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The Situation Room
Evangelical Leader Admits Contact With Gay Prostitute;
Aired November 03, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: 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 today's top stories.
Happening now, a reverend's confession -- one of the most influential Christian leaders in the Evangelical movement admits contact with an admitted gay male prostitute. The Reverend Ted Haggard says he contacted the man for a massage and even bought some drugs from him.
Also, searching for signs in the tea leaves -- four days before the mid-term election, Democrats and Republicans are pouring over polls for any signs of victory. Now, some fresh numbers suggest one party should be encouraged.
And an election day nightmare -- could your vote be tampered with?
A controversial new documentary about e-voting asks how safe is your vote?
I'm Wolf Blitzer from CNN election headquarters in New York.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Just four days until the mid-term election and some of the closest races across the country are now getting even tighter. We have some new poll numbers out for you this hour.
But first, there are these new developments in that scandal rocking some of the country's most steadfast voters, Evangelical Christians.
A leading pastor with national influence is now admitting he contacted a male prostitute for a massage and bought methamphetamine from him.
CNN's Jason Carroll is joining us now with more on this scandal and the Reverend Ted Haggard -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Wolf, you'll remember that it was "Time" magazine who put Reverend Ted Haggard on its list of 25 most influential Evangelical leaders.
Now, Haggard, a married man with five children, is having to explain what type of contact he had with a former male prostitute and for how long.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
REV. TED HAGGARD, FORMER EVANGELICAL LEADER: And every one of us have demons that are assigned to make us fail.
CARROLL (voice-over): The Reverend Ted Haggard -- viewed by followers as a force in the pulpit. But the man known for upholding conservative Christian values is defending himself against allegations he committed the type of sexual acts he's been preaching against.
Mike Jones, a former gay prostitute in Denver, says he had sex with Haggard and that Haggard used the drug methamphetamine in his presence on at least a dozen occasions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: And have you used meth?
HAGGARD: No, I have not.
QUESTION: ... your voice.
HAGGARD: I did call him.
QUESTION: And what did you call him about?
HAGGARD: I called him to buy some meth, but I threw it away.
QUESTION: And who were you buying the meth for?
HAGGARD: No, I was buying it for me, but I never used it.
QUESTION: Have you ever used meth before?
HAGGARD: No, I have not.
QUESTION: So why...
HAGGARD: And I did not ever use it with him.
QUESTION: And did you ever have sex with him?
HAGGARD: No, I did not.
QUESTION: And at what point did you decide to throw away the meth?
HAGGARD: Right after. I never kept it very long, because it's -- it was wrong. I was tempted, I bought it, but I never used it.
QUESTION: And how did you know that he would sell it to you?
HAGGARD: He told me about it. I went there for...
QUESTION: Because you had that (UNINTELLIGIBLE)... HAGGARD: I went to him for a massage, so -- OK, we're late for our appointment. And so -- but thank you for your work.
QUESTION: How did you find him to get a massage from him?
HAGGARD: A referral.
QUESTION: From?
HAGGARD: From the hotel I was staying at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: But in an interview with on Wednesday, Haggard denied knowing Mike Jones. Despite the denials, Jones says for the past three years, he had sex with Haggard. Jones says their last encounter was allegedly this past August.
MIKE JONES, HAGGARD'S ACCUSER: We continued seeing each other about once a month for that first year there and every time he would phone me, it was from a blocked number, so on my caller I.D. I had no idea who was calling. But it didn't even matter to me, you know? He was just -- we were just hooking up.
CARROLL: But Jones says he failed a polygraph test when asked certain details about having sex with Haggard.
JONES: I don't understand why I did fail the part about when they asked me if I've had sex with Ted Haggard because that's the reason that he contacted me to begin with.
CARROLL: The polygraph administrator said Jones was exhausted and he wanted to redo the test. Haggard says he would not be opposed to an investigation into which one of them is telling the truth.
HAGGARD: We are not hesitant at all with an independent group asking the questions of -- what did you say his name was?
QUESTION: Mike.
HAGGARD: Mike. And hearing them and then investigating it and then deciding what I should -- what should be done with me.
CARROLL: The day after Wednesday's interview, Haggard temporarily stepped aside as senior pastor at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. He also resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, a group representing 45,000 churches nationwide. Church officials are conducting their own investigation with Haggard's cooperation.
ROSS PARSLEY, ACTING SENIOR PASTOR: There has been some admission of indiscretion, not admission to all of the material that has been discussed. But there is an admission of some guilt.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
CARROLL: The larger question is will this have any effect on the election?
There are two ballot initiatives in Colorado dealing with same- sex marriage. Political analysts seem to believe that a scandal like this isn't going to affect whether conservative Christians show up at the polls in Colorado or elsewhere. But they say it does chip away at the credibility of the conservative leadership -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And Jones says he did decide to go public with this information because he wanted to try to influence that vote, is that right?
CARROLL: That is true. He did say that he wanted to come forward because of the hypocrisy of you've got one man who's preaching one thing, but allegedly doing something else.
BLITZER: All right, Jason, thanks very much.
We're going to stay on top of this story for our viewers.
With only four days until the mid-term elections, the campaigning right now nonstop. As they hopscotch from speech to fund-raiser to late night rally, some candidates have some very surprising new polls to consider right now.
Take a look at these eye-opening results from a new Reuters/Zogby survey of Senate races.
First, three states that were thought to be safely Republican -- in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island -- Democratic candidates have built significant leads. Tuesday may be the end of the road for Republican Senators Mike DeWine of Ohio, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.
Three other states that, by conventional wisdom, should be safely Republican, are now neck-and-neck, even though Democrats seem ahead in Missouri, Montana and Virginia.
These results are within the poll's sampling error, which is plus or minus four points.
These three states could still go, clearly, either way.
Take a look at Tennessee, a state the Democrats considered a possible pick up. Representative Bob Corker seems, though, to be pulling away right now from Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.
We're also watching other news that's happening now, including the political calculus of who's up, who's down and who could end up down and out.
There's one race that Republicans thought was in the bag, but that Democrats now think is perhaps in play.
CNN's Ted Rowlands is joining us in Phoenix.
He has more -- Ted. TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a few weeks ago, Jon Kyl's Senate seat was considered a lock for Republicans. But now, it looks like this race is going to go down to the wire.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Jon Kyl's Senate seat wasn't supposed to be one of those considered vulnerable for a possible Democratic take over. For months, the three term Arizona senator had been way up in the polls. But a few weeks ago, his lead started to shrink. It's now down to single digits.
PROFESSOR BRUCE MERRILL, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: I don't think anybody here really thought the Republicans were going to be seriously challenged.
ROWLANDS: Arizona pollster Bruce Merrill says in talking to voters, the shift in the polls isn't necessarily about Jon Kyl as much as it is about dissatisfaction with incumbents in general and the White House.
MERRILL: Eighty-five percent of the comments weren't for the Democratic candidate, they were against -- against the war, against Bush, against the administration, against the scandals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because Jon Kyl votes for what George Bush wants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: With new momentum, Kyl's opponent, Jim Pederson, is trying to link Kyl to President Bush in a last minute flurry of television ads. And the Democratic Party is pouring money and campaign support into the race, including a previously unscheduled visit this week from Bill Clinton.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And lo and behold, as we come down to the final days, he's got a good chance to be your senator if you show up and fight for him these last five days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He hasn't gone Washington. His experience benefits Arizona.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Senator Kyl is fighting back with television ads that emphasize his experience and ability to work with Democrats, a message that seems to be directed at Independent voters, who may decide this election.
(END VIDEO TAPE) ROWLANDS: And according to the research, Independents here in Arizona right now are leaning two to one Democrat, Wolf. And the number one issue that those Independents are articulating to the pollsters, the same issue that a lot of folks say is number one, the war in Iraq.
BLITZER: We'll watch that race closely with you, Ted.
Thanks very much.
And we're going to show you three more states in this new Reuters/Zogby poll of U.S. Senate races. If these numbers are right, Democrats seem to have three more Senate seats back in the bag, even though once some of them seemed somewhat in jeopardy.
Those states are Connecticut. Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman, he's now running, as you know, as an Independent, way ahead.
In Maryland, Democrat Ben Cardin seems to be pulling away from Republican Michael Steele, although other polls show it's closer.
In New Jersey, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez hoping for election to the U.S. Senate seat he was appointed to fill.
Jack Cafferty is watching all of these races, but he's also watching a lot more...
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
Listen to this. Congress is going to shut down the federal agency that reports on fraud and waste in Iraq. Congress is going to close the federal agency that reports on fraud and waste in Iraq. The "New York Times" reports this was part of a military authorization bill that President Bush recently signed. Led by a Republican lawyer, this Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction has filed more than 300 reports and investigations. They have exposed everything from poor construction work by companies like Halliburton and Bechtel, to the thousands of missing U.S. weapons that were meant for Iraqi security forces.
This is all stuff that's pretty damaging to what the administration is trying to accomplish in Iraq.
So what happened?
Well, the Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee added this provision to shut this office down into a bill during a closed door conference. Lawmakers in both parties now say that they're worried about the loss of oversight and are going to work to reverse the decision.
Hold your breath on that.
Meanwhile, a committee spokesman says this all has nothing to do with politics or the White House or lobbying by the big contractors like Halliburton and Bechtel. He says the idea is to return to a non- wartime footing and to let the State Department and the Pentagon investigate overseas programs.
Now, there's a great idea.
A non-wartime footing? Really? Are we there yet?
It's only November 3rd. Eleven U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq so far this month. And that follows October, which was the fourth bloodiest month for the American military there when 105 of our soldiers died. That's some non-wartime footing, isn't it?
Here's the question -- why would Congress shut down the office that's reporting on fraud and waste in Iraq?
E-mail your thoughts to caffertyfile@cnn.com or go to cnn.com/caffertyfile.
BLITZER: And they've really brought to light a lot of the waste, fraud, abuse -- billions and billions of dollars. They've really done a pretty good job.
CAFFERTY: And it's headed up by a Republican lawyer, who's doing what they asked him to do. It's like well, we've got to go to a non- wartime footing now.
BLITZER: Stewart Bowen, he's a good guy.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
BLITZER: We'll stay on top of this story, see what our viewers think, as well.
CAFFERTY: I already know.
BLITZER: Thanks, Jack, very much.
CAFFERTY: OK.
BLITZER: Up ahead, four days until the election and President Bush is on a campaign push, trying to sway some of the tightest races toward Republicans. We're going to have details of new additions to his stump speech. You're going to want to hear this.
Plus, we heard from Howard Dean last hour. This hour, we'll talk about the latest poll numbers, the tightest races with Republican strategist Mary Matalin.
Plus, growing concerns about electronic voting. We're going to show you why critics are sounding the alarm right now and how the makers of the machines are responding.
We're live from CNN election headquarters in New York and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: With the polls appearing to favor Democrats, there's growing talk of the party perhaps not only taking back the House of Representatives, but possibly even the U.S. Senate. Democrats are especially optimistic about the Pennsylvania Senate race, where State Treasurer Bob Casey is consistently leading the Republican incumbent, Rick Santorum, in the polls. Santorum was recently here in the SITUATION ROOM.
Bob Casey is joining us now live from Philadelphia.
Thanks very much for coming in.
BOB CASEY, JR. (D), PENNSYLVANIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: This latest Reuters/Zogby poll that's just out today has you at 48 percent, Santorum at 40 percent.
Are you already measuring the drapes or dancing in the end zone, as the president says some Democrats are already doing?
CASEY: No, Wolf. We're working very hard every day, as we have for about a 19 or 20 month campaign. The next four days are going to be very tough days. I expect our race to be close because people know a lot is at stake.
In Pennsylvania, and I think across the country, people know that this race is a choice between more of the same and a new direction. So we're working right up to the last minute. I've won and I've lost and I know how both of them feel.
BLITZER: Here's what Santorum said earlier in the week here in the SITUATION ROOM.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: You know, Bob Casey has just simply not run-a single positive ad in this campaign. He's not given any reason why he, you know, why anybody should vote for him. And the bottom line is he hasn't really campaigned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, a strong accusation. I assume you are campaigning, obviously.
But what about on the issue of Iraq?
Where do you differ with Santorum on Iraq?
CASEY: Well, Wolf, if it comes down to one word, it's accountability. Rick Santorum, who has voted with this president 98 percent of the time, and that has played out with regard to Iraq.
We need accountability when it comes to Iraq. I support the replacement of Don Rumsfeld. He doesn't. He thinks he's doing a "fine job." The president thinks Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a fantastic job. Both of them are wrong. We need new leadership when it comes to Iraq because we need a new strategy...
BLITZER: Well...
CASEY: ... to stabilize that country and to win the war.
BLITZER: Well, let me press you on that, Mr. Casey.
CASEY: Sure.
BLITZER: Would you support a time line, a deadline for pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq?
CASEY: I don't. I support accountability and I also support clear and measurable benchmarks. I was happy that the president at least used the work benchmark recently. But that should have been in place a long time ago.
The American people are very concerned that the president has no plan and this is a failure of the Republican Congress, as well. They didn't hold the president accountable and Rick Santorum has been a rubber stamp for this president. And when it comes to Iraq and the 136 Pennsylvanians who have lost their lives there, people in Pennsylvania and across the country want accountability. It won't happen under this leadership and under this Congress.
BLITZER: In one of Santorum's ads, commercials, he really goes after you, saying people in Pennsylvania, indeed, all Americans, will be less secure if you are elected.
I'll play a little clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM SANTORUM CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: North Korea close to a nuclear missile to reach America. Yet Casey opposes deploying a missile defense system now. Iran also close. Yet Casey opposes creating the bunker busting bombs that may be needed to stop them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, I suppose we're all going to die if you're elected senator from Pennsylvania.
Do you want to respond to those two specific charges in that ad?
CASEY: Wolf, it's preposterous. I've said all along that we should make sure we fund and research a missile defense system and we should deploy if it works, and I think it will.
And, secondly, bunker buster bombs, everyone is for those. I'm certainly one of those. We could -- if we could build a more powerful one, as is under construction, we should. We've got to take the steps necessary to protect this country from terrorism. I've proposed in this campaign doubling the number of special operations command forces. Rick Santorum is against it. I'd like to have 100,000 of those troops around the world who keep us safe. Rick wants to keep it at 50,000.
BLITZER: Well, he says you're going to make us...
CASEY: He's been telling lots of...
BLITZER: ... you're going to make us less secure because you support amnesty for illegal immigrants and that's going to allow terrorists to slip into this country.
CASEY: Well, the following things that we just walked through in terms of what came out of Rick Santorum's mouth, a lot of lies, a lot of misleading, because he thinks if he says things long enough and loud enough, people will believe him.
They don't. The only amnesty that we've been able to detect in this campaign on immigration is Rick Santorum's support for amnesty for employers. He doesn't want to get tough on his CEO friends and hold them accountable with regard to illegal immigration.
I think it's a clear choice -- he wants to stay the course on so many issues. He wants to ratify the failure of this White House. I want change and to move the country in a new direction.
BLITZER: Bob Casey, running for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania.
Thanks very much for coming in.
CASEY: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And coming up, we'll hear from Republican strategist Mary Matalin. She's joining us to talk about some of the key races that could determine who controls the House, the Senate. Some of the races right now way too close to call.
Plus, we're going to show you why you might be seeing monitors armed with camcorders at your polling centers on Tuesday.
We're live from CNN election headquarters in New York and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Four days to go but not a minute to spare. Republicans and Democrats desperately hoping to persuade anyone who is undecided to swing their way. And they hope to get the already decide to the polls and actually vote.
To rouse Republicans, President Bush is visiting key places with critical races.
Our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, joining us now with more -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the president is fully engaged in this campaign blitz. He's going to hit about a half dozen states before election day. And today, of course, the critical battleground of Missouri, as well as Iowa. And the strategy here, to put him in front of friendly audiences and to try to rally the Republican base to focus on issues that matter to them.
Today, he emphasized that the tax cuts, he says, are working. Look at the economy. It's strong. Unemployment rate down to 4.4 percent. He is also focusing on national security, trying to paint the Democrats as weak in the war on terror and turning the criticism around of the Iraq war, putting it back on the Democrats, asking them if they've got any better ideas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So if you happen to bump into a Democrat candidate, you might want to ask this simple question -- what's your plan?
If they say they want to protect the homeland, but oppose the Patriot Act, ask them this question -- what's your plan?
If they say they want to uncover terrorist plots but oppose listening in on terrorist conversations, ask them this question -- what's your plan?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And, Wolf, it's a mantra that we heard over and over today. And, of course, we'll be hearing it for the next couple of days. The president hitting Missouri, Iowa, then on to Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Florida, Arkansas, and then Texas, of course. That's where he'll be voting on Tuesday before he comes back to the White House -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Missing from that list, Suzanne, the state of Virginia, nearby, not far from Washington, obviously. A very, very close race in Virginia.
Why isn't the president going out there to try to help George Allen, the incumbent Republican?
MALVEAUX: Well, White House officials explain it this way. Part of the strategy is to put the president in places where they can get the most media coverage, local media coverage, and this is -- since the president's already in this area, the Virginia-Maryland-D.C. market really wouldn't benefit.
They get a lot more bang for their buck if they put him out there in those areas where they'll generate a lot of that news coverage.
And, of course, it really gives them almost free advertising for those Republican candidates.
BLITZER: Suzanne, thanks very much.
Suzanne Malveaux is reporting for us from the White House.
Coming up, are Republicans really going to lose control of Congress?
One of my next guests doesn't think so. The Republican strategist Mary Matalin's predictions, coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Happening now, a growing scandal whose fallout could impact the vote in Colorado and possibly beyond. A leading Evangelical pastor with national influence now admitting he contacted a male prostitute for a massage and bought methamphetamine from him. But Ted Haggard denies using the drug. His accuser now says he wants to expose what he calls Haggard's hypocrisy.
Also, with just four days to go in what's been a heated campaign season, new polls show some of the closest races are now too close to call. We'll talk about it with Republican strategist Mary Matalin.
And millions of Americans will be using electronic voting machines this Tuesday. Critics say they're so unreliable they actually pose a threat to our democracy.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
With only four days until the election, the top priority for both parties is shifting from getting out the message to getting out the vote. Right now, both the Democrats and the Republicans are bringing out their party's biggest names and most familiar faces to try to motivate the voters.
And joining us now from Washington, a good friend, Mary Matalin.
I guess you're still an informal adviser to the vice president, a close family friend of the Cheneys.
Good to have you here, Mary.
MARY MATALIN, FORMER COUNSELOR TO THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thanks, Wolf. Good to be here.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about this election. You're very good as a political strategist. You've been very accurate over the years. I've been listening to your predictions for many years.
Here's what Stuart Rothenberg released last night in his "Rothenberg Political Report." Among other things, he concluded, quote, "We believe that state and national dynamics favor Democrats netting six seats and winning control of the United States Senate." You're shaking your head.
MATALIN: Well, I'm not a pundit. I'm an advocate. I'm a conservative. I have been -- Karl and Ken have sent to most of these targeted states. And it just feels different on the ground; it looks different on the ground.
For the Democrats to win the Senate, they have to win Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. They're not going to win those states. And we're going to pick up Maryland. Michael Steele's just the MVP of this cycle. So I don't see how they get here.
It is true that it's a difficult environment. You and I have been through lots of midterms together. The first one I went through was with Reagan in '82, and we lost 26 seats in the House. So, you know, the ebb and flow, it's a tough environment. We're going to hang onto the Senate; I think we're going to minimize our losses in the House.
BLITZER: He says leaning Democrat right now, Rothenberg, not Tennessee. Tennessee clearly leaning Republican. But the other key battleground states, Rhode Island, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Missouri, Montana all slightly leaning Democrats, some more than others. And the assessment is that the Democrats will hold New Jersey and Maryland. You're not ready to throw in the towel yet?
MATALIN: You know, I don't know. I guess Stu -- who's wonderful -- and Charlie Cook, who is wonderful and all those pundits, I guess they're looking at the polls. They're not looking at other measurements that would be more predictive of outcome in the elections, predictive of the turnout, which are intensity of voters or intensity parity.
There is, for the eighth-consecutive week, Mehlman and the RNC have contacted more voters than they did in the comparable period of time in the 2004 elections. We have a great turnout machine. We have the intensity. Early voting, absentee ballot voting is leaning Republican.
So these things are never over until they're over. And I do remember in the last three cycles being told by somebody near and dear to both of us that Republicans were going to lose all three times, and they didn't. So we can't measure what is happening in the polls, but we have to look at what happens at the polls.
BLITZER: I think that's fair enough. Now, that's the Senate. What about the House of Representatives? What's your bottom line, as far as the 15 seats the Democrats need to become the majority in the House and Nancy Pelosi becoming the speaker of the House?
MATALIN: Well, where is Nancy Pelosi, by the way? Rush Limbaugh's put out an Amber Alert for her, you know. They're not -- I think it's a tough environment for us, but they do have to pick up 15 seats. And the seats that they were predicting they're going to pick up are coming back home, including the Florida seat that Joe Negron is in, the Foley seat, and the Tom DeLay seat. So, you know, it's never over until it's over, and they can -- I can see them getting the 10 or 12. I can't see 15.
BLITZER: Here's what a lot of the Democrats assume is the situation. Iraq, by all accounts, the number-one issue right now, hovering over a lot of people's minds right now. I'm going to read a quote to you, and it's a mystery quote. You tell me who you think said this yesterday, all right? Here it is. Quote, "I think that we should get out of there as quickly as we can. We should give a deadline of when we pull the troops out and figure that out and work together with the government in Iraq." Who do you think said that?
MATALIN: You know what? As long as -- if the rest of that quote said we will get out and figure out when we can get out, based on a victorious withdrawal, then it doesn't matter who says it. If they're saying just get out to get out, then I want to hear, what are the consequences of that? I don't care if it's a Democrat or Republican.
What was missing in the debate in this cycle -- and this is very important, and I do blame the Democrats for this -- what would be the consequences of getting out of Iraq in a deleterious way, where that state, that country would implode, and the region would implode? What are the consequences of that? Furthermore, what is your long-term strategy? What is your over-the-horizon strategy for fighting terrorists?
BLITZER: I'm going to tell you who said that, the Republican governor of the largest state in the United States. That would be Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.
MATALIN: Who's a wonderful man who was predicted to be wiped out a couple months ago and that wonderful, brilliant Steve Schmidt went out there, and Arnold's done a great job. So it's just another example of how you're...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: But he's clearly saying give a deadline of when we pull the troops out, which is something that the president, the vice president hate, any deadlines.
MATALIN: You know what, Wolf? But God love him. And with all due respect, he's not the commander in chief. He's not looking at the data that the president and the vice president are looking at. He's not talking to the leaders in the region or in that country every day. He's not obviously and has not articulated, at least in that quote, the consequences of that.
I would love for -- the nation needs to have a debate on, what are the next steps in Iraq? We change the tactics all the time, but what are the consequences of what the Democrats are suggesting we should do now? And furthermore -- and the Democrats are going to have to answer this -- for 2008, what is their long-term generational strategy for fighting terrorists?
The terrorists are here before we came, and we did not create them. And if we leave them alone, they're not going to leave us alone. So let's have -- there's four days left to go. We're obviously not going to have it in this cycle. But maybe after the election, we can have a real debate on the long-term consequences and strategy for dealing with Islamofascism.
BLITZER: And we can hope that after the election everyone sort of gets together and works together to try to deal with that real threat that is out there. Mary Matalin, as usual, thanks very much for coming into THE SITUATION ROOM.
MATALIN: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: And this development just coming in. I want to bring in our congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel. She's joining us on the phone. Andrea, tell our viewers what we're learning?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as expected, Congressman Ney of Ohio, six-term congressman, now, according to his chief of staff, has turned in a letter of resignation. He delivered the letter to the speaker's office. They're referring all further press calls to the clerk's office, which is going to take over running his office now for the 18th District of Ohio.
In September, Congressman Ney pled guilty to corruption, and he was the first member of Congress, Wolf, to fall in that wide-ranging influence-peddling probe surrounding convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He's expected to be sentenced in January, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, Andrea. Andrea Koppel reporting Bob Ney finally, finally submitting his resignation.
Still to come, we'll see why a lot of people will be taking their cameras to the polling places on Tuesday. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. A verdict from Saddam Hussein's first trial could come as early as Sunday. Joining us now, our correspondent in Baghdad, John Roberts.
John, everyone sort of bracing for this verdict in the first Saddam Hussein trial. It's supposed to come this Sunday, only a couple of days before the election. Are people anticipating, I assume, a guilty verdict, but what's going to be the likely reaction on the streets?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you get different versions of the likely reaction, Wolf, depending on who you talk to. Many U.S. and military officials believe that it could actually have a damping effect on the violence, this idea that Saddam Hussein would finally be out of business. And if Saddam does get the death penalty, that would be an indication that there is no hope that he is ever going to come back again, even though he still does have an appeals process to go through.
You talk to other people, though, on the streets -- and they are expecting a spike in the violence. Among the people potentially expecting a spike in the violence, the Iraqi government, which today ordered the Iraqi military to cancel all leave and order all of the members of the Iraqi military back in their bases within a 12-hour period.
Wolf, it looks like on Sunday, when that verdict comes out, there is going to be an increased presence on the streets of Iraqi police, national police, and Iraqi army to try to contain any outbreak of violence. But at this point, Wolf, unclear exactly what might happen.
BLITZER: All right. Now, there's another top U.S. official, shows up, surprise visit in Baghdad today, the head of national intelligence, John Negroponte, himself a former U.S. ambassador in Iraq. There seems to be a parade of visitors coming over for high- level talks. What's going on?
ROBERTS: Just a few days ago, it was National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. The American officials are coming over here, Wolf, to talk about the security situation here in Iraq, the political situation, and the way forward.
They're trying to get on the same page with Nouri al-Maliki, because American officials don't see it as helpful, this contradiction that they've seen from the al-Maliki government over the last couple of weeks. You know, they put up checkpoints around Sadr City. Maliki says, "Take them down." The Americans are looking for this kidnapped soldier, difficult to really search the area unless you've got it cordoned off.
And remember what happened after Zalmay Khalilzad and George Casey talked about benchmarks and timetables that the Iraqi government had agreed to meet. Al-Maliki came out and said, "We don't listen to anybody else when it comes to timetables. We're a sovereign government. We're going to follow our own direction."
So there really seems to be a dance going on here between American officials and the Iraqi officials to try to get everyone on the same page, because the United States, the Bush administration wants to look as though it's putting pressure on the Maliki government to meet the timetables, to deal with the issues that it needs to deal with in order to get this democracy going and to get security in Iraq.
The al-Maliki government, on the other hand, wants to say, "We are independent operators. We're not a puppet regime of the United States." Al-Maliki said, "I am not America's man in Iraq." So you've got these contrasting issues here that seem to be coming at a head in a very public feud -- Wolf?
BLITZER: John Reports reporting for us. And this note: John's program, "THIS WEEK AT WAR," will have a special edition this Saturday and Sunday night, "The Iraq Effect," 8:00 p.m. eastern, Saturday and Sunday night. "THIS WEEK AT WAR," John reporting from Baghdad.
Four more days to go before Election Day, and the Democrats and the Republicans are making some last-minute changes. CNN's Bob Franken joining us now live from Columbus, Ohio -- Bob? BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the national parties have literally spent billions of dollars -- billions -- in this off-year election. And in the next couple of days, more money is going to be raining on some of these campaigns, but not all of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): In some cases, they're taking money from one pocket and putting it into others. Republicans withholding resources, for instance, from Ohio Senator Mike DeWine, who has fallen behind.
By contrast, both sides are sparing no expense in Missouri's Senate race, where incumbent Jim Talent is in a fight truly too close to call. In Montana, where the GOP's Conrad Burns is in a battle for his political life, President Bush tried to help Thursday.
In Virginia, where the incumbent, George Allen, is still neck and neck with the Democrat, in spite of one campaign blunder after another. And Tennessee, where the crucial race is sometimes clouded by the issue of race.
And in the battle for the House, Democrats need 15 seats to take control, and they're spreading their wealth and hopes to a growing number of districts, as many as 60, now gearing up for a final push, including this one here in Ohio, a genuine tossup.
REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: I'm Deborah Pryce, and this is my message.
MARY JO KILROY (D), OHIO CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I'm Mary Jo Kilroy. That's where I stand and why I approve this message.
FRANKEN: But this goes way beyond the TV ads. Here, there and everywhere, the ground war is spreading.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, thanks again. We appreciate your support, and you have a good day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a Democratic household.
FRANKEN: Supporters of Democratic candidates, like Mary Jo Kilroy here, are going door-to-door, trying to keep step with the Republicans in their highly successful 72-hour program to get out the vote.
KILROY: All of us together can counteract this 72-hour program that Republicans are always bragging about.
PRYCE: We'll need you another couple of nights.
FRANKEN: It has made a big difference for GOP candidates across the country, like Deborah Pryce.
PRYCE: We have the mechanism on the ground. We have it all locked and loaded. We just need to get the people to do the job.
FRANKEN: Much of that job is done out of sight in direct mail centers and in phone banks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is Dan. I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of the Franklin County Republican Party. Is Marjorie in?
FRANKEN: They're calling from both parties.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we count on you for some volunteer time to help elect Mary Jo Kilroy?
FRANKEN: And one of the most interesting races of all is the one taking place in the West Palm Beach, Florida, district, that used to be a lock for the GOP's Mark Foley, the same Mark Foley whose e-mail scandal is causing problems for Republicans everywhere. A nearly $2 million GOP cash infusion on behalf of the write-in replacement seems to have paid off. Incredibly, it's now a tossup.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Across the country, the get-out-the-vote machinery is roaring to the finish line, Wolf. It's machinery that's made up of a huge number of human parts, all of them making sure that they leave no voter unturned -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Bob Franken in Ohio for us. Bob, thank you.
And we're going to set the stage for Election Day this Sunday with two -- count 'em, two -- "LATE EDITIONS," our regular time, 11:00 a.m. Eastern for two hours, and then at a special time, a brand-new show at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk.
Ahead, growing concerns about electronic voting. We're going to show you why some say it's putting our democracy at risk.
Plus, why are volunteers across the country vowing to videotape the vote? We'll tell you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: So could your vote actually be tampered with? There's a growing concern about the vulnerability of the technology that's supposed to make voting easier, and a controversial new documentary is now out on this issue. Let's go to CNN's Brian Todd. He's joining us from Bethesda, Maryland, with details -- Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, here in Montgomery County, Maryland, we have a microcosm of some of the problems of electronic voting. Now, on primary day just a couple of months ago, electronic polling books -- these are essentially digital voter registration rolls -- malfunctioned. A state election official tells me that problem has been corrected, but it is symbolic of a system still working out its kinks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Touch-screen or optical scan, how you vote, how it's counted a huge issue in this election, because of the problem some of these machines have presented in recent cycles. Listen to how one expert compares this equipment to machines that handle much more volume.
KENNETH GROSS, ELECTION LAW ATTORNEY: It still amazes me that the machines are freezing up on Election Day, but I've never gotten more than the exact amount of $20 bills that I've asked for when I put my card in the ATM machine.
TODD: There are a few companies that make electronic voting machines. Experts tell CNN many of the problems are the result of simple technical breakdowns, but activists also charge that those companies don't adequately secure the machines, making them vulnerable to hackers.
BEV HARRIS, FOUNDER, BLACK BOX VOTING: The problems with the machines is, whoever has custody of the machines has a tremendous advantage if they choose to manipulate the election.
TODD: Bev Harris, featured in HBO's new documentary "Hacking Democracy," claims voting machine manufacturers like Diebold Election Systems not only don't protect their software properly, but are also allowed to get away with being secretive about how they make the equipment, a concern shared by other activists.
CHELLIE PINGREE, COMMON CAUSE: We're already worried about the auditability standards, about our inability to get access to what the proprietary codes are. In a sense, nobody knows and nobody regulates what goes on in these machines.
TODD: Diebold continues to claim its system is accurate and secure. And an official there tells CNN the documentary is full of misrepresentations and egregious errors.
HBO, which, like CNN, is owned by Time-Warner, stands by the film. But experts tell CNN there's been no widespread evidence of any tampering with any electronic voting systems. And they say a big problem with e-voting has nothing to do with technical glitches or software security.
GROSS: Human error. People just not being trained, older poll workers, people sitting there at these polls hours on end during the day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: That also happened here in Maryland. On primary day, some poll workers forgot to bring electronic access cards to polling stations. Others forgot to remove computer cards so that votes could be tallied accurately. And that happened in the state's most populous counties, including this one. Again, an election official tells me those problems have been addressed -- Wolf?
BLITZER: We'll see you on Tuesday, Brian. Thank you very much.
Volunteers across the country are preparing to fan out and look out for voting irregularities, but these aren't your traditional poll monitors. Let's go to CNN's Thelma Gutierrez. She's joining us from Los Angeles -- Thelma?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're talking about a whole new generation of poll monitors, some that have never participated before who are now armed with cameras and access to the Internet and who say they're determined to hold the process accountable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): It's a call to arms in cyberspace, a call for citizens to take action.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a software engineer. And on Election Day, I'll be videoing the vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 18. I'm from Los Angeles. And on election night, I'll be doing poll monitoring.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a mother of three children, and I will work on Election Day.
GUTIERREZ: Election Day 2006, concerned citizens across the country are in training to monitor the process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lack of knowledge in our community about...
GUTIERREZ: At the national headquarters of a NALEO, a Latino political action organization, volunteers are learning what to look out for at polling places, like intimidation tactics and voter machine malfunction.
PEDRO GUZMAN, POLL MONITOR: I've seen people being denied the right to vote just because they don't have enough information.
GUTIERREZ: Exactly what a new generation of poll monitors is being asked to capture on tape. On the Web, VideotheVote.org is asking anyone with a video camera to sign up.
IAN INABA, "VIDEO THE VOTE": "Video the Vote" is really going to be the eyes and ears of America on Election Day.
GUTIERREZ: Bill Foote, an amateur photographer, is one of several hundred to enlist so far.
BILL FOOTE, VOLUNTEER VIDEOGRAPHER: I haven't been involved in any way in voter protection before. I think the stakes are higher. America is really at a crossroads right now. There are a lot of fundamental things we're deciding about our society.
GUTIERREZ: "Video the Vote" founder Ian Inaba came up with the idea of the citizen journalist after chronicling voter problems in 2000 and 2004 in his film "American Blackout."
INABA: I really saw that there was a pattern that I wanted other people in America to see, which was that certain communities in this country are targeted, it seems like, to make it more difficult for them actually to vote on Election Day.
GUTIERREZ: On Election Day, Bill Foote will wait to be dispatched to polling places that open too late, close too early, or where the lines are simply too long. After Bill and the other citizen journalists are done shooting their video, they'll immediately upload it on the "Video to Vote" Web site for everyone to see. Call it Internet accountability for the YouTube generation.
ARTURO VARGAS, NATIONAL ASSN. OF LATINO OFFICIALS: I think it says two things: a lack of trust in our system, to the point where we, as citizens, need to do what we can to ensure all of us have the right to vote; and then it also shows a real interest in our democracy.
GUTIERREZ: Foote and the other volunteer monitors say they hope they won't be too busy come Election Day. But if they are, they're now armed with information and technology to make a difference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ: "Video the Vote" organizers tell us they hope to have 1,000 volunteers signed up by this weekend. Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Thelma, thank you.
And up next, why would Congress shut down the office that's reporting on fraud and waste in Iraq? Jack Cafferty standing by here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Time for Jack, once again, with "The Cafferty File."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Wolf. Sometimes these questions just don't make any sense at all. Here's this hour's: Why would Congress shut down the office that's reporting on fraud and waste in Iraq?
I don't know.
Ronald in Phoenix, "Jack, the Republican Congress is starting to circle the wagons before Democrats have the subpoena powers to look at Halliburton, et al."
David in Dayton, Ohio, "They believe that they are above the law and there's nothing we can do about it. Hopefully, after November 7th, that will all change."
Seth in Bothell, Washington, "It happened because those that made the decision are so deeply complicit in the fraud and waste that they fear the legal and political backlash. When this is all eventually out in the open, I'm guessing we'll find some guilty of war profiteering, theft, and probably treason in the name of filling deep pockets with the blood of our soldiers."
Mary in Yorktown, Virginia, "Congress shut down the oversight office? Now we're shutting them down. No more business as usual."
Nick in Florida, "They probably think it's a waste of money."
And Daniel in New Port Richey, Florida, "Jack, for the same reason they would boot you off CNN if they could: So nobody can hear all the bad news."
If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile. We posted some more of these online.
BLITZER: We're not going to boot you off of CNN. We would never do that.
CAFFERTY: Good. I like it here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: This is good. You know, did you hear about an election coming up on Tuesday?
CAFFERTY: No!
BLITZER: Yes, we're going to have a lot of coverage coming up.
CAFFERTY: You're doing a special Sunday night.
BLITZER: Sunday night, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, our special election coverage. We got two special "LATE EDITIONS" this Sunday, one at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, one at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We're going to be watching this election like crazy.
CAFFERTY: This entire company is going to ride you all the way to the finish line on Wednesday.
BLITZER: We're going, and then Tuesday night we'll be here all night until it's over.
CAFFERTY: Well, you will be.
BLITZER: You, too, Jack. You're not going anywhere.
CAFFERTY: No, no, no, I'm very tired.
BLITZER: Jack's going to be with us. Thanks very much to all of our viewers for watching. We've got a lot of news coming up, a lot of coverage. This is the place you're going to want to be to watch all of our coverage.
Remember, our special "LATE EDITIONS" on Sunday and Tuesday night, live from CNN Election Headquarters here in New York. All of us will be here to bring you the news. Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. Kitty Pilgrim sitting in for Lou -- Kitty?
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