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Tennessee Senate Race Tightens Up; Presidential Race About to Begin?; Who Will Control Congress?; California Racked by More Wildfires
Aired November 06, 2006 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Republicans scrambling to hold on, Democrats trying to move in. Tomorrow's midterm elections could bring the first shift in congressional power in years.
CNN is your election headquarters. The best political team on television is on the trail and on the middle of the -- right in the middle of the toughest political battles in the nation.
First up, the Volunteer State, where both parties are volunteering plenty of money and time. Why? Because Tennessee is home to one of the closest and nastiest Senate races in the nation.
And our Joe Johns is in Chattanooga -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, you know, it's also a race that could determine control of the Senate, whether it will be Democrats or Republicans.
Bob Corker, the Republican, of course, was here in his hometown today. He, in fact, is a former mayor of the city -- a high-spirited, but small rally right down here on the river.
A number of people turned out to wish him well. He was also accompanied by the Senate majority leader, the outgoing Senate majority leader, whose seat he is seeking -- that, of course, Bill Frist -- and the junior senator, Lamar Alexander.
On the other side of the story -- and there is another side to it -- the Democrat, Harold Ford Jr., not conceding the city of Chattanooga at all, in fact, was here in Chattanooga earlier today, even before Corker and company arrived. He is aware, of course, that a lot of the polls show he's down, also very much aware that, if he gets a few breaks in his favor, it could be a very, very close race on Election Day -- the last poll suggesting he was about three points out of it.
People, of course, are watching many variables here, including the issue of weather. Rain is forecast for parts of Tennessee tomorrow. There's also, of course, the vaunted get-out-the-vote effort by the GOP, vs. a lot of energy on behalf of the Democrats. So, we're looking for a very interesting Election Day here in Tennessee -- Don.
LEMON: Yes, Joe, and a lot of folks are watching this one. And we -- it could be an historic one as well. We talked about the nastiness and all that, but it could historic, the first African- American elected since Reconstruction, if that does, indeed, happen.
Thank you, Joe Johns.
JOHNS: That's fact.
LEMON: Go ahead.
JOHNS: You bet.
Oh, all right. Well...
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: The -- a lot of people have talked about that. It's not something that Harold Ford has worn on his sleeve, as it were, however.
If you ask him about it, he says, well, statewide in Tennessee, black guys are undefeated. They haven't lost one, and they haven't won one. The question, of course, here for people who watch this election is whether people in Tennessee are ready for an African- American senator. And we will see on Election Day.
LEMON: All right. Joe Johns, this is an official thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Thank you so much from Chattanooga.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, how about now the Show Me State, the Missouri Senate race, also hotly contested, one of the most closely watched in the nation, in a virtual dead heat for months now.
Our Jonathan Freed has the latest from Saint Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, campaign workers on both sides of this race are telling us that, at this point, they are not expecting to get any rest until it's all over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. We have a lot of different precincts we're working on today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we would appreciate your supporting Jim Talent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this script is to help promote the whole Democratic team.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
FREED (voice over): Missouri's Senate race couldn't be closer. And in the closing days of a close election... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we will see you soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Thanks a lot.
FREED: ... the campaign volunteer becomes a powerful player.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, let's go.
FREED: Jim Talent supporters know, keeping the Republican in Washington could also determine if the GOP keeps control of Congress.
(On camera): All of the experts are saying that, when a race is as close as this one is, it comes down to turnout, who actually comes out and votes, which is what you guys are trying to do today, trying to get out and vote. Do you feel a sense of responsibility because of that?
EMILY LORINO, JIM TALENT VOLUNTEER: I think so, definitely. I mean, it's our responsibility, as volunteers and interns -- and like, people of Missouri, to go around and make sure the voters are getting out.
FREED (voice-over): Democrat Claire McCaskill's troops say they're motivated by a desire for change.
(On camera): This is not easy work. It can be long. It can be cold.
CLARISSA GAFF, CLAIRE MCCASKILL VOLUNTEER: Well, obviously, we want Claire McCaskill to win. And there are so many issues where the Democrats are stronger than the Republicans right now. On the Iraq war, I haven't done -- I haven't appreciated anything the Republican Congress has done involving Iraq.
FREED: There is passion on both sides, and Talent's people are eager to prove, voters will come out and show support for the GOP.
LORINO: Although the polls are saying we're in a dead heat, I'm feeling a strong push for Senator Talent. And I'm hopeful for Tuesday.
FREED (on camera): Are you guys feeling like you're going to put her over the top, the campaign will succeed?
GAFF: I'm feeling really good about it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think -- I think there's a really good chance that Claire will win Missouri, and I think we're part of that.
FREED: Even polls that show the Democrat slightly ahead are still essentially within the margin of error. They just don't make races any closer than this one -- Fredricka.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Well, snub or no snub? Florida's GOP candidate for governor says he wasn't trying to avoid President Bush. But one of the president's closest advisers doesn't seem to see it that way.
Our Kathleen Koch is at the White House with more on that.
All right, straighten this out for us, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the president, Fredricka, is trying to do is to make a full-court press all around the country, helping Republican candidates who ask for his help, those Republicans who believe that his appearance with them on stage in their districts can earn them votes.
He is starting today in Pensacola, heading then on to an appearance in Arkansas, and then wrapping up at the end of the day in Dallas, Texas.
Now, the president did, this morning -- this afternoon -- get a rousing greeting from a very large crowd in Pensacola, a crowd of roughly 10,000. It's a very conservative district, has three military bases.
But what it did not have or who it did not have on stage was the candidate, Charles Crist, candidate for governor, who had invited the president to come to Florida in the first place. Now, Crist is campaigning for the seat that is being vacated by the president's brother, Jeb Bush.
And Crist, instead, opted to appear with moderate Republican John McCain at a campaign appearance elsewhere in the state -- obviously, the White House none too pleased about this. The president's chief political strategist, Karl Rove, his press secretary, Tony Snow, as the two were getting ready to board Air Force One this morning, were chatting, comparing poll notes on their BlackBerrys, and Rove was asked about this apparent snub by Crist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL ROVE, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BUSH: Call them. All I know is that, yesterday morning, they apparently made a decision that, rather than be with the governor and the president and 10,000 people in Pensacola, they made a last-minute decision to go to Palm Beach, called George (INAUDIBLE) -- off the record, called George (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Do you think this says anything at all about the president's popularity here? Or how do you guys take it?
ROVE: I think -- let's -- let's look at the comparative -- let's see how many people show up in Palm Beach on 24-hours notice, vs. 8,000 or 9,000 people in Pensacola.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Now, we, the media, obviously did ask Crist's office whether or not this was a snub. They say no.
They say that they believe that the candidate's time was just better spent crisscrossing the state, hitting the state where there were more moderates and independents in play that he could appeal to, while the president, on his own, could rally the conservative base in Pensacola.
Now, Crist's opponent has seized on this and is using this to now attack Crist, in a statement saying -- quote -- "Now that the president is so unpopular, Charlie refuses to stand side by side with him. It says, when the going gets good enough, Charlie Crist won't stand up."
And, apparently, Mr. Davis is going to be echoing those comments in person in a campaign appearance of his own in Pensacola later today -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Kathleen, it seems like both Bush and Crist still got as much, if not more, attention by not meeting up than had they met up.
KOCH: That is how it turned out.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch at the White House, thanks so much.
KOCH: You bet.
LEMON: One day, plus two years until Election Day -- we're talking presidential election.
And some White House wannabes are already making -- or marking their calendars.
Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, joins us with a look at the road ahead.
Hi, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
Just when you thought it was thought it was safe to turn on your TV again, I do bring some bad news; '06 is not the end of anything. It's the beginning of something else.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): Think of '06 as a kind of dress rehearsal for '08. Some shows have gone better than others.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: Let's give a welcome to macaca here.
(APPLAUSE)
CROWLEY: From using what some said was a racial slur, to fumbling news of his Jewish roots, George Allen's '08 prospects have dimmed considerably.
ALLEN: And you learn a lot about football: teamwork, hard work, preparation. You get knocked down, you get back up.
CROWLEY: Maybe politics is as forgiving as football, but Allen was once a shining light from the right. Now he will be lucky to get out of '06 with his Senate seat.
Also knocked off stage literally, John Kerry, who withdrew from the campaign '06 trail, after careless remarks which were either, A, a botched joke about George Bush, or, B, a slam on U.S. troops, and, C, made fellow Democrats furious.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
CROWLEY: But, hey, how about this guy, the toast of just about any town racking up the frequent-flyer miles?
OBAMA: Hey, Florida.
You're in Virginia.
CROWLEY: And, man, oh man, what reviews.
Hillary Clinton will get the Oscar for best effort to pretend she had a race while sitting on a 30-point lead, amassing enormous amounts of money, and insisting '06 is not a dress rehearsal.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Now, we have a really important election this November.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: And we -- we have got to remain focused on that.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Nobody believes her.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe that the Republican Party is a big-tent party.
CROWLEY: John McCain has been expanding his own tent, making up with Christian conservatives, wooing Bush players, dropping money just about everywhere, to candidates, state parties, county parties, people and places who will remember.
And Rudy Giuliani has been frequenting areas west of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon. If he can play there, maybe he can play anywhere, even if he is a pro-choice, pro-gun licensing, pro-gay-rights ex-mayor of New York.
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: When things aren't working, you need new people.
CROWLEY: Giuliani is showing up at the top of polls among Republican voters.
There are plenty of others who, in ways both big and small, have signaled their '08 intentions. It won't be long now. On the political calendar, after '06 comes '08. And I mean right after.
SEN. ELIZABETH DOLE (R), NORTH CAROLINA: Immediately, probably -- Tuesday night.
CROWLEY: Probably.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: We are not actually kidding here.
Between the end of '06 -- the '06 race, that is -- sort of Wednesday of this week, and, say, about May and June of next year, you will see a host of people officially announcing their intentions to run for president -- Don.
LEMON: Yes, a lot of folks.
I mean, Candy, does it really start tonight? Because some of it, I think, from what you showed, it looks like it has already started.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Yes. Exactly.
This is sort of seen as -- you know, it's kind of like Labor Day is the official kickoff of any campaign, but they have been campaigning really since the last presidential election.
LEMON: Right.
CROWLEY: So, a lot of these people, since 2004, the day after that presidential election, began to collect chits, began to think about it, began to say, who do I need in Iowa? Who would I need in New Hampshire?
But this is sort of when we all begin looking toward '08...
LEMON: Right.
CROWLEY: ... and who is really going to be a player.
LEMON: And, Candy, just to make it clear, a lot of those people we have been talking about who have been hinting at it, when might we possibly hear, you know, an official declaration, or at least, "I'm exploring..."
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Well, you know, you do sort of go through that.
You put up an exploratory committee.
LEMON: Right.
CROWLEY: And, then, that gives you a way to kind of look around, and see, well, how is this really going to work, which, presumably, they have been doing already.
But it's kind of the first step. And -- and, really, it's going to be from now until May or June. George Bush didn't get into the race, but everybody knew he was going to do it in November. He didn't announce really, officially, until June of the next year.
But there's so many people in the field right now...
LEMON: Mmm-hmm.
CROWLEY: ... and, you know, maybe 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans, that they need to get out there and say, "I'm running," because they don't want somebody announced before them, and start to pick up people and money, because there's only, you know, a limited number of resources and people. So, you don't want the other guy to get ahead of you.
LEMON: Time is of the essence.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Thank you very much, Candy Crowley.
CROWLEY: Sure.
LEMON: Get more election coverage, and you can get it free right on your desktop all day today. CNN Pipeline is free, with behind-the- scenes access. For live feeds, campaign coverage, you won't find anywhere else, for that, just go to CNN.com.
WHITFIELD: Unfortunately familiar and very frightening -- pictures out of Southern California right now, another raging wildfire threatening homes and challenging firefighters again.
Thelma Gutierrez joins us live from Rialto, California, with the very latest.
What makes this different is, we're not talking about just a brushfire. But it looks like a fire that's -- involves some sort of structures, right there behind you.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's exactly right, Fredricka.
In fact, we're -- we -- this fire is pretty much in two different areas. We have a brushfire in one area that's 30 percent contained. And, then right behind me, you can see an industrial yard. It's about four to five acres large. This is an area where they make wooden pallets.
And, so, this fire started early this morning about 7:30 in a pass about five miles away. The high winds just pushed the flames right through and into this yard, igniting all of those pallets.
And, so, a lot little earlier, this entire area was a wall of flames, but firefighters, about 150 on the ground, were able to come into this area, contain it to the perimeters of the actual industrial yard.
In fact, they had a few engines in there right now knocking back the flames. They have just pulled those engines out. They also had helicopters flying in this area that were making runs to a nearby golf course, picking up water, coming across the area, and then dropping water on this brushfire, and also on the fire right behind me, and all of this to save about 100 luxury homes right across the street -- so far, no mandatory evacuations.
Some people, however, have left voluntarily. And, ironically, this fire started just after the Weather Service had called off the red-flag warning. And I can tell you, after standing out here for the last couple of hours, it is extremely windy. We're talking about 30- mile-an-hour winds that come and just blow through this area. So, you can see how volatile this area is -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, Thelma, still windy, but at least looking at the pictures behind you, we don't have the kind of flames we saw earlier. So, it would seem that those nearby homes really are not threatened anymore from any of those leaping flames, like you saw happening from the brushfire on over to that industrial yard.
WHITFIELD: You're -- Fredricka, you're absolutely right.
In fact, as I had mentioned, they had engines all around the perimeter of this yard, making sure to keep the flames contained to this area to be able to protect those homes. And they have just done an outstanding job with that.
Again, they pulled off those -- those engines. And they have also pulled some of the choppers out of the area. And, so, that is some good news.
WHITFIELD: All right, good news, indeed.
Thelma Gutierrez, thanks so much from Rialto, California.
LEMON: Suffering suffragettes. Why are so many single women squandering the hard-won right to vote? Ahead, the NEWSROOM checks it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty million people...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a lot of people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... didn't vote in the last presidential election.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Faith and forgiveness.
It was an emotional weekend for the evangelical community and particularly New Life Church in Colorado. Yesterday, its leader, Ted Haggard, admitted in a letter in his own words to sexual immorality.
He also confessed to a long struggle against part of his life, calling it -- quote -- "repulsive and dark." Haggard said some, but not all, of a gay escort's claims of drug use and sex are true. Many worshipers say they forgive Haggard and are praying for him.
In his letter, Haggard didn't say exactly what his misdeeds were, but the man named to replace him at the helm of a leading evangelical group says that shouldn't be the focus right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN MORNING")
LEITH ANDERSON, INTERIM PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS: I'm a pastor. And I think his primary responsibility is to his family and to his congregation.
I'm not sure it's helpful to give complete explanations and details. He needs to work that out with the church and the leadership of the church, and do what's appropriate there, rather than what is mandated by the broader community in America.
I think, sometimes, we are called upon to forgive people when we don't have full disclosure. It's certainly helpful for the person who has been guilty of doing something to give full disclosure. I think honesty is the way to go, and what he should probably should do.
But forgiveness is not always dependent upon that. Sometimes, we need to forgive people when we don't know all the details.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Anderson has agreed to serve as interim leader of the National Association of Evangelicals. The group's board will eventually name a new president.
LEMON: And from soccer moms to the "Sex and the City" voters, women could make a huge difference in tomorrow -- tomorrow's tight races. Will this get them to vote?
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty million women...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a lot of people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: .. didn't vote in the last presidential election. LAUREN GRAHAM, ACTRESS: Twenty million women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unmarried women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Single women.
DAPHNE ZUNIGA, ACTRESS: Women on their own.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, together, we can make a difference.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On issues like health care, job security.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The environment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: War and peace.
ZUNIGA: Twenty million women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have the power.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we choose to use it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vote on November 7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And this ad campaign is sponsored by a nonpartisan group called Women's Voices Women -- Women vote.
Joining me, too, is actress Daphne Zuniga, who appears in some of the ads.
Hi, Daphne. How are you?
ZUNIGA: Hi.
LEMON: And then Page Gardner, founder of the group behind the campaign.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: You know, I read this, and I was, like, 20 million women didn't vote last time? Why is it? It seems like you're -- it was a hard-won fight for the right to vote. Why are women just sort of giving this away?
PAGE GARDNER, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, WOMEN'S VOICES WOMEN VOTE: Well, women really aren't giving it away, to tell you the truth.
Although 20 million did not vote, the largest group of nonvoters, 22 percent of the entire electorate was women on their own, so they are a powerful voice now. The issue is, can they realize how much more powerful they can be this year and in years to come?
LEMON: Yes. Daphne, I want to ask you, what got you started in all of this? Because, you know, there's always this move in Hollywood, it seems, to -- to become political. But it's very interesting that you would pick this particular cause to -- to fight for.
ZUNIGA: Well, when I first heard that fact about 21 -- 20 million women not voting, and the single women being the single largest nonvoting group, I was really shocked.
And I think that empowering women is not so odd, you know, a subject for me to step out and speak out on. And I really think that, right now, more than any other time that I have been alive, we need women's votes. We need their voices. We need their creativity and their energy in a world that sort of doesn't have any value of late on qualities that women have naturally, compassion, understanding, working things out, things like that.
So, I'm just -- I will do anything to get us all to the -- to vote.
LEMON: And you saw a lot of very powerful actresses there, a television actress like yourself, and some other television actresses and movie actresses, as well as theater actresses.
Page, you know what I want to ask you, I was just looking back, doing some research in this. And, in 2004, it said that, again, 20 million women did not vote, that women make up the bulk of the electorate. And, also, this is very interesting to me, that women -- single women tend to vote for Democrats. And married women, particularly, married women who don't work outside the home, typically vote for Republicans.
What -- what is all that?
GARDNER: Well, we don't really -- Women's Voices Women Vote, our primary concern, frankly, is just getting more and more women on their own out to the polls.
LEMON: But it is interesting how the -- how the facts and how the research plays in all of this, because it seems to think, if you're married, maybe, possibly, your husband, or because you -- because you have kids, or what have you, you have a family, it may make you more inclined to go vote. That's what I'm saying by all these -- these numbers that -- that I'm giving you.
GARDNER: Well, right.
I mean, many -- there are many factors associated with voting. One is length of residence. And one, frankly, is marital status. These women move -- 36 percent of them move every two years. And half of them make $30,000 or less. So, they are very stretched economically. They are very mobile.
And, so -- and that and some other reasons are why it's more difficult for them to get out to the polls. But, when you go to them, as we do at Women's Voices, and make it easy to register and easier to vote, they do. They do respond.
LEMON: Yes.
And, Daphne, let me ask you, woman, obviously, how do you expect -- what do you tell people about getting this all to fit into their daily lives? How do you make it a routine? It's like, OK, I go to the gym, I go to the doctor, and I have to go vote.
ZUNIGA: Well, this is what -- this is what I really feel about when I vote.
It makes you feel -- it gives you an energy. It really -- it really does. And I think that it -- you're committing to a community larger than just yourself and your family. You're committing to your city and your country. And you're saying, I matter and I care about my life and my, you know, fellow human beings.
And that feels good. And, so, that's the one thing that I know about voting.
LEMON: All right.
ZUNIGA: And, yes, it's an inconvenience at times, but it's worth it.
LEMON: Right.
And, both you guys, we have to run, because we're running out of time, because I just got to ask you, do you think what you're doing now, you think it will make a difference tomorrow?
GARDNER: Absolutely.
LEMON: All right.
GARDNER: We know it will.
LEMON: Daphne?
ZUNIGA: It did last time. A million more women, single women, came out to vote. And it will this time, too, I hope.
LEMON: Thank you both for joining us today, Daphne Zuniga and Page Gardner.
ZUNIGA: Thank you.
GARDNER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's crunch the numbers. Pollsters and pundits on the Democrats' chances of taking control of Congress, that's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Get out the vote, it's the mantra at just about every campaign headquarters in America today. How the vote will turn out, of course, is still a mystery, but new polls are offering some clues.
CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us from New York.
What are they saying?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Fred, with just over -- with almost a day to go, let's see where the race stands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Here's what happens when you ask people across the country how they intend to vote for Congress.
Six polls, all taken in the last week, all show Democrats ahead by an average of 12 points. But there's considerable variation in the size of the Democratic lead. The CNN poll conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation, shows Democrats leading by 20 points among likely voters nationwide. Two other polls also show double-digit leads. Three polls show narrower Democratic leads. Why the differences -- each poll has his own formula for defining who is likely to vote. There is no single national race, of course. There are individual races in 435 Congressional Districts. Democrats need a net gain of 15 seats to win the majority in the House of Representatives. What are the experts projecting?
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Right now for the House, I have the floor right now for Democratic gains somewhere in the 20 to 25-seat range. I think it could go up 30, 35.
SCHNEIDER: Meaning Democrats take over the House. Do other non- partisan analysts agree? They do. In every case, Democrats take over the House and Nancy Pelosi becomes the new Speaker.
What about the Senate?
WALTER: I think four or five seats is a very reasonable prediction. 6 seats of course is the majority that could still happen, but right now, we're probably looking at the lower end.
SCHNEIDER: Seven Senate seats currently held by Republicans could go Democratic. The most recent polls show the Republican candidate ahead in only one of them -- Tennessee. The Democrat is leading in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In the other four Republican seats: Missouri, Montana, Rhode Island, and Virginia, the race is very close. To take over the Senate, Democrats would have to carry all four tossup states, plus Ohio and Pennsylvania and not lose either of two Democratic Senate seats that may be vulnerable -- New Jersey and Maryland. Right now, Democrats are leading in both.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (on-camera): What we know is the Democrats are ahead, but are they ahead by a big enough margin to take control of the House and the Senate? That's not clear because it depends on turnout. That's very hard to estimate from polls because when you do a poll, almost everybody says I intend to vote -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: That's right, but what we do know, it seems at this point, at least is one of the incentives for a lot of folks to get out and vote, that it's no longer really just about local politics. but this race particularly or this season really has become about national politics.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, it is an unusual election -- all politics is local is what they used to say, but that's not true this year. This looks more and more like a parliamentary election which people are voting for the Democrat or the Republican rather than simply a local candidate.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be watching all of the races. Thanks so much, Bill Schneider.
LEMON: All right, let's talk about the war in Iraq. Three years and counting. White House decision-making is not on the ballot, but it's certainly a factor in tomorrow's elections and Iraqis, well they know it. Our senior national correspondent John Roberts is in Baghdad -- John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Don. Yesterday, this entire country was consumed with the death penalty verdict that was leveled against Saddam Hussein. It's pretty much all that anyone was talking about. That's 24 hours behind Iraqis now and with the polls in the United States set to open in less than 18 hours, people here are beginning to turn their attention toward the midterm election and what it might mean for them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): The campaigning and the war of words in America may be a half a world away but Iraqis are anticipating the outcome, fully aware that the results could have a profound effect on their lives. Though neither is up for re-election, the Iraqis we talked to in this Baghdad neighborhood still associate the Republican and Democratic parties with George Bush and John Kerry. This man, a Christian, says it doesn't matter who wins. If it's Bush, it might be better, but at least we know him. Abu Fahra, who wouldn't tell us whether he is Shiite or Sunni, says the most important thing for us is that U.S. forces leave Iraq, so any government who takes power, Democrats or Republican, we want them to do us a favor and get the Americans out of Iraq. That's what we're hoping and we hope John Kerry -- Democrats, he means -- wins the election. He's better than Bush because Bush destroyed Iraq.
The presence of U.S. troops here is both a stabilizing factor and a pointed aggravation for many ordinary Iraqis. In some neighborhoods of Baghdad and the towns and villages that surround the capital, American forces are the only security residents can really count on. People don't trust the police. And the Iraqi army isn't yet ready to take over. At the same time, though, they detest the idea that a force for liberation has now become, in their eyes, an army of occupation. And Basein Gazi (ph), a Shiite, told us it doesn't matter who wins but the old policy towards Iraq, we hope it changes and that the occupation ends and there is democracy in Iraq. What's important is the American policy towards Iraq, that the occupation leaves and that Iraq has peace.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (on-camera): Now none of the Iraqis we talked to are looking for a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces. They're well aware that the U.S. troops may be the only thing standing between sectarian violence and all out civil war in Iraq. But what they are looking for is an end point, a clear plan, a clear way ahead so that Iraq can very soon stand on its own feet -- Don.
LEMON: John, let's talk about the folks away from home fighting this war. What are the soldiers saying? How much attention do they pay to politics?
ROBERTS: Well, you know, they're personally paying a lot of attention to politics. They're voting. We've talked to people who are helping them vote and they say they're getting a lot of people out to the polls. They don't like to publicly talk about it because they want to keep separate and the military and the political aspect of this. But off camera you'll hear people talk about the plan and whether or not it's working. And what we're finding that is, on a unit level, if you're with a company or a battalion or even a brigade, they really believe in the job that they're doing but when they look at the big picture they see a lot of problems. Alot of problems standing up the Iraqi government, getting the government to tackle the Shiite militias that are involved in a lot of the sectarian violence. And then another problem standing up the national police and the Iraqi army, getting them to the point where they can one day take over security of this country and U.S. troops can come home.
LEMON: John Roberts reporting from Baghdad for us. John, thank you so much for that.
The trial, the verdict, and, of course, the outrage.
WHITFIELD: You know what we're talking about. Saddam Hussein. The sentence that he gets. Well, it's really no surprise for a whole lot of folks. Death by hanging. We'll take you live to the Iraqi capital again, this time for reaction straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
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LEMON: Taking it to the streets over Saddam Hussein's guilty verdict and death sentence. We're seeing cheering crowds in predominantly Shiite parts of Iraq a day after the former Iraqi president was found guilty of crimes against humanity. A daytime curfew imposed before the verdict was announced. Well, it has been lifted but a night-time curfew is still in place and Baghdad's airport is still closed.
Defiant crowds are rallying in Baathist strongholds in central Iraq worried about possible attacks. Iraq's Interior Ministry closed two Sunni TV stations in Tikrit, Hussein's hometown. Lawyers for Hussein say his death sentence is invalid, a mockery of justice. It's being automatically appealed. A ruling is expected mid-January.
WHITFIELD: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is out of intensive care again. He was rushed there on Friday for what was described as a dangerous infection to his heart. A hospital spokesman says Sharon has been moved back to the respiratory ward where he has been since May. The former Israeli leader suffered a catastrophic stroke in January and in a coma ever since.
LEMON: Will, the third time be a charm? The ballots are still being counted from yesterday's presidential election in Nicaragua. But it appears that persistence may have paid off. Daniel Ortega, the leftist Sandanista leader was Nicaragua's president from 1985 to 1990. That's when a U.S.-backed Contra rebellion helped to defeat him and bring an end to a brutal civil war. If Ortega does prove to be the winner after two previous attempts at re-election, he is likely to join an anti-U.S. movement led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
(MARKET REPORT)
WHITFIELD: A dark past, an uncertain future. All of the above. A closer look at the personal and political implications of one creature's demons.
LEMON: Plus, homes threatened by a wind-fueled wildfire. The latest from southern California ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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WHITFIELD: Politicians, pundits, and prospective voters agree Iraq will play a big role at the ballot box. Two lawmakers up for re- election have a unique perspective on the war courtesy of their sons. CNN's Alex Quaid has been to Fallujah and Ramadi and back to Washington for this story.
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ALEX QUAID, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two fathers serving in Congress, while their two sons served in Iraq. We met Charles Taylor's son Bryan, an Army Lieutenant, in Ramadi. And in Fallujah, we met Republican Todd Aikn's son Perry, a Marine Lieutenant.
PERRY AKIN, U.S. ARMY: Well, They've had mortars land in this area in here.
QUAID: His father is on the House Armed Services Committee.
REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: Many of us is this body and in the Senate have children that are serving and we're just like other Americans, we care about them and we care about what happens to the other kids in there as well.
QUAID: Just because dad is in Congress doesn't mean son gets safer missions.
P. AKIN: The Marine Corps philosophy, is there's no one who's special.
QUAID: His convoy hit an improvised explosive device.
P. AKIN: Their were rifle round going right over our heads and everything. So, we dove behind cover and waited and then we ended up pushing the insurgents out of the area where they were shooting at us from.
QUAID: And Taylor's has had close calls, too.
BRYAN TAYLOR, U.S. ARMY: Incoming rocket or mortar attacks probably three or four times we see.
QUAID: His soldiers showed me 15 bullet holes in their armored personnel carrier.
TAYLOR: I tried to get the bullet out of that but I couldn't. And, we had another one behind this wheel.
REP. CHARLES TAYLOR (D), NORTH CAROLINA: I am very nervous about my son being there, but he's doing his duty and he's doing it very well, along with hundreds of thousands of other men and women that are doing duty and I'm very proud of them.
QUAID: Both sons played a role in Iraq's first Democratic elections. A role different from what they've grown up with.
P. AKIN: Normally, when I'm like with elections back at home, I'm playing a big role in the campaigns and everything. Here, it was obviously different because I was just a small player in making the election facilities work and working the safety of the people going through the facilities.
TAYLOR: It's actually an opportunity to make a statement, which they did, and I thought that was something that's commendable.
AKIN: We're going go ahead and roll.
QUAID: Their sons service have given both Congressmen extra insight as they make decisions affecting every son and daughter serving in Iraq.
TAYLOR: We want them all to be safe. We want them all well- supplied. We want them all doing their duty and coming home as quickly as possible.
Alex Quaid, CNN, Fallujah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And both Lieutenant Taylor and Lieutenant Akin survived their tours of duty in Iraq. Taylor is now serving in Honduras, Akin is at Camp Lejune in North Carolina. LEMON: Five kamikaze attacks couldn't stop it, but Intrepid's latest mission is scuttled by mud. We're digging for the details right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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LEMON: It is a manic Monday for firefighters in southern California. Crews are battling a wildfire that's threatening dozens of homes in San Bernardino County. It broke out early this morning, then spread to an industrial yard, where it was fueled by sacks of wooden pallets. Amazed residents say the flames came really quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dropped my daughter off at school and came back and there was a monster growing out here. It was crazy. It was just crazy. The fire was just overwhelming and I've never seen anything so scary in my life. It was just overwhelming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And so far the fire has burned about 300 acres of scrub.
WHITFIELD: Well, it has survived three wars, five kamikaze attacks and countless school field trips. But time and tide got the better of the USS Intrepid today. The legendary aircraft carrier and floating museum was headed for a $60 million makeover this morning. Six tug boats were enlisted to pull Intrepid from her berth on New York City's West Side during the highest tide of the year. But the plan hit a snag, or shall we say hit dirt, when the ship's giant propellers got stuck in the mud. No word on when the operation just might resume.
LEMON: Sharp turns, sudden stops, rough-housing. Look at that. A new national study shows just how dangerous schoolbuses can be. It seems schoolbus accidents and mishaps sent 17,000 children to the emergency room. That's every year. Previous studies focused only on crashes. Still, researchers say the injuries represent a very small fraction of the 23.5 million children who ride schoolbuses every year.
Time now to check in with our favorite guy. And is he in D.C. or...
WHITFIELD: New York.
LEMON: ... New York this week?
New York, election headquarters. Wolf Blitzer.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, guys. D.C. next week, New York this week.
The verdict against Saddam Hussein as we all know, guilty, but there's a final push on in full force one day before Americans vote in midterm elections. Where does the Iraq factor come into play? We'll go in-depth. Plus, President Bush hits the campaign trail, but some of his own party don't want him there. Brian Todd is standing by to take a closer look at what's called a new breed of conservatives.
A popular man of God becomes a fallen angel and confesses to sexual impropriety. The latest on the case of the evangelist Ted Haggard.
And while candidates hunt for votes, the Vice President Dick Cheney, well, he just goes hunting, duck hunting.
All of that coming up right at the top of the hour here in the SITUATION ROOM.
WHITFIELD: All right. That's some risky business.
Wolf Blitzer, thanks so much.
Well, the closing bell and a wrap up of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.
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LEMON: That was a big weekend in New York, and...
WHITFIELD: Yes, the big marathon.
LEMON: And a marathoner is standing by, Cheryl Casone, is going to talk...
CHERYL CASONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was so much fun.
LEMON: You didn't run, did you?
CASONE: No, I ran Chicago two weeks ago so I decided to sit this one out.
WHITFIELD: It's good to give your body a little break.
CASONE: A little break. But I'll tell you, it was so much yesterday.
WHITFIELD: Oh, but Lance Armstrong was among the runners.
LEMON: There's Lance.
CASONE: Lance Armstrong was out there. Of course, he's got professional trainers surrounding him. I saw him out there, and...
WHITFIELD:: He's a pro.
CASONE: ... I saw him at mile 18, he was looking pretty good. But at mile 24, looked a little, I don't know, a little stressed out.
WHITFIELD: My god. With just a couple more miles to go, I don't know. I'm going to give him a break on that one. LEMON: He was on the cover of one of the men's magazines, and he was talking about how he's -- I think he's bulking up. He looks bigger than when he was riding. You know, a little beefier.
CASONE: He actually did -- I've seen him cycle as well, and he actually did look a little bit bulkier than usual. But he definitely had like a huge entourage around him. And people were going crazy in New York. They love Lance Armstrong here.
WHITFIELD: You run it, you walk it, you crawl it. If you finish a marathon, in my book -- I'm not worthy.
CASONE: Well, here's to all 37,000 runners. I love them all.
LEMON: Have a good evening.
CASONE: You guys, too. I'll talk to you later.
All right. The Dow is closing above right now 12,100, 177 point gain on the Dow, and the Nasdaq closing higher, as well.
Off to Wolf Blitzer in the SITUATION ROOM.
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