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Allegations of Drugs, Male Prostitute Dog Evangelical Leader, Chaos in Baghdad Expected Following Verdict in Saddam Trial; Military Periodicals Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation

Aired November 04, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The clock is winding down to Tuesday's mid-term elections. President Bush spends these final days hitting the campaign trail hard.
And Monday's editorial in the "Army Times" calls for the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, to resign. I'll ask the senior managing editor why.

And he gave up a successful career to serve three tours in Iraq. Why this decorated former Marine says he'd go right back to combat.

This is THE CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Carol Lin.

Let's first catch you up on the headlines.

President Bush doing some last minute campaigning for Republicans this weekend. With three days left until the mid-term elections, polls predict losses for the GOP, especially in the House.

And lockdown in Iraq -- an open-ended curfew goes into effect shortly in Baghdad and two other provinces plagued by violence. The government fears possible chaos after tomorrow's expected verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein.

The "Army Times" wants President Bush to fire Donald Rumsfeld. The publication will run-an editorial on Monday calling for Rumsfeld's removal. In about 15 minutes, we'll hear from the senior managing editor of the "Military Times" newspapers.

Denver police say they are watching the Ted Haggard case unfold to see if any laws were broken. Yesterday, the Evangelical pastor acknowledged buying crystal meth, although he says he never took any of it. And Haggard now concedes he did get a massage from the man who accuses him of paying for sex. But Haggard still maintains no sex occurred.

Up first this hour, President Bush tries to pull out some wins during trying times. If the polls are right, his Republican Party is headed for trouble in Tuesday's mid-term elections.

But as CNN's Elaine Quijano reports, Mr. Bush is still slugging away.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rock star welcome for President Bush at a rally for GOP faithful in Colorado.

(APPLAUSE)

QUIJANO: Despite polls predicting Republicans will lose control of at least the House and possibly the Senate, the president revealed hold on hint of discouragement. He touted a drop in the unemployment rate, now at a five year low of 4.4 percent and said driving the economy are Republican supported tax cuts.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you vote Democrat, you're voting for a tax increases. And if you're voting Republican, you're voting for lower taxes and a stronger economy.

QUIJANO: And to underscore the message, surrounding himself with small business owners near Denver and delivering his usually taped weekly radio address live.

BUSH: The main reason for our growing economy is that we cut taxes.

QUIJANO: Yet with just days until the mid-term elections, Democrats, in their radio address, focused on what they say are domestic and foreign policy failures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM DEMOCRATIC RADIO RESPONSE)

LOIS MURPHY (D), U.S. HOUSE CANDIDATE: No matter how many generals say Rumsfeld should go, our president and his Republican Congress have promised not to change a thing if they are returned to power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Adding to the debate -- a renewed call expected Monday by a prominent publisher of independent newspapers geared toward military personnel for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to be replaced.

A senior managing editor for the "Army Times" publishing group says the editorial was prompted by President Bush recently saying he intended to keep both Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney in place until the end of his term.

A Pentagon spokesman said the criticism "does not include commanders in the field, who remain committed to the mission. The assertion, without evidence, that senior military officers are towing the line, is an insult to their judgment and integrity."

One analyst says the timing of the editorial won't help Republicans.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, "L.A. TIMES": It underscores the gap between the way many Americans feel about the direction in Iraq and, of course, the administration's offering. And I think it becomes more of a problem for Republican candidates. QUIJANO: Still, not surprisingly, the president and his aides are conveying optimism, hoping that their efforts to energize the Republican base will be enough to carry GOP candidates over the finish line on Tuesday.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, traveling with the president in Greeley, Colorado.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Coming up in 13 minutes, the senior managing editor of the "Military Times" papers joins us to talk about that Rumsfeld editorial calling for him to resign or leave.

Now, the war in Iraq and a series of scandals are hurting GOP efforts nationwide, as well.

Case in point -- Ohio, where a powerful House member has a tight race and a Republican Senate seat is teetering on the brink.

CNN's Bob Franken joins us live now from Columbus -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello.

You can see that the CNN Election Express is in Ohio and it's a good thing that it is, because this is a state that typically is representative of the nation. And here we have Republicans in trouble, including many who aren't usually in trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Congresswoman Deborah Pryce, who is fourth ranking Republican in the House, usually hasn't had to battle this hard. But this time, she had a huge fight to get back to the toss-up category.

She was knocked for a loop a few weeks ago by the Mark Foley scandal and the controversy that swirled around House leaders like Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Her Democratic opponent, County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy, took full advantage on the fact that Pryce had once called Foley a friend. Kilroy took out a hard-hitting radio spot on Christian stations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM MARY JO KILROY RADIO AD)

MARY JO KILROY (D-OH), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: No wonder Pryce refused to criticize Hastert for ignoring the Foley problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: The campaign has moved on and Pryce has fought back from the eight point deficit in the polls after Foley exploded to statistically even. But the bitter taste lingers.

REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R-OH), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: It's a non- issue. My opponent overplayed her hand on a non-issue.

FRANKEN: Her opponent, Mary Jo Kilroy, obviously disagrees. But the campaign has moved forward.

KILROY: The biggest issue is that she has been part of the Republican leadership that has the wrong set of priorities, taking our country in the wrong direction.

FRANKEN: Though Foley has been relegated somewhat to the background, Republicans are dealing with the many ethics scandals swirling around their party, particularly in Ohio. Bob Ney, for instance, who was awaiting prison for corruption charges while a member of Congress, comes from a neighboring district. The potential spillover to Pryce could be a challenge to her.

In the meantime, Kilroy and Pryce hurl their taunts on other matters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Candidate Mary Jo Kilroy said she wouldn't raise taxes. But just a year later, Kilroy cast the deciding vote to double the county sales tax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who voted against a combat bonus for the troops but took a $30,000 pay raise for himself?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deborah Pryce.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deborah Pryce. Pryce is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FRANKEN: And that's a key House of Representatives race.

In the Senate race here in Ohio, the Republican incumbent, DeWine, is eight points behind, according to a CNN Opinion Research poll, behind the Democrat, Sherrod Brown -- Carol.

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Bob.

Appreciate it.

We're going to be following all the elections through this election day and beyond. We're going to bring you the latest updates from 7:00 to midnight Eastern. Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn and Lou Dobbs are all part of the best political team on television.

Then at midnight, election coverage continues with a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." You're going to hear from the night's winners and losers all across the country.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

LIN: All right, we're going to turn now to the Colorado church scandal. You might recall Evangelist Ted Haggard is in trouble with his flock. And there has been new developments in this case, allegations that he bought drugs and had sex with a male prostitute.

Our Sean Callebs is in Colorado Springs with more on this -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Carol.

We're right in front of the church that the Reverend Haggard started back in 1985, the New Life Church here in Colorado Springs.

Significant information. He is out now as pastor of the church that he started more than 30 years ago. He was forced to resign his very powerful position as president of the National Association of Evangelicals when word of this scandal broke.

I want to read you from the six paragraph news release from the overseer board: "We, the overseer board of the New Life Church have concluded our deliberations concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard. Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt he has committed sexually immoral conduct."

It goes on to say that: "After consultation with leading Evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behavior Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal."

By the tone of this letter, this is going to happen immediately, Carol.

We know -- we talked to one of the associate pastors yesterday, today. They were supposed to play some kind of taped statement from Pastor Haggard during the services tomorrow, Sunday services, at 9:00 and 11:00 local. That will not happen.

Instead, they are going to read a letter of explanation and apology by Pastor Haggard, as well as a word of encouragement from his wife.

And think about this -- the allegations really focus on more than one individual. As president of the NAE, which he's just stepped down from, he represented 30 million people nationwide. Think about that. That represents one in 10 people in the U.S. under that broad umbrella. This was a very powerful man, both spirituality and politically.

But as of now, he has simply been removed from any -- any activity with his church, as well as Evangelicals.

This is certainly going to send some shock waves through this area here in Colorado Springs, which really is the nerve center for the Evangelical movement in the U.S. -- Carol.

LIN: Well, Sean, what about criminal charges?

Is he going to be arrested? Hasn't he admitted to buying the drugs?

CALLEBS: He admitted to buying crystal meth. I believe it's about $200 worth. We talked to the Denver police yesterday. They said they are "looking into this." They do not say it was an investigation. But they want to speak with the parties involved, both Pastor Haggard, as well as the accuser, Mike Jones, a former gay prostitute who lives in Denver.

Now, Jones also alleges he had a three year sexual relationship with Haggard. Haggard has denied that.

Also, Jones -- we should point this out -- failed a polygraph test when specifically asked if he had a sexual relationship with Haggard.

But this much is clear -- Haggard says he did contact Jones first in a phone call. Haggard says he was recommended from a concierge and went there for a...

LIN: Massage.

CALLEBS: ... massage.

LIN: Yes.

CALLEBS: But Jones said it was -- yes.

But Jones said it was much more than that and really, Jones said the timing of this is no accident, as well. The mid-term elections coming up this Tuesday. Jones said he did this now to get the most damage, basically, he could out of these sensational allegations. He says he wanted to show what he calls the hypocrisy of Haggard and other members of the religious right.

LIN: Right.

CALLEBS: As a...

LIN: He said he came out...

CALLEBS: As a...

LIN: He came out to say something about this alleged affair and the drugs because Haggard supports a ban on gay marriage in the state...

CALLEBS: Right. And there...

LIN: ... which is something that's on the ballot on Tuesday.

CALLEBS: It is on the ballot. It's on the ballot here. It basically states that for marriage to be legal, it must be between a man and a woman. And it's on the ballot in a number of other states, as well. And, really, the Evangelicals have been the ones spearheading the fight against gay marriages throughout the U.S.

This is very significant, though. I don't think a lot of people in the church thought that any kind of dismissal would happen this quickly. A lot of people thought this would be a very long, thoughtful investigation. But the word came down almost instantly. The members of the four member overseer board -- it's also interesting that Haggard is the one that set up this board.

The ministers on this overseer board have no connection with New Life Church. They make up a -- from a minister in Baton Rouge, two here in Colorado Springs, one in Denver. They came in Thursday and within 72 hours decided that Haggard is simply out.

LIN: All right, Sean Callebs, thank you very much for breaking that news on the program.

We're going to be following this story throughout the evening, as well as all things happening in Iraq.

In fact, right now Iraq is bracing for the fallout from tomorrow's expected verdict in the Saddam Hussein trial.

Plus, a woman who lost both her legs in Iraq now fighting on the political front.

And America Votes 2006 -- live coverage of some of the most heated races on the West Coast.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The long-awaited decision in Saddam Hussein's first trial may take a little bit longer. His lawyers want a 60-day delay before the verdict is handed down.

Now, at the same time, security officials in Iraq are getting ready for possible bloodshed from Hussein loyalists if they don't like the verdict when it does come.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bracing, perhaps, for a spike in violence ahead of Sunday's verdict in the Saddam Hussein trial, Iraq's government has announced a ban on all traffic, both in terms of people in cars in the capital province and two others. It has also announced the closure of Baghdad International Airport starting Sunday. Both the curfew and the closure until further notice.

Sunday is when we expect to see Saddam Hussein in court after a year long process in this, the first of perhaps 12 trials he could face, hearing both the verdict and the sentence.

He has been charged with crimes against humanity. He could face the death penalty or life in prison.

It is the first time that international law has been tried in a domestic court, the first time that someone charged with crimes against humanity has been tried in the country where those alleged atrocities took place. But while it is legal precedent in the writing, many critics say it has been written clumsily. The chief judge has been replaced, three defense lawyers have been killed, there have been multiple breaks, multiple outbursts by the defendants, boycotts by both them and their lawyers.

Now, all of that said, there will be an appellate process after the verdict Sunday if Saddam is found guilty, if he is sentenced to either life in prison or the death penalty. That automatic appeals process kicks in. But there is no timetable as to when that has to be finished by.

Keep in mind, Saddam is also in the midst of his second trial, for the Anfal campaign.

So a big day Sunday, the end of the Dujail trial. But this entire process enters somewhat murky legal ground on Monday.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Now, we will be following that case pretty closely because we were expecting to hear a verdict tomorrow.

In the meantime, the U.S. government wants to keep a terror suspect from getting a civilian lawyer for his upcoming trial. The Bush administration says that could jeopardize closely guarded interrogation techniques. The Justice Department says disclosing those secrets could help terrorists and keep the CIA from gathering information to prevent future attacks.

Now, there is also another public call for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to quit. The independent publication "Army Times" makes it that -- that call in an editorial coming out on Monday.

Now, here's what it says: "Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large. His strategy has failed and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt."

Well, it's a statement echoed by Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: So when we have a uniform statement and a comment that is applicable to all the services, that they've lost confidence in the secretary of defense, it's really time for that secretary of defense to go because we're talking now about the risking of American troops' lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: White House Spokesman Tony Snow calls it old news.

So let's talk with the writer himself, Robert Hodierne.

He is the senior managing editor for the "Army Times" and he joins me live from Washington.

Robert, good to have you.

Your editorial is, well, stirring up what appears to be a hornet's nest in Washington. A lot of reaction just in the last hour.

I want to share with you what the Pentagon also had to say a short time ago in a statement. It says that the new "chorus of criticism noted by the editorials is actually old news and does not include commanders in the field, who remain committed to the mission. The assertion, without evidence, that senior military officers are "towing the line" is an insult to their judgment and integrity."

What's your reaction, Robert?

ROBERT HODIERNE, "ARMY TIMES" PUBLICATIONS: Well, it's not an insult at all. In fact, it's a testament to their honor and their integrity. We have a 200 year tradition of the military being subordinate to civil authority and you're not going to find clear, loud statements from active serving officers saying that their civilian boss should be fired.

So the fact that they aren't doing that and that they are towing the line is a testament to their honor.

LIN: Well, but when you say Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, on what facts do you base that statement?

HODIERNE: We have a newsroom full of 100 people who spend their -- all their professional life dealing with military issues. And we talk with people at all levels in the military on a constant basis. And I think that we hear things that -- that we suspect that Rumsfeld, Secretary Rumsfeld, also hears. The difference is that I think that we're paying attention to them.

LIN: And paying attention and the editorial coming out just one day before the election, was this timed to come out right before the election on Tuesday?

HODIERNE: No. It was -- the timing was the result of two things.

One, we were hearing a growing chorus of voices within the military saying this just isn't working with this guy in charge. And then last week, when the president sort of renewed his vows with Secretary Rumsfeld and said the secretary was going to be here for the balance of the president's term, that's what provoked to write at this point.

LIN: Is it fair to say, though, that this editorial running in the "Army Times," the "Air Force Times," the "Navy Times," a "Marine Corps Times," this is a series of publications owned by Gannett. This is not a professional military publication. No direct connection with these different military branches, right?

HODIERNE: Well, we think of ourselves as very professional. But you're right, yes, it's not part of the military. We are...

LIN: And the implication of that, the "Army Times" coming out and making this statement, I mean it's accurate to say that it doesn't have any more weight, per se, than if the "New York Times" came out and called for Rumsfeld's resignation or the "Los Angeles Times" or any other publication?

HODIERNE: Well, I think the difference is that our focus and all of our resources are aimed at covering issues that are of particular peculiar interest to people in the military. It's been our focus for 60 years. We occupy, we think, a special place in the lives of people in the military.

LIN: Well, you know what, Robert?

Clearly, you've hit a nerve. You realize that.

HODIERNE: Well, you know, one hopes that when you're writing that somebody's listening.

LIN: And they certainly are. Reaction from the White House and the Pentagon just in the last couple of hours.

Robert, a pleasure to have you on the program.

HODIERNE: Always a pleasure, Carol.

Thank you.

LIN: Well, a veteran of the Iraq war running for office for the first time gets some unusual support.

Plus, so-called partial birth abortions head to the nation's highest court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

LIN: And this story just broke moments ago.

We are following the Pastor Ted Haggard and we have just heard from his church board. The board of the New Life Church has met and they have decided -- and I'm reading from a statement here from the board -- that pastor -- the pastor will be relieved of his position. They are saying that they're removing him from his position and that they are still trying to decide whether to discipline him in any other way that they deem necessary.

Pastor Haggard involved in allegations by a former gay male prostitute that Pastor Haggard bought methamphetamine drugs from him and also had sex with him.

The church group is asking for their congregation to continue to pray for Ted Haggard, as well as his family. The statement saying: "We will get through this together. Remember, New Life Church has never been a man or a building or anything else. We are a family."

But a family that has now, for all intents and purposes, fired its father.

We're following this story very closely.

On to the election now.

Republicans say there are lots of issues to consider in Tuesday's elections, like the economy, same-sex marriage, which is the issue in Colorado, were Ted Haggard's controversy is raging right now.

But many Democrats argue that Iraq is this vote's defining issue. That's particularly true for a candidate running for Congress in Illinois.

Candy Crowley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): If November '06 is a political explosion that shakes up Washington, the fuse was lit in late summer of '04 when, for the first time, a majority of Americans turned sour on the war.

That winter, Major Tammy Duckworth of the Army National Guard was in a hospital bed, recovering from the loss of both legs. She had lots of time to think.

TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: And I did my research and I realized that only two members of the entire Congress had a child serving in Iraq. And I thought these people -- these people are not making the same sacrifice our troops make every single day. And, you know, so here I am -- a lot less sleep later, a few more miles on my wheelchair.

CROWLEY (on camera): Still standing, right?

DUCKWORTH: Still standing.

CROWLEY: Yes.

DUCKWORTH: Yes.

CROWLEY (voice-over): She is the Democratic candidate in Illinois's 6th Congressional District on the outskirts of Chicago. She is one of a half dozen vets who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan recruited by Democrats to run-for office. Her story and her chances brought powerhouses to her side.

She talked Social Security, college costs and health care. But the war permeates the atmosphere here in the 6th. It permeates everywhere.

DAN BALZ, "WASHINGTON POST": With so many National Guard and Reserve troops, this has affected small towns in lots of states. And so I think there's kind of a pervasiveness about its impact that people feel all over the country.

CROWLEY: With the death toll rising and support falling, national Democrats opened the election season on the war. It will be their closing argument, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell the Congress it's long past time to put down their rubber stamp and ask the hard questions about Iraq. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.

CROWLEY: In the House and the Senate, seats that nine months ago, three months ago, looked safely Republican, no longer are. Illinois's 6th District has been GOPville, sending retiring Republican Henry Hyde to Congress for 30 years.

PETER ROSKAM (R), U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: It's just a real treat to spend some time with you.

CROWLEY: State Senator Peter Roskam, often described as a rising Republican star here, may not be able to hold onto the 6th.

ROSKAM: You know, the people in Washington, D.C. who cooked up my opponent's candidacy sort of got things wrong, didn't they? We don't have candidates imposed on us from Washington. We send our representatives out to Washington, D.C.

Isn't that right?

CROWLEY: The race is close enough that Roskam has pulled in some celebs of his own, including the Republican's designated hitter.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Dave McSweeney and Peter Roskam will be champions of the men and women of the United States military. All of us are proud of the men and women who are deployed around the world defending our country.

CROWLEY (on camera): Either way you look at it, no matter where you are, whatever else is being said, the '06 elections are about the war, always the war.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Disabled veteran Duckworth did not win the support of the VFW. The VFW's political action committee is backing Republican Peter Roskam, who has no military experience. Vietnam veteran and former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey says the VFW should be ashamed.

Well, political heavyweights visit California in an effort to sway voters in some pretty tight races.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Headlines now right at the half hour. A special board of overseers dismisses a minister, in fact just happened in the last hour. This minister caught up in a sex scandal right now. The Reverend Ted Haggard had admitted to buying methamphetamine from a self professed gay prostitute. The board says Haggard's own statements prove he's guilty of sexually immoral conduct. Haggard had agreed with the dismissal from his Colorado church.

Now President Bush tells Colorado Republicans to go vote as he campaigns for the GOP this last weekend before Tuesday's election. He's heading back to his Texas ranch to celebration the first lady's 60th birthday.

In Iraq, at least 11 civilians killed in various attacks today. Six died after two mortar rounds exploded near a mosque in northern Baghdad. Another 27 bodies have been found in the Iraqi capital as a strict curfew is imposed.

Saddam Hussein loyalists are expected to create chaos once a verdict is handed down in his first war crimes trial. Saddam's attorneys want the verdict delayed.

And the White House is dismissing another call for defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. Monday's editorial in the "Army Times" newspaper says Rumsfeld has lost the support and respect of army leadership, the enlisted and Congress.

Three days to go from wrestling matches to a statistical tie in the polls. We're covering some of the hottest races. Now in Philadelphia, U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is fighting to keep his job, literally. His opponent, Democratic challenger, Bob Casey Jr. And in Missouri the race couldn't get tighter. Jim Talent, the Republican incumbent and Claire McCaskill, the Democratic challenger are in a dead heat. These are just two races that could decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.

California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seems on his way to a second term. From Los Angeles, Kareen Wynter keeps a watch on other political races in the West as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A political showdown heating up in the West with four closely watched congressional match-ups. Control in the House could rest on these razor thin races, three in California one in Washington State. One of the tightest house races is in Washington's Eighth District between Republican incumbent Dave Reichert and Democratic opponent Darcy Burner.

Strategists say it's a seat Reichert should have easily secured in his second term. Burner is a former Microsoft manager and a political newcomer campaigning in a district that's never elected a Democrat.

JOEL CONNELLY, "SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER": This has really closed fast as opinion has gone south on the administration. The Democrat has proven to be a self starter. The national party has noticed the election. And suddenly in a place which has gone Republican in 12 straight elections has become an up in the air district.

WYNTER: Analysts say the growing unpopularity with the Iraq War, recent scandals in the Republican-controlled Congress and Burner's highly financed campaign have made this race a tossup.

The spotlight is also on three congressional California races where Republican incumbents face stiff opposition and heavyweights from both parties are weighing in.

First Lady Laura Bush made several appearances, as did former President Bill Clinton stumping for Democratic challengers in two races where Republicans are struggling in the polls.

ALLAN HOFFENBLUM, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: What this does to the voters in that district realize this is a race that is in play and their vote is very important. And, in fact, this is a race that is so close according to the polls.

WYNTER: Analysts say Democratic challenger Charlie Brown used clever campaigning to keep up with Republican Congressman John Doolittle in the polls. Brown criticized the opponent for having ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and refusing to return a donation from former Congressman Mark Foley. Foley resigned after allegations of sexual e-mails sent to a teenage congressional page.

ART TORRES, CHAIRMAN, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: People didn't know how much -- I did obviously, insiders did did, how much problem Doolittle would have because of his association and his wife's association with Abramoff. But I don't think we really thought that seat was going to go and we really didn't anticipate how effective Charlie Brown has been as a candidate.

WYNTER: California Republican Congressman Richard Pombo and Brian Bilbray are fighting close races in their districts. Bilbray is facing Francine Busby in a district viewed as a key battleground in this month's midterm elections. Both national parties shelled out an estimated $20 million here. Two years ago, seven term Republican incumbent Richard Pombo easily defeated his Democratic opponent Jerry McNerny (ph). But this McNerny is back with more money and is in a statistical dead heat with his old rival.

(END VIDOETAPE)

WYNTER (on camera): And Carol, just to give you an idea of the fight he's up against, experts say this could be Pombo's toughest election battle in a decade. They say that's why the national party shelled out more than a million dollars and also called in the help of First Lady Laura Bush. We're keeping an eye on all the races of course out here in the West but in particular this one, Carol. It could be quite crucial when it comes to the control of Congress.

Carol?

LIN: But for all the effort, Kareen, the candidates are putting into last minute stump speeches, how much of a difference can anything they say or do in the next 72 hours really make a difference, especially if they're behind in the polls?

WYNTER: And, Carol, isn't that really the big question? And that depends on who you ask. Some experts are saying, look, it's so far in the game here that the messages are already out there, voters have already made up their mind. But when you're looking at a race this close, every vote counts. And so it is going to be interesting to see if these candidates make a stronger push toward the end. It could really make the difference, Carol.

LIN: All right. We'll see what happens. Thanks very much, Kareen.

Stay with CNN on Election Day. We'll bring you live updates from 7:00 to midnight. Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn and Lou Dobbs are all part of the best political team on television.

And then at midnight election night our coverage continues with a special edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Hear from the winners and losers across the country.

Well, the day after the election the Supreme Court takes up the debate on a major abortion issue, late term abortions. Gary Nurenberg has our preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new Roberts court is confronting an old political, social and legal controversy.

TOIM GOLDSTEIN, APPELATE ATTORNEY: This case will test can the government go reasonably far in outlawing so-called partial birth abortion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The yeas are 64, the nays are 34.

NURENBERG: Three years ago, Congress passed and the president signed the Partial Birth Abortion act of 2003 banning certain late term abortions. Since then ...

ED LAZARUS, LEGAL SCHOLAR: All the federal courts to examine the federal partial birth abortion ban have struck it down. NURENBERG: Those lower courts ruled the act unconstitutional.

JAMIE RASKIN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Because it does not provide for an exception for abortions in the case where the health of the mother is at risk.

NURENBERG (on camera): That was the bright line, an exception for the health of the mother that the Supreme Court established in a precedent-setting case six years ago. Congress deliberately chose to reject it.

(voice-over): It raises this question for the court.

DOUGLAS KMIEC, LEGAL SCHOLAR: Do you trust the Congress to get that question right? Do you give them deference on that issue?

NURENBERG: The court is different than it was when it issued its health exception ruling in 2000. Abortions rights supporter Sandra Day O'Connor has retired, replaced by Samuel Alito, there is a new chief justice, John Roberts.

RASKIN: Everybody is watching what the court is going to do on the abortion issue. Are they going to signal to the states that it's kind of open season and now it's OK to whittle away at abortion rights?

NURENBERG: With the new makeup of the court, abortion opponents are optimistic.

TOM FITTON, JUDICIAL WATCH: I think conservatives are hopeful that the court will be more willing to allow further regulation.

NURENBERG: Abortion rights activists believe the old decision should stand.

ROGER EVANS, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: How does the court preserve its own institutional integrity when this is nothing other than a bald- faced attempt to get the court to change an earlier ruling when really the only thing that has changed is the makeup of the court?

NURENBERG: But that change is critical. Hearing the case the day after the election sends a signal this new court is willing to consider new restrictions on abortion. Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: He survived three deployments to Iraq. Why one former marine says he wants to go back.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): When Tesha Temple needs to feed her family, she spends $6 on the bus ride there, another $10 to take a cab back from her nearest grocery store, which is a 45 minute journey.

TESHA TEMPLE, RESIDENT: Where the car lot is right now, there was a grocery store called Wades. And that was the big grocery store out here for us until they closed down. Other than that, we have nothing.

GUPTA: Welcome to what experts call the food desert, where there is little help for residents who may want to buy healthy food, but can't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight, nine, ten. Thank you, have a good day.

GUPTA: Here in Chicago's Roselawn neighborhood, vegetables come in cans sold at corner convenience stores. Meat is one of the fast food varieties. And the only fruit is what's in jars sold at liquor stores.

Roselawn residents aren't alone. In a study for LaSalle Bank, researcher Mari Gallagher measured the distance to every single grocery store and fast food store in Chicago. The results were shocking.

MARI GALLAGHER, RESEARCHER: What we found is that over 500,000 Chicagoans live in what we call a food desert, areas with no or distant grocery stores, but ironically, nearby fast food options.

GUPTA: Researchers speculate the reason supermarket chains aren't in these so-called deserts is they don't see these areas as money makers. Some residents even have to cross state lines just to get groceries. And the study found food deserts aren't just an inconvenience, they have dire health consequences.

GALLAGHER: Areas that have no or distant grocery stores, but nearby fast food have a much greater likelihood of their residents suffering from diet-related diseases, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, things of that nature, and also chronic health conditions that are very serious, like obesity, hypertension and so on.

GUPTA: The study sparked city leaders' interest. The Chicago city council says it will try to find ways to encourage grocery stores to move in.

GALLAGHER: The bottom line is you can't choose healthy food if you don't have access to it.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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LIN: All right. We're having some interesting weather, you might say, across the country. You know it's fall when you've got a little bit of everything, huh, Jacqui? (WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Thanks very much, Jacqui.

A witness to 9/11 who went to war spurred on by tragedy, a decorated marine saw lots more in Iraq.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's get ready for trick-or-treat time.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was also track and treat time this Halloween for some Atlanta area families. The Jackson family and about a dozen others are testing out GPS phones specially enabled to help them keep tabs on their kids.

DEE-DEE JACKSON, USES GPS PHONES: I tracked my daughter for about two weeks when she's away at soccer, checked her at school to make sure she's at school. She's been at school. I've tracked her to make sure that her bus got her here safely and tracked her a couple of times just off with friends in the neighborhood.

SIEBERG: Several companies including Wherefi (ph) and Verizon offer phones with special child tracking programs. Dee-Dee Jackson and her 12-year-old daughter Lindsay are using phones equipped with Sprint family locator as part of a year long project run by communications company Qualcomm.

D. JACKSON: If we do a locator check, I can actually just push a button and it will tell me where Lindsay is at.

SIEBERG: Dee-Dee says the service is generally accurate to within a couple hundred yards.

D. JACKSON: You got your phone, Lindsay? All right. We'll track you and be up there in a couple of hours.

SIEBERG: This gives Dee-Dee the confidence to allow Lindsay to go to a Halloween carnival at a nearby church with her five year old sister without their parents.

JEFFREY JACKSON, USES GPS PHONES: So we're logged in.

SIEBERG: Dad Jeffrey can track Lindsey and her sister via laptop.

J. JACKSON: Once it has located her, it will refresh the map screen and show you exactly where she is. And she is in the vicinity of the church.

SIEBERG: Lindsey says she doesn't mind being tracked.

LINDSAY JACKSON, USES GPS PHONES: Well, it makes me feel kind of independent and that I can go probably anywhere that I want because my mom can track me with this phone.

SIEBERG: But mom Dee-Dee says high tech is no substitute for low tech parenting.

D. JACKSON: You can't replace the old-fashioned mom, dad, checking with the parents, the neighbor, the teachers, staying in touch. But this is just another way that technology has been able to give us a little extra hand.

All right, keep your phone.

L. JACKSON: All right, bye, momma.

SIEBERG: Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Snellville, Georgia.

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ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

LIN: Well, it's one thing to witness history, quite another to make a personal sacrifice because of it. CNN's Alex Quade introduces us to a marine she met in Fallujah. He witnessed 9/11 and just couldn't stand by and do nothing.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, here we go.

ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Corporal Tim Cook has seen a lot of combat on three tours in Iraq.

CPL. TIM COOK, U.S. MARINE CORPS: First one was real tough. That we got rocketed and mortared like 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, wait a second. When everything started coming down with the smoke and stuff, I was covered in it. Once that happened they couldn't get in quick enough. I said look, I want to leave now.

QUADE: Cook joined the marines 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. 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 a door in might have blown up in your face.

QUADE: He fought in the battle to retake Fallujah house by house.

COOK: So here I am now. In Iraq the third time.

QUADE: Back in Fallujah, battle-hardened, Cook's unit provides security, maintaining control of the area.

COOK: I've done my part. I can now say I've 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 and makes me want to go over to the Times Square marine office and sign back up, I guess.

QUADE: After three tours in combat you would think he's satisfied the need to serve his country. The Marine Corps says that is what defined a hero and award 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, 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: 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)

LIN: A sign of heroism.

All right. We had a breaking news story just this hour on the Ted Haggard story out of Colorado where, you know, he -- allegations that he had sex with a male prostitute and also bought methamphetamine from that same man. Our faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher is on the telephone with me right now. Delia, you've been following this story. What have you heard?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Well, Carol, at the moment I've heard mainly shock from members of the evangelical community. This news, I think, really wasn't expected, even given the allegations of the last few days. I think most people were still holding out hope that it wasn't true.

And the fact that this overseeing board has come out saying he's guilty of sexually immoral conduct really makes it clear, even though they don't go into further detail about what exactly is entailed and whether those allegations were all true, nonetheless, that's enough for the people of his church with some 14,000 members and the other evangelicals of which he was president of the National Association of Evangelicals, very shocked by this behavior because he really was the golden boy of the evangelical community.

He was a household name for many of them, an important leader and pastor. If anything, the credibility of what he preached is compromised by his own personal behavior. So at the moment, we are still learning the news and certainly what occurred in the initial reaction is just complete shock that this could be true of this man.

LIN: All right, Delia, thank you very much. The news that developed in the last hour, that board of overseers that Delia was talking about is with Haggard's church. They essentially dismissed him.

All right, in the meantime, Lou Dobbs this week is next on CNN. Then at 10:00 Eastern, CNN "America Votes." We're going to take a look at how some past candidates distanced themselves from others in their own party and why they would do that.

And will Tuesday's election matter in Iraq? Are Iraqis following American candidates and do they even care? Yes, they do. Tonight on CNN "America Votes" at 10:00 Eastern.

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