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The Situation Room

Family of Former House Page Speaks Out

Aired October 05, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Lou. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you tonight's top stories.
Happening now, personal and political drama in the Mark Foley online message scandal -- the family of a former page now speaking out in a CNN exclusive hours after the top House Republican says the buck stops here.

Also tonight the scandal blame game -- can Republicans spin their Foley problem on Democrats and the news media? It's 7:00 p.m. here in Washington. We're following all the fallout and the finger pointing.

And Condoleezza Rice delivers a powerful message to Iraqi leaders. Get your act together and do it right now -- it' 2:00 a.m. Friday in Baghdad where the secretary of state is taking a stand about the chaos and the violence.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Tonight the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, is going to new lengths to try to limit the fallout from the Mark Foley scandal, but he's still refusing to quit his leadership post. Hastert isn't the only key figure in the Foley fiasco to come forward in recent hours. The family of a former page at the center of the story is now speaking out in a CNN exclusive report.

Sean Callebs, Kathleen Koch and Brian Todd are standing by. But first let's go to our congressional correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, it's a time-tested political tactic. When you're in trouble, you do something dramatic. Try to change the storyline, well today, Dennis Hastert called a news conference and said he's not resigning, but he is taking full responsibility for the Foley scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. DENNIS HASTERT, (R-IL) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I'm deeply sorry that this happened. And the bottom line is that we're taking responsibility because ultimately as someone has said in Washington before, the buck stops here.

BASH (voice-over): But the House speaker didn't get all of the bang for the buck here he had hoped for. He had planned to announce former FBI Director Louis Freeh would head a security review of the page program, but didn't a GOP aide says because Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told him what she thought he was asking for wasn't necessary.

The speaker is under intense criticism from fellow Republicans for not doing enough to stop Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct with pages. He once again insisted he didn't know about Foley's questionable conduct until last Friday. As for others...

HASTERT: I don't know who knew what when. We know that there are reports of people that knew it and kind of fed it out or leaked it to the press. You know we -- that's why we have asked for investigation.

BASH: Even as Hastert spoke in Chicago, Mark Foley's former chief of staff was in Washington talking to the FBI. Kirk Fordham says he warned the Speaker's Office more than two years ago about Foley's inappropriate conduct with pages. Back in Chicago, Hastert took a swipe at Fordham questioning his credibility. But also said if his aides did anything wrong, there will be consequences.

HASTERT: If members of my staff or they didn't do the job, we'll act appropriately. If it somebody else's staff, they ought to act as appropriately as well.

BASH: Some answers might come from the House Ethics Committee, which began its investigation of the Foley matter by issuing four dozen subpoenas for documents and witnesses including lawmakers and staff.

REP. DOC HASTINGS (R), ETHICS CHAIRMAN: The American people and especially the parents of all current and former pages are entitled to know how this situation was handled.

REP. JUDY BIGGART (R), ETHICS COMMITTEE: The evidence will lead us as the chairman said to find the facts as they stand and take action that is needed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now other members of Speaker Hastert's leadership team did issue statements of support today, news ones. But across the country Republicans say they're not so sure that the speaker's efforts today are enough to stop the significant damage they seem from the Foley scandal in an already very tough election year -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Dana, thanks very much. Dana Bash on the Hill. Let's go over to the White House now where there are new moves by President Bush in response to the Foley scandal. We'll bring in our CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch. I take the president now has reached out directly to the speaker, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed Wolf he has and this for the first time since this scandal broke last week. Spokesperson Dana Perino says the call came within the last hour. That President Bush placed the call to Speaker Hastert. That the two men spoke for a couple of minutes.

And that first of all that the president expressed his support for Speaker Hastert. Perino say he thanked him for coming out and making a quote, "clear public statement today", in which he and the House leadership took responsibility and said that they are accountable to the American people.

Now Perino went on to say that President Bush also said that he appreciated that when the Republican leadership found out about the lurid e-mails that they immediately swiftly called for Foley's resignation and for a professional investigation by the Justice Department. So, Wolf, that's a very important lifeline for the embattled speaker who is fighting to keep his job. It's clearly something that the president, the White House wants to see behind them -- back to you.

BLITZER: Kathleen, thank you. Let's get to a CNN exclusive right now. For the first time we're hearing directly from the family of a former House page, who received sexually suggestive messages from former Congressman Mark Foley. Those messages were at the center of the reports that the story -- when the story broke wide open in the recent few days and led to Foley's resignation from the Congress.

CNN's Sean Callebs is joining us now live from Monroe, Louisiana. He broke this story -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, you're exactly right. This young man has really been at the center of this without really even intending to. He became the whistle blower when the e- mails he received from Foley last summer he forwarded on to Congressman Alexander's office. Well we know in the statement from the family -- we know the family's name. We are going to respect their wishes and not use it.

The family's identifying this former page as a hero, someone who had the courage to question the intention of the e-mails that he received from Congressman Foley last summer. Goes on to say that they would like to express their support for Congressman Rodney Alexander, saying in the fall of 2005 -- as soon as Congressman Alexander became aware of the e-mails received by our son, he called us.

He explained that his office had been made aware of the e-mails by our son and that while he thought the e-mails were over friendly, he did not think nor did we think that they were offensive enough to warrant an investigation. Rather, we asked him to see that Congressman Foley stop e-mailing or contacting our son and to otherwise drop the matter to avoid a media frenzy. He did so.

If we had any other knowledge or evidence of potential impropriety, we would have asked for the matter to be treated differently. For instance, we were not aware of the instant messages that have come to light in the past few days.

And Wolf, really there is a huge difference between the e-mails that this young man received last summer, e-mails from Foley that asked when's your birthday, what would you like for your birthday, and could you send a picture of yourself to me. To the instant messages we know came from an AOL account the previous year. Those are much more lurid, much more explicit. The family says they have been besieged by the media. They are not going to say anything else about this matter, but again calling their son a hero and also standing behind Congressman Alexander in all of this.

BLITZER: But that former page, that son did write sick, sick, sick, what, some 16 times, as far as those e-mails that he got from Foley, he clearly was freaked out by it.

CALLEBS: Exactly. He used the term that this is freaking me out. He had befriended a number of staff members in Congressman Alexander's office who lived in this area of northern Louisiana. He sent the e-mail responses to those people and said, you know this is sick, sick, sick, and this is freaking me out. What advice can you give me? And later when the media questioned Alexander about this, that is when Alexander went to the family and said how should we handle this.

BLITZER: All right, Sean, thanks very much, Sean Callebs reporting for us. As the scandal grows, one other former page might also figure into this story.

Let's bring in our Brian Todd. He's joining us now with details -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're getting incremental new information about some of those alleged instant message exchanges that have gotten the former congressman caught up in this scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): June, 2002, then Congressman Mark Foley steps up on the House floor to address the departing class of pages.

REP. MARK FOLEY (R), FLORIDA: Above all, cherish your families. Let them know how much you appreciate them giving you this chance and let them know how much you appreciate their love to make you the people you are.

TODD: He goes on to name about a dozen of pages he had gotten to know during that term. One of them may be at the very center of the unfolding scandal. On its Web site, ABC News reported a lurid instant message exchange between one senator identified as Foley and another person whose moniker was redacted, redacted except on one line that ABC mistakenly left up, but we have blocked out.

From maf54, I.D. by ABC as Foley, you're in the boxers too. The reply: Nope, just got home. Maf54: Well strip down and get relaxed. Once a blogger found that conversation, various news organizations including CNN traced the young person's moniker through Internet search engines and matched it with the name of a former House page who now says he works for the Gubernatorial Campaign of Republican Congressman Ernest Istook of Oklahoma. Istook's office would not confirm that the young man works there, but Istook later said this to a CNN affiliate.

REP. ERNEST ISTOOK (R), OKLAHOMA: Now media reports have claimed that someone who is currently on my campaign staff is a victim of Mr. Foley's misconduct. Whether that is true or not, the point is we're talking about a victim, not an offender. This is a young man who is bright, he is hard-working. He doesn't deserve the public embarrassment that he's facing right now.

TODD: CNN is told the FBI wants to interview this young man, but the investigation is just getting started.

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We're trying to learn what's happened here to make an assessment as to whether or not we should begin a full-fledged investigation.

TODD: If and when he is interviewed, the young man may have a high profile lawyer by his side. "The Daily Oklahoma" newspaper reports he's hired Stephen Jones, the attorney who represented Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Our repeated calls to Stephen Jones today have not been returned. Jones did confirm to "The Daily Oklahoma" newspaper that he had been hired, but he did not say why. We called Mark Foley's attorney, David Roth, to see if he knew anything about this young man or the Stephen Jones connection, Roth didn't return our calls -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian thank you, Brian Todd reporting. That online glitch that Brian just told us about is providing some important new clues to this story that only takes a few key strokes to unfold. Our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton has more -- Abbi.

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, ABC News thought that they had dealt with the issue of the un-redacted transcript entirely last week when they republished a redacted version. However, a little known conservative blogger was still able to access the un-redacted version by scouring the ABC News Web site. And once the blogger had that screen name was able to do some searches to uncover the identity of the former page.

Now, this isn't particularly hard to do. With the same information of that screen name we were able to trace down the same information, though we're not going to show it here. This is because many young people online like this formed page post a lot of information about themselves, photos and online profile, all of this information, though, that conservative blogger, put online at their Web sites, which has come under considerable scrutiny from other bloggers who called the move irresponsible -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Abbi, thank you. Let's go to New York. Jack Cafferty has got "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, my producer, Sarah Len (ph) and I were looking at the transcript to that e-mail and there's a lot more lurid disgusting stuff in it than just the reference to the boxer shorts.

The House Ethics Committee, now there's an oxymoron -- the House Ethics Committee has swung into action. They're promising a huge investigation of the Mark Foley scandal -- the House Ethics Committee, but it might be too little, too late for the Republicans.

There's a growing sense now that the fallout from this scandal could hurt the GOP big time in the upcoming midterm elections. Check out these poll numbers. A new AP/Ipsos poll shows that 48 percent of likely voters say the recent examples of corruption and scandal will be very important or extremely important to their vote for Congress.

Thirty-one percent say it's moderately or slightly important. Twenty-one percent say it's not important at all. And it gets worse for the Republicans. By a margin of almost two to one, likely voters are now saying Democrats would do a better job at handling political corruption. So here's the question this hour -- is the Foley scandal the kind of issue that should be considered extremely important in the midterm elections. E-mail us CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you Jack for that. We'll get back to you soon. Coming up hire in THE SITUATION ROOM, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice makes a surprise trip to Baghdad as violence spirals seemingly out of control. We'll get the latest details from CNN's Michael Ware, he's in the Iraqi capital.

Also, Republicans going on the offensive in the Foley scandal, pointing to political opponents, Democrats, the news media. We'll have details of an escalating blame game.

Plus, he's locked in a very tight Senate race. I'll ask former Navy Secretary James Webb about some controversial comments he's made in the past about women and combat. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Coming up much more on the Mark Foley scandal. We're now getting in the first poll numbers on the impact of this scandal, likely impact on voters only four and a half weeks from now when they go to polls. We're going to share you these new poll numbers just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now, but first, let's get to another hugely important story today. Namely what's going on in Iraq?

The time to act right now -- the secretary of state delivered that message today to Iraqi leaders in Baghdad who seemed not to be able to settle their differences, but are her words getting through?

Joining us now our correspondent in Baghdad Michael Ware. The secretary of state, Michael, Condoleezza Rice, she flies into Baghdad. Her flight was a little bit delayed, indirect fire they're saying as she was coming into Baghdad. She immediately goes to green zone, meets with this prime minister. I assume she's reading him the riot act, saying you know what, you Iraqis have got to get your act together.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well it certainly seems that way. It appears to be implied from what scraps of public statements have been made. We heard Secretary Rice coming in, saying that Iraqi political forces need to understand that there's no longer time for endless debate about the problems confronting that country. She also said that the -- you know, the security situation is not one that can be tolerated.

So, that's firmer language than we heard back in April when Secretary Rice was saying she was coming in to nudge this government into formation, back then when there was so much of the political bargaining going on, so there seems to be a change in tone. And remember, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is vital to the U.S. mission. In some ways, he could be seen to be the last gasp for this democratic model that America is trying to implant here.

So they've invested a lot in him, hoping that he can create a popular base with U.S. support that will give a wedge against the militias and the Iranian back political parties that actually hold power, so she may have been asking him very firmly to step up to the plate and start delivering. And quite frankly, it's hard to see how he can, Wolf.

BLITZER: At this point, she comes in for a few hours, a day or whatever, into Iraq. She immediately goes to very secure green zone. Does she really see what's happening inside Iraq? Does she leave there with a better appreciation of either the sectarian violence or the insurgency?

WARE: Of course not Wolf. I mean you can just imagine the umbrella of security that encases someone like the secretary of state. But I mean going from the airport, which is its own self-contained little bubble, to the green zone, which is the ultimate bubble here in Iraq, I mean U.S. officials and contractors and all manner of people will come and spend six to 12 months in Iraq, but never leave the green zone. They don't know even what it's like to walk an Iraqi street, certainly not without the shroud of heavily-armed American soldiers about them. They don't know what it's like to go to someone's home and just sit and talk with them, to shop in the markets, to have blackouts, to not have water, to have to queue for benzine. Secretary Rice is so far divorced from that reality that she couldn't possibly hope to understand it, certainly not from fleeting visits to an artificial bubble like the green zone -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And I know that's something that Michael Ware is not in, in any bubble. You're one of our courageous correspondents. Michael thanks very much.

WARE: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And still to come tonight here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, he says he's staying and he's pointing his finger at Democrats and the news media as the Foley scandal continues to grow.

Plus, more on the political fallout Republicans could face in the wake of the scandal. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is standing by for that.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There she is, Zain Verjee. She's standing by with a quick look at some other important stories making headlines -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says if North Korea successfully tests a nuclear weapon it could encourage other countries to do the same, but he declined to say if the U.S. would respond militarily if the threatened test is carried out. A top State Department official warns that the test wouldn't be in anyone's interest. And the U.S. won't tolerate a nuclear North Korea.

Former Hewlett Packard chairman, Patricia Dunn, appeared in a California courtroom today. She signed a promise to return to court for her arraignment on the 17th of November. She's charged with felony counts in Hewlett Packard's secret investigation into the source of media leaks. Dunn was booked and fingerprinted at the sheriff's office and then was released. Hewlett's former chief ethics officer and three investigators also face charges. Dunn denies any wrongdoing.

One-time JonBenet Ramsey suspect John Mark Karr is a free man. A California judge dismissed child pornography possession charges against him today after prosecutors said that they didn't have enough evidence to take the case to trial. Karr caused a sensation when he said that he was the child beauty queen when she died back in 1996. DNA evidence failed to link him to her death.

Thousands of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company employees are on the picket line. Steel Workers Union members walked off the job today at plants across the United States and Canada after contract talks broke down. One analyst says the strike could cost the world's third largest tire maker $2 million a day. Goodyear says that it doesn't expect any drop in production -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thank you, Zain Verjee reporting.

Just ahead, more on the Foley fiasco -- some Democrats charge Republican leadership should be held accountable. Some Republicans suggest this story could be part of an election year plot.

Also, who knew it would be this close in the Virginia Senate race that is, a determined Democrat once behind in the polls now very much in a dead-even race. We'll talk to Jim Webb. That's coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Happening now -- breaking news in the Mark Foley fiasco. We're just now learning that federal investigators are interviewing another page and that more allegations could be coming. Stand by.

Meanwhile, who might the voters blame as the midterm election nears? Democrats hope voters will hold Republicans accountable, but Republicans hope the scandal might also hurt the Democrats.

And in Pennsylvania, horse-drawn buggies brought mourners to funerals for four of the five Amish school girls killed by a gunman. Five young girls remain hospitalized. Meanwhile, today relatives said they saw the gunman the night before the incident and that they saw no sign that anything was wrong.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Breaking news in the Mark Foley scandal -- our Kelli Arena is following that and is joining us now with details -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, investigators have turned up startling new information from pages who allegedly had contact with former Congressman Foley. The investigation, Wolf, is basically working on two levels -- first to find the universe of potential victims and get the facts. Second, figure out if any laws were broken. But that is not as easy as it sounds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA (voice-over): The e-mails and instant messages sent by former Congressman Mark Foley may be disgusting, but not necessarily illegal.

MARK RASCH, FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROSECUTOR: You know, as a general rule, we prosecute these kinds of cases when there is real danger to the child. Mere speech probably doesn't rise to that level.

ARENA: Government sources say prosecutors are looking at the evidence, but, still have not launched a full criminal investigation.

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let us get the information. Let us get the facts, before we make, you know, an announcement about -- about possible crimes. That will be great.

ARENA: The law is by no means clear.

First, it's not a federal crime to have sexually explicit conversations with children over the Internet. That's because the Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that it's free speech, protected by the Constitution.

To prove a crime, investigators would need more than just talk. They would have to uncover evidence that Foley actually tried to get a minor to meet him for sex.

RASCH: You have to engage in some kind of affirmative act towards meeting him, buying a plane ticket, arranging a place to meet, something like that. And it has to be explicit.

ARENA: According to government sources, at least one former congressional pages alleges Foley discussed the possibility of getting together to engage in a sexual act. We do not know whether he has the documentation to back up that claim.

But as shocking as that sounds, even that is an illegal slam dunk. The age of consent in D.C., is 16. And all of the pages in question were at least that old. If any of the pages were not in D.C. at the time of the e-mail exchanges, then state laws may apply. And in some places, the age of consent is higher.

Investigators continue to interview former pages and others who knew Foley, including his former chief of staff, Kirk Fordham.

TIMOTHY HEAPHY, ATTORNEY FOR KIRK FORDHAM: He will continue to be completely forthcoming. But because there's an ongoing investigation, he can't comment any farther.

ARENA: And discussions continue regarding access to Foley's computer and other files in his Capitol Hill office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Even that isn't straight forward, Wolf. Now that Foley's no longer a member of Congress, one of the issues is who owns that computer and who can give consent for a search. Very obviously Wolf, this is not over.

BLITZER: And clearly now, it goes to a new level with government investigators going ahead and interviewing potential witnesses, looking into this. This raises the stakes at least in the short term, big time.

ARENA: That's right, Wolf. And they're going beyond pages. They're also looking to find out if he had inappropriate conduct with other young people as well, outside of the congressional circle.

BLITZER: And I know you've read some of these e-mails. They're lurid, they're disgusting and about as filthy as it gets.

ARENA: Well, pretty disturbing, Wolf. But miraculously, I think a lot of people would be shocked to know it's not illegal.

BLITZER: Necessarily. All right, we'll continue to watch. The lawyers will discuss this and the federal investigators as well. Kelli Arena doing some excellent reporting for us, as she always does.

Meanwhile, some Republicans including the House Speaker Dennis Hastert are going on the offensive saying that the Democrats and the news media are behind the spreading scandal. Let's bring in CNN's Mary Snow. She's in New York with that part of the story -- Mary?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, the House speaker is pointing to a conspiracy for the timing of the news getting out. And Democrats are firing around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SNOW (voice over): As pressure builds around House Speaker Dennis Hastert, the Republican leader is blaming political opponents for the widening scandal surrounding Mark Foley.

He tells "The Chicago Tribune", "The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives. People funded by George Soros."

The "Tribune" points out that Hastert offered no hard evidence, and quotes him as pointing the statements made by Bill Clinton's adviser Richard Morris as saying operatives had information. Morris has been highly critical of the Clintons since they parted ways years ago.

At his press conference today, Hastert stuck to generalities.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER: Our friends on the other side of the aisle really don't have a story to tell. And maybe they are resolving to another way to -- another political tactic.

SNOW: Democrats fired back. Committee Chairman Howard Dean told CNN, "This is a Republican lie. They are blaming everyone but themselves for what happened."

Liberal political activist and billionaire George Soros told us, "The charge that I had something to do with the Foley scandal is laughable. Dennis Hastert cannot divert attention from his responsibility by trying to drag my name into the affair."

But last year Soros donated $100,000 to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the group that turned over a Mark Foley e-mail exchange with the page to the FBI this past July. The advocacy group says it's independent.

MELANIE SLOAN, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY & ETHICS: George Soros has no control over what we do on a day-to-day basis. I don't think George Soros even knew we were involved in this matter until yesterday, or the day before, when it started making big news.

SNOW: As for blaming Democrats, some observers say Hastert's strategy could backfire without substantial proof.

DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Without some hard evidence, the Republicans look like they are flailing around and they are only going to make it worse. They are going to be seen as being even clumsier in responding to this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Political observers say Hastert is taking a gamble in playing the blame game that could hurt other Republican races. Hastert in the meantime is predicting a conservative backlash when they find out, in his words, who's feeding this monster -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Mary, thank you -- Mary Snow reporting. The Foley scandal already making a political impact. But will it be on the voters minds when they go to the polls in less than five weeks? Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider -- Bill?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, the political landscape for this year's midterm election is changing even as we speak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Republicans are afraid their base could abandon them just as it did in the Watergate midterm of 1974.

PAUL WEYRICH, FREE CONGRESS FOUNDATION: Reagan's pollster Dick Wirthlin coined the term the "embarrassed Republican vote" and he mentioned that because the Democrats won this huge landslide in 1974, only the vote for them was the same as it was four years earlier in 1970. The difference being the extraordinary drop-off of Republicans.

SCHNEIDER: This year, conservatives are not just embarrassed, many of them are angry.

ROBERT BIGUERIE, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT: It is certainly appears to be like the final nail in the coffin. For six years the conservatives have gotten basically lip service from this administration, they've been used and abused.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans are totally dependent on the conservative vote. Here is why. CNN's polls show liberals voting solidly Democratic. Republicans have lost the middle. Moderates favor Democrats by nearly 2-1. More than 60 percent of conservatives still plan to vote Republican, but nearly a third of them say they'll support the Democrat. And if conservatives are embarrassed by the congressional scandals, a lot of them could stay home just as they did after Watergate.

The White House hopes they'll put the scandal aside.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Come Election Day, the question is whether people are going to be voting on the basis of disgusting IMs between a grown man and a young man, or something that's probably more important to everybody, which is safety, security and prosperity.

SCHNEIDER: Don't know yet, but experts say a lot of new races could be in play that were not in play a week ago.

STUART ROTHENBERG, ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT: And I think the biggest question is, could there be a whole set of seats that we haven't been looking at that, because the focus is on Republicans and missteps and misdeeds, suddenly come into play in the next few weeks? I think it's likely that there are races that right now, we can't even identify.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SCHNEIDER: That rumbling noise you hear may be the political landscape shifting. And those people you see running for cover. They're Republicans -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Bill Schneider, reporting for us. Thank you.

And there's yet another sign all of this could spell serious trouble for the Republican party in the midterm election less than five weeks away. A new "Time" magazine poll just out says two-thirds of Americans who were aware of the scandal believe Republican leaders tried to cover it up. And one quarter of them say they're now less likely to vote for a Republican candidate in November. That "Time" magazine poll just coming out.

Up ahead tonight, tough questions for a Democratic Senate candidate. Under fire for his views on women in the military, where does Jim Webb stand right now on this sensitive issue and in his race against Virginia Republican George Allen? The race a dead-heat right now.

And later, it's no laughing matter, but comedians are already having a field day with the Mark Foley scandal. Jeanne Moos doesn't pull any punches with their punchlines. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In a midterm election year filled with drama, the Virginia Senate race stands out. Republican incumbent George Allen, who was supposed to have a relatively easy time, now finds himself on the ropes. I recently interviewed Senator Allen about his problems, including his now-famous macaca remark, and the way he handled disclosure of his Jewish background. And now I have spoken with his Democratic challenger, the former Navy Secretary James Webb. He's facing some controversy as well over an article he once wrote, entitled "Women Can't Fight."

I asked Webb to explain his thinking then and now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES WEBB (D-VA), CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE: The article was about whether women should go into specific combat billets and who should decide. It was an article that was written 27 years ago, and there were some rhetorical excesses in the article. We were all sort of throwing bombs at each other back then.

I have apologized for some of the rhetorical excess, but I think that the debate was an important debate and needed to happen.

And at the same time, when I was secretary of the Navy, I opened up more billets to women, operational billets, than any secretary in history. And we've had a very strong level of support from women calling into our campaign after they saw some of the negative stuff that was coming out of the Allen campaign.

BLITZER: So you regret the use of words that you wrote, that one of the halls at the Naval Academy is a horny woman's dream?

WEBB: Yes. I mean, OK, you've said that twice, and, you know, and I've expressed my apology for language that I used back then. And, at the same time, I'm going to say it again, I opened up more combat -- or more operational billets to women than any secretary of the Navy in history.

And if you look at my staff -- there's a term in the law that says, res ipsa loquitur, "the thing speaks for itself". My campaign manager is a woman, my deputy campaign manager is an African-American woman. Our director of media is a woman. Our deputy director is a woman. My finance director is a woman. And I think that, again, I will say the thing speaks for itself.

BLITZER: Let me just make sure that I understand. Your current position on women serving in combat units is what? Because it's still a little murky as far as from what I understand.

WEBB: What I have said -- what I have said is that I am totally comfortable with where the military is today. This was never an issue about whether women should serve in combat. It was whether they should serve in specific billets, such as the infantry and the artillery, and also who should decide. And the military has been deciding that.

I've had a tremendous amount of support from serving women in the military over the years. I've visited a number of commands at the invitation of female officers. And in fact, one of the four women who had participated in the original press conference by George Allen about this issue, one of the Naval Academy graduates, got so upset with the ad that he ran that she has endorsed our campaign, as of last week. And we also have had other female Naval Academy graduates, one of whom assisted us in cutting an ad defending my positions and explaining it.

BLITZER: Do you think...

WEBB: Now can we talk about foreign policy?

BLITZER: We can talk about foreign policy, but I want to get your thoughts on George Allen and the allegations that he used a racial epithet. Do you believe George Allen is a racist?

WEBB: I have been saying since day one, when there was an article that came out this spring when I was on the campaign trail during the primary about George Allen, that I do not believe it's for me to comment on this stuff. It's irrelevant to what I'm trying to do. I said the same thing after we walked off of the floor, when we had our debate after the comment about his Jewish heritage. And I said the same thing again on the issue that you're addressing, that I've got a limited amount of time, I got 34 days to talk about what I want to do as a United States senator. And that is to improve our national security posture, to address the issues of economic inequality in this country, which -- which have become very serious, and to talk about the abuse of power of the presidency.

BLITZER: On Iraq, what would you do right now, if you were in the United States Senate?

WEBB: You know, Wolf, I was on your show probably close to a year before we invaded Iraq, and you asked me then -- your question was, well, I don't -- maybe it isn't whether we should invade Iraq, but when.

And I said to you then, no, why -- let's talk about whether. And I -- you know, I was an early voice warning against the implications of invading and occupying Iraq.

And I have been saying for more than two years, before I ever decided to run for the Senate, that what we need to do is, A, get a clear statement from this administration that it has no desire for permanent bases in Iraq, and, secondly, that we need to convene the countries in that region who have cultural and historical ties to Iraq in some sort of an international conference, where we can bring a diplomatic solution and get our combat forces out of there, at the same time, preserving our ability to address terrorism issues, whether they are in Iraq or anywhere else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Jim Webb, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Virginia, speaking with me earlier.

And as we head into the crucial midterm elections, this important note: Stay up to date with the CNN political ticker. The daily news service on Cnn.com. gives you an inside view of all of the day's political stories. See for yourself, go to CNN.com/ticker.

Up ahead, it's a very, very serious scandal, but that isn't stopping some from finding humor in the Foley story. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look for us.

And Jack Cafferty is wondering, is the Foley scandal the kind of issues that should be considered extremely important in the midterm elections? Jack is standing by with "The Cafferty File."

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's go back to Jack with the Cafferty File, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Thank you, Wolf. A new poll shows almost half of likely voters say the recent examples of corruption and sandal will be very important or extremely important to their vote for Congress. So the question is, is the Foley scandal the kind of issue that ought to be considered extremely important in the midterm elections? A lot of you think it is.

Paul in Georgia, "I was a Republican, the son of Republicans. Republicans have shown that they cannot respond to a hurricane, a terrorist attack, a broken border, or a child predator without letting the good old boy system be their rule of law. I will vote against every Republican at every level, local, state and national until these incompetents are no longer in control of our country.

George in Connecticut, "The Foley incident should carry no more weight in any election than the Clinton/Monica affair did. It does, however, highlight the hypocrisy of the Republican moral majority, these great supporters of family values. I still have to chuckle when I think of their venomous vocal reactions to the Clinton's decision to make their marriage work.

Stan in Maine, "The way Foley-gate is developing is shaped by the way the Republicans have chosen to run Congress. They have elected to restrict all actions to a select few loyal Republicans. This is not an institutional issue. This is willful failure of Republican leadership, no one else. Time to be held accountable for real. The voters are justified in giving great weight to Foley-gate November 7th.

A. in Boston, Georgia writes, "No, because it's not just a coincidence that this just showed up just a month before the elections. Suspicious, huh? This shouldn't be a huge factor, but it's something you should consider.

And finally, Vicki writes from Sacramento, "considering the fact that core values are the most ethically important criteria for any political party, Foley's sexually motivated actions are diametrically opposed to the very fabric of our society. One should vote for the candidate on his own merits, of course, but the fact that the Republicans are not taking this seriously, well it makes me wonder if they understand what ethics really mean to voter.

If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. We've put some more of those online for your viewing pleasure.

BLITZER: So it's generating a lot of view reaction, this Foley scandal?

CAFFERTY: Every night that we have done these questions since it broke, tremendous numbers of e-mails and there aren't a lot of people that think that either Foley or the Republican leadership are doing a real great job handling this thing so far.

BLITZER: All right, Jack thanks. See you tomorrow, appreciate it very much.

Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. Paula Zahn is standing by. Hi Paula.

ZAHN: Hi Wolf. Thanks so much. Tonight, we're going to in- depth on today's fallout of the Mark Foley scandal. I'm going to ask a conservative talk show host what their listeners are saying, who they're blaming for this big mess.

We're also going to check in into something that I know Jack Cafferty has railed about, Congress has set $20 million to commemorate victories in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why would they do that long in advance what any rational person would think might constitute a victory? And what else could that money buy? A top story panel will suggest some other ways to spend it. We hope you will join us at the top of the hour, which would be about six minutes from now, according to my little, fancy digital clock out here, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we always do Paula. Thank you very much

Still ahead, a capitol scandal, fodder for comedians. CNN's Jeanne Moos looks at what some are saying. You're going to want to stick around and see this. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the Hot Shots coming in from the Associated Press. In the skies over Maquba (ph), Iraq a U.S. military helicopter shoots flairs.

In Moscow, Russian security forces raid a casino believed to be run by Georgian crime lords.

Philadelphia, former President Clinton chats with Jon Bon Jovi at a Habitat For Humanity event.

And in Atlanta, baby panda cubs sleep in their home at the zoo. She'll turn one month old tomorrow.

Some of today's Hot Shots, pictures often worth a thousand words.

No surprise comedians and political jokesters are having a field day with Foley sandal, despite its seriousness. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oh, for the days when a page was something you turn, not something that turns someone on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Foley, everything unholy.

MOOS: But the scandal has given political jokesters lots of material.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 16-year-old boy, he'd be your sexual toy.

MOOS: There are songs, there are puns about it being time for the GOP to ex-Foley-ate and there are games, like Help Hastert Hide the Perv, where you move the House speaker around in an effort to hide Mark Foley's interactions with Congressional pages.

We're accustomed to police tip lines, but now we have

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A page tip line. There's a hotline set up for anyone with leads concerning Mark Foley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for calling the tip line for the United States House of Representatives. If you have information regarding former Congressman Mark Foley and --

MOOS (on camera): They must be getting tons of prank calls, you know, can you help me, I lost my page.

(voice-over): The anti-Bush forces are having a field day, even as the president delivers another speech on --

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No child left behind.

MOOS: There's a t-shirt for sale, please, leave the children behind. It's one of a few dozen on the web. One features Foley's most famous alleged instant message quote, move over Austin Powers.

MIKE MYERS, COMEDIAN, AUSTIN POWERS: Do I make you horny?

MOOS: For more on the page scandal, you can look on the editorial cartoon page. Never accept candy or a ride from strange Republican congressman. The "New York Post" showed gay former governor Jim McGreevey saying, look on the bright side Foley, you'll have a best-selling book.

Note the picture of the Village People on the wall. The Village People make for popular parody. This one topped the charts on the "Huffington Post."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Young man, are you listening me? I said, young man, what do you want to be?

MOOS: Gone are the innocent days when if you wanted a congressional page --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Page.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything else you want, just snap for a page.

MOOS: Just snap, instead of sending a lurid e-mail.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That's it for me. Let's go to Paula in New York, Paula.

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