From NRO The Corner:

[John J. Miller]:  I overheard this CNN interview with former Democratic senator Max Cleland at the airport yesterday morning and couldn't believe my ears, but I just checked the transcript:

BLITZER: I want to get to your strategy in a moment, but was this a just trial? Does Saddam Hussein deserve to die, now being convicted for crimes against humanity?

CLELAND: I have no idea. I wasn't there.

I have no idea what to make of this.....

From today's NYT via Drudge:

On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of the 7,000 lawyers who are working on the election for the Democratic National Committee will board planes for Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and 13 other states.

Their task is to reinforce local teams where party officials say they there is the greatest potential for long lines, voter intimidation or confusion at the polls and where they may need to file court petitions to keep polls open late.

“We’re not going to make the mistake we did last time, which was to wait until after the election for litigation,” said Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

On November 8th, if the breakdown of seats in the House is close, I predict that the Republicans will lose control through the machinations of Democrat lawyers, the media, and the courts.

Here’s how it will happen: The initial results will show a margin of one, two, or three seats for the Republicans. The Democrats, using the 7,000 lawyers mentioned above, will file multiple lawsuits in multiple House districts challenging the results.

Led by the MSM, the Democrats will cry foul any way they can and pressure will grow on the Republicans to not fight these lawsuits as aggressively as they did the Florida recount.

Liberal judges, who have shown no reluctance to overturn actual citizen’s wishes as enumerated by both legislative action and referenda, will gladly hand seats to the Democrats. Remember you read it here first………

Texas DA Kills Self As Police Arrive

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 6, 2006

Filed at 10:30 a.m. ET

TERRELL, Texas (AP) -- A prosecutor killed himself as police tried to serve him with an arrest warrant alleging he solicited sex with a minor, authorities said.....

The Dallas Morning News reported that the warrant resulted from a sting operation conducted by Perverted Justice, an Internet watchdog group, and NBC's news magazine ''Dateline.'' The sting lured men seeking sex with children to a house in Murphy; police said Conradt had not gone to the house but they believed he would.

.......Murphy Mayor Bret Bishop told the newspaper that he hopes his town won't be used again as a trap for child predators.

''I think it's a noble cause, but our police department is hired to serve and protect our citizens, and not to expose them to outside threats,'' Bishop said.

NYT AP wire

While this is a serious (if over advertised) problem, it is completely inappropriate for law enforcement to cooperate with the media on these stings.  (If I were part of this man's family, I would strongly consider a lawsuit against NBC and the host.) These stings are a waste of police resources.  The cops love it because it's easy and exciting, but the fact that 'Dateline" (which is  entertainment and not a news show) was involved, possibly exacerbated this man's pain and may have led to his suicide, especially considering he had not even visited the house yet.

Courts should be open and convictions in public records, but assisting the media in character assisination prior to conviction is wrong.  And arrest records should be sealed.  "Innocent until proven guilty" should include arrest records.  Proof of guilt takes place only after conviction in a court of law.

Ortega Leads for Nicaragua Presidency

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 6, 2006

Filed at 9:03 a.m. ET

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) -- Former Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega appeared headed for victory Monday in his longtime quest to regain power, 16 years after a U.S.-backed rebellion helped drive the former Marxist revolutionary from office.

This is probably not as bad as it sounds.  Highly uinlikely Ortega would nationalize industries, but will probably cooperate closely with Chavez in Venezuala.  Interesting personal side note.  I remember while interning on Capital Hill standing with about four other folks while Ortega's chief contra opponant, Eden Pastora, showed us a map of Nicaragua, which regions his forces controlled, and where they hoped to attack next.  A truly brave fellow....Wikipedia link

Late addition: from The Washington Times Wash Times

MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- While revamping his public image and embracing former enemies, Nicaraguan presidential hopeful Daniel Ortega added the most unlikely of allies to his campaign -- God.
    The one-time ardent Marxist leader who dominated the 1980s has recast himself as a devout Catholic and regular churchgoer.
    Throughout the campaign that culminates with today's presidential election, the former president has praised God in speeches and asked Him to help Nicaragua -- the second-poorest country in the hemisphere -- rise up from the depths of poverty and despair.

From Gallup via USA Today  via  The Corner

[Back to Gallup] What's shifted is the determination of Republicans to vote. The Democratic advantage among registered voters was 11 points, but Republican voters were more likely to be judged as sure to go to the polls, making the edge among likely voters smaller.

A month ago, the Democratic margin among registered and likely voters was identical. 

This is no surprise, and can be attributed to three factors:  The MSM's constant cheerleading for the Democrats, John Kerry, and the fact that core Republican voters always come home. 

It reminds me of the Edwin Edwards Louisiana governor's race when he was running against Klansman David Duke.  Edwards’s folks had bumper stickers printed that read "It's important, vote for the crook."

In this case, it's sort of "We know we screwed up on Abramhoff and the earmarks, but it's important."  I quite frankly don’t think that the war dissuades many traditional Republicans. They are much, much angrier about the failure to really change things on Capital Hill than they are about the war.

The war is not that unpopular to start with, and certainly not among core Republican voters. 

Interesting bit on CNN last week.  Wolf Blitzer said "….in the midst of a highly unpopular war."  I haven’t seen any polls in which overall support for the war has dropped below 40%, and CNN's ratings, if compared to Fox News, would put their popularity below 35%. One might ask Wolf if CNN is,  “a highly unpopular network?”