49 to 44.
ROLLINS: Corzine had no choice. He appointed him, he has to make it work for him, still a very close race, and I can't tell you who is going to win in the end.
GOODWIN: I think that's another example of how not only blue New Jersey is but the sweep that's going on. And Menendez is so tainted by the corruption charges. I mean, he's the guy who's actually putting his money his pocket, it looks like, and yet he can win this race. I think it's just a sweep.
ZIMMERMAN: Bottom line is commercials for both sides are so offensive I think the voters are disgusted by the whole tone of the campaign, but New Jersey -- but Bush's unpopularity in New Jersey is so profound, 27 percent approval, it's going to help Menendez and he's going to win.
PILGRIM: I wish we had more time for more races, though we'll get there. Ed Rollins, Michael Goodwin, Robert Zimmerman, thank you for being here.
ROLLINS: Thank you very much.
GOODWIN: Thank you.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
And still ahead, tonight's "Heroes." We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Now, the results of our poll. Just over half of you say the Democrats have a plan to win in Iraq.
And time now for "Heroes," our weekly salute to this nation's brave men and women in uniform. And tonight, the story of former Marine Colonel (sic) Tim Cook. He was an up-and-coming executive in New York City when tragedy struck on 9/11 and it inspired him to fight for his country.
Alex Quade has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CPL. TIM COOK, U.S. MARINE CORPS: OK, here we go.
ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Corporal Tim Cook has seen a lot of combat on three tours in Iraq.
COOK: The first one was real tough. We got rocketed and mortared daily. QUADE: He wasn't always a marine. The 29-year-old was a highly paid insurance investigator near the World Trade Center.
COOK: I looked up and I'm like looking at the plane. I'm like, wait a second, and when everything started coming down, you know, we were running in smoke and stuff. I was covered in it, and once that happened, they couldn't get me in quick enough. I was like, look, I said I want to leave now.
QUADE: Cook joined the Marine as a grunt, at the lowest pay grade. Then came the war in Iraq. His dark side battalion fought through mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire to take a key bridge, and when they made it to Baghdad, they helped topple Saddam's statue.
On Cook's second tour ...
COOK: Every corner you went around, somebody was shooting at you. Every house that you opened the door in might have blown up in your face.
QUADE: He fought in the battle to retake Falluja, house by house.
COOK: So here I am now, back in Iraq the third time.
QUADE: Back in Falluja. Battle hardened, Cook's unit provide security, maintaining control of the area.
COOK: I've done my part. I can now say, you know, I served my country. I'm glad, no regrets, and I can always look back on it.
QUADE: A year later, fresh out of the Corps, we catch up with him at Ground Zero.
COOK: It still angers me, basically when I go over to the Times Square Marine Office and sign back up I guess.
QUADE: After three tours in combat, you'd think he's satisfied the need to serve his country. The Marine Corps says that is what defines a hero, and awarded him nine medals and ribbons for fighting in Iraq.
COOK: To me, medals and ribbons don't mean anything.
QUADE (on camera): What does?
COOK: Actions. Definitely actions. Getting out, I guess. Getting your hands dirty, doing stuff for the other people around you, doing stuff for the guy standing next to you, doing stuff to keep them safe, doing stuff to keep yourself safe. Just mainly actions.
QUADE (voice-over): Tim Cook is still trying to keep others safe, working for the U.S. State Department, back in Iraq.
Alex Quade, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: We wish him all the best.
And thanks for being with us tonight. Don't forget to join us this weekend for Lou Dobbs this week each Saturday and Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. And Lou will be back on Monday. Have a great weekend and stay with us for our special presentation, "DEMOCRACY AT RISK."
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