From United Press International:

The U.S. Congress and 36 governors' chairs were up for grabs Tuesday as midterm elections inundated voters with choices and options.

Voters will also be choosing state legislators and in 37 states there are ballot initiatives ranging from abortion, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage, the environment and the minimum wage, The New York Times reported.

While U.S. President George Bush has said throughout both terms he pays no attention to polls -- many of which recently show the Democrats gaining support -- Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, was more cautious in an interview with the Times.

"I believe it's going to be very close; I think it remains an uphill climb," he said of retaining Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives, although he sounded more confident about the U.S. Senate, the newspaper said.

From United Press International:

The focus will be on Justice Anthony M. Kennedy this week when the U.S. Supreme Court again takes up the issue of partial birth abortion.

Court watchers say Kennedy is the potential swing voter when the constitutionality of a 2003 law banning the procedure goes before the court on Wednesday, ABC News reports.

This time around there are two new Bush appointees on the bench -- Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

Six years ago when the high court struck down a similar law in Nebraska, former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor cast the deciding vote.

In that case, Justice Kennedy was in the minority, writing that states should be allowed to eliminate "a procedure many decent and civilized people find so abhorrent as to be among the most serious crimes against human life."

Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice calls the procedure, which can involve partially delivering a living fetus, "gruesome."

Abortion rights supporters say the matter belongs in the hands of medical professionals not politicians.

From United Press International:

Iran says it is ready to consider any offer to talk to the United States but indicated the talks cannot be on U.S. effort to end Iran's nuclear program.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, responding to reports that some U.S. and Iraqi officials have suggested that Tehran and Washington hold talks on regional developments, said, "If we receive any formal offer in this regard, we will consider it."

But he went on to say, "Iran's stance on bilateral relations has not changed," reports the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Hosseini also rejected as unfounded U.S. claims that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are working to topple the Lebanese government.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran supports independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon," he said. "It is the right of the Lebanese people to make decisions on their own national affairs. Non-interference of the United States in the region and terminating its unconditional support for the aggressions of the Zionist regime are the only solution to restore stability in the region."

From the Loft Blog:

The frantic spending on those final radio and television ads is about to come to an end. All the doors that have been knocked, all the phones that have been called, all the signs that have been placed have led candidates and officeholders to where we are now: election eve… the time when even the best campaigns can only cross their fingers and hope that all the planning and preparation will result in turnout. More than ever, turnout is the key. It is the key to whether Republicans will keep control of the House of Representatives or the Democrats will take over and push their “agenda.”

It has been not only a dismal summer, but a depressing couple of years if you are a grassroots conservative. With scandal and controversy, the media has been having the time of their lives reporting the downfall of the GOP. Even now, pundits and journalists are already writing the GOP’s obituary, and the vast majority of the votes have yet to be cast.

Although still facing an uphill battle, the voters appear to be shifting more to the Republican Party in the closing days and narrowing the lead that the Democrats have enjoyed over the last several months. A new Pew Research Poll indicates a “growing percentage of likely voters saying they will vote for GOP candidates.” However, the Democrats still enjoy a 47%-43% lead among likely voters. In late October, the lead was 53%-40% for the Democrats.

Grassroots conservatives want results, and in this two-party system, the greatest chance for advancement of a conservative agenda is to get Republicans into office. There have been disappointments over the last several years, but now we are facing a tremendous challenge.

The idea of Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House should scare the daylights out of any Republican voter who is considering staying home tomorrow. We hold the key to success or failure. So many candidates and officeholders are counting on grassroots conservatives to save the day. If we want to see our agenda advanced, we must get our friends, family, and co-workers to the polls.

This has been a very exciting campaign! What a privilege and experience it has been meeting folks all over the district, talking about the things that are on their minds. I’ve been humbled and impressed at the hundreds of folks who have volunteered to tell their friends and family about me, encouraging them to consider me as their next Congressman. Thank you!

We all must continue to speak out on the issues - speak truth to our neighbors, demand honesty and integrity from our leaders, and be involved in our communities to make changes for the better, and fend off changes that will undermine our prosperity, safety, security, or morality. If you understand the fine points of an issue or amendment, please explain it to your neighbors and coworkers. We can’t all be experts at everything, so when you find something you are passionate about and you study up on it, share your knowledge with someone else and help them understand where you get your point of view.

For example, I’ve been so impressed with the many people who have taken the time to examine all of the points of the now famous “Amendment 2? and are doing everything in their power to educate their neighbors on the dangerous, foolish and immoral aspects of this very problematic proposal. If you care about women, taxes, embryos, or free enterprise, please vote NO on Amendment 2. If you examine it closely, you will find many aspects of it that are exactly what we do not need in Missouri.

We’ve got just 2 days left to tell our friends and neighbors about the issues, proposals, and candidates to be considered on Tuesday, November 7th. We believe that each of us can, and does, make a difference.

Jacob Turk

Chiefs defeat Rams 31-17.

After backing up pregame braggadocio about dealing out the hits rather than taking them, Larry Johnson had a lot more to say.

Johnson rushed for 172 yards, becoming the second straight running back to punish the St. Louis Rams' defense in the Kansas City Chiefs' 31-17 victory on Sunday. It wasn't nearly enough.

"I'm a little disappointed because I feel we did leave 200 yards of rushing on that field," Johnson said. "The way we were going out there and just pushing them backward and shakings things up, we should have done even more."

From the Associated Press:

The Iraqi Special Tribunal sentenced former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and two of his co-defendants to death in a case charging that they ordered the execution of 148 innocent people in a botched 1982 assassination attempt.

In their verdict, the court made a clear distinction between high-ranking government officials who ordered the attacks and lower-level officials forced to carry them out.

As his sentence was read, Saddam aggressively yelled "God is greater!" to Judge Raouf Abdul. Rahman read the sentence: death for murder, 10 years for forcible deportation, 10 years for torture.

"Long live the Iraqi people, damnation for the damned," Saddam told the panel of judges. "You are the servants of the colonizers."

His half-brother, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, the former head of intelligence, and Awad Hamad al-Bandir, former head of the Iraqi Revolutionary Court, also were sentenced to death by hanging.

Bandir kept shouting "God is Great" repeatedly over the reading of the verdict.

Taha Yassin Ramadan, Saddam's vice president at the time the regime fell, was sentenced to life. Abdullah Kathim Ruwaid, his son, Mizhar Abdullah Kathim Ruwaid and Ali Dayih Ali - all local Baath Party officials in 1982 when someone shot at Saddam’s convoy during his visit to the mostly Shiite city of Dujail - received a 15-year sentence.

One defendant, a lower-ranking Baath official in the city of Dujail, where the case centered upon, was released immediately.

Seven guards surrounded Saddam, who wore a suit and carried a Koran, as he entered the courtroom. He initially refused to stand up as the verdict was being read, only doing so after two guards forced him up.

Some of those in the visitor gallery were reprimanded by the judge for cheering too loudly. In Baghdad's mostly Shiite neighborhoods, there was rapid gunfire more than a half-hour after the verdict was read. In Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, protestors immediately took to the streets.

In a statement, U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said: "Although the Iraqis may face difficult days in the coming weeks, closing the book on Saddam and his regime is an opportunity to unite and build a better future. As the Iraqi people move forward, the United States will support them in their efforts to build a just and democratic society."

The court adjourned immediately after reading the verdicts without elaborating on how it reached them.

The nation braced itself for what some feared would be a new round of violence by Saddam's supporters in an already turbulent nation.

Indeed, all of the nation's security forces were ordered to work, and the government issued a curfew. Others hoped it would rejuvenate hopes in the country's national government and judicial system.

The verdicts were decided by a five-judge panel who read their written statements to each defendant, beginning with Mohammed Azawi Ali, who was immediately cleared of all charges. Many had agreed that prosecution had presented the weakest case against Ali.

The trial, which began in October 2005, charged that Saddam and his cohorts rounded up innocent residents of Dujail, took them off to camps and killed and tortured - all in response to an apparent assassination attempt against Saddam. And they said large parts of the orchards in the city were razed in the search for attempted assassins, in some cases ruining their farming livelihood. Saddam was visiting the town in 1982 when someone fired on his convoy.

In all, Saddam faced seven charges, including murder and crimes against humanity.

While Iraqis were glued to their television sets during the beginning of the trial, they lost almost all interest by the end. Some complained it was a long, drawn-out soap opera, not a swift legal proceeding. Others said the death of 148 people two decades ago now seems insignificant in today’s Iraq, where on average 100 people are killed a day nationwide.

In all, 27 residents testified about their ordeal, sometimes retelling their stories verbatim. Some testified while facing the former dictator directly; others from behind a curtain. Another 32 gave their testimony in statements read in court.

In between, the head judge stepped down and three defense attorneys were assassinated. The remaining defense attorneys walked out of the proceedings toward the end of the hearings.

During the trial Saddam and Bazran al-Tikriti often delivered long diatribes, questioning the legitimacy of the court, while sitting in a cage placed in the middle of the courtroom that faced the five-judge panel. The prosecutors sat one side; the defense team on the other.

In one session, Saddam told the judge to "go to hell."

U.S. officials concede the process did not always proceed smoothly, but said overall, it was monumental - the first trial that brought a former dictator to trial in front of his countrymen.

And residents were again glued to their television sets Sunday to see watch the verdict being read, many locked in their homes because of the curfew.

U.S. officials said Saddam's most self-incriminating statements occurred March 1 when he admitted ordering the executions, saying as the leader of Iraq, he was ultimately responsible.

"I demolished the orchards," the former dictator said to stunned courtroom. "That was a Revolutionary Council decision to modernize the orchard, and I signed that order."

He went on to say "nobody forced me to sign that decision" and concluded by asking the court: "Where is the crime?"

Saddam has faced the death sentence before in his life. As an early member of the Baath Party, he was part of a failed attempted assassination attempt of then-Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim. Saddam fled to Egypt and was sentenced to death in absentia in 1963. When he returned to Iraq a year later, he was jailed, only to escape in 1967. The following year, he was part of a bloodless coup that brought down the government and named him vice president.

Like all things in this country now, the reaction to the verdict fell largely along sectarian lines, only breaking for those who were directly harmed by the former dictator during his three-decade reign.

In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, residents promised a rise of retaliatory attacks if the former president is killed. And they said that Saddam's crimes pale compared to what is happening now.

"A death sentence is unfair," said Qusai Abdullah, a 30-year-old taxi driver, from Tikrit. "What happened in Dujail in 1982 is happening now, maybe worse. And neither the government nor the Americans are taking responsibility of what's going on."

In the mostly southern Shiite cities of Basra and Najaf, there was not much enthusiasm for the verdict either, namely because residents said Saddam would likely never be executed.

Others charged that the verdict would primarily serve America's political interests, not the Iraqis' need for justice, noting that it came two days before the U.S. elections.

"It will be only an attempt for an electoral gain for the U.S. and they don't care about the price the Iraqis will pay for it," referring to fears of increased violence, said Sumaiya Abdul Wahab, 33, a university lecturer.

In one hearing, Saddam asked that he be killed by a firing squad, saying he is entitled to that as head of the armed forces. But Iraqi law says that, if executed, he should be hung. Minister Nouri al Maliki, said Saturday that Saddam would be hung, already presuming the former dictator would be found guilty in what some took as another sign of his sectarian slant.

But first, there is an automatic appeals process for anyone convicted to life imprisonment or death. And Saddam still is being tried for allegedly gassing thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s. So it could be months before he faces his court-ordered execution.

Intra-state rivalries are always exciting and fun to watch. The Chiefs have been playing very well despite the loss of QB Trent Green in Week 1. This game features two outstanding runners in the Rams' Steven Jackson and the Chiefs' Larry Johnson. Both are very strong runners and have good hands to make catches out of the backfield. Both teams have been pleasant surprises in their respective divisions, as this matchup looks to create a defensive chess match between two very good defenses that have outstanding secondaries.

Nebraska defeats Missouri 34-20.

Receiver Maurice Purify threw a touchdown pass and caught another and Nebraska took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 North with a 34-20 victory over Missouri on Saturday.

The Cornhuskers (7-3, 4-2) beat Missouri for the 15th straight time in Lincoln and can clinch a berth in the conference championship with a win over either Texas A&M next weekend or Colorado on Nov. 24.

As was the case in the Tigers' two previous losses, they couldn't overcome turnovers. Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker had an interception and set up one for Bo Ruud by tipping a Chase Daniel pass at the line of scrimmage. The Huskers converted both into second-quarter touchdowns.

Lazy Doozer Blog excoriates Congressman Cleaver.

Breathtaking, isn’t it? Actually, I’m starting to feel sick to my stomach. It’s not that I don’t think people deserve recognition for their accomplishments, but does the House really need to be devoting precious time to honoring the winemakers for winning a contest 30 years ago? But wait! It gets better! We pay each and every House Representative, including Reverend Cleaver, $165,200 a year. We pay him that to participate in a Congress that was projected to be in session this year for a mere 99 days – the least number of days Congress has been in session since 1948. That comes to $1668.68 for each (7.6-hour) day, $219.56 per hour in session. Also, House Representatives got a raise of $3,100 this year.

Think about that before you vote… but try not to throw up on your ballot.

From the Kansas City Star:

At the Peach Tree with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, she mingled with a supportive lunchtime crowd, such as law student Kea Bird-Riley. Holding her 3-month-old son in her lap, Bird-Riley said she appreciated Talent’s support on things like the Negro Leagues museum and sickle-cell anemia, but added: “I think the minimum wage and stem cells are of equal importance.”

Others discussed the turnout from black communities.

“I think the turnout is going to be good,” Cleaver said. “It is not going to be at a level where we will all celebrate, because apathy in the country is very visible in the urban core.”

Kansas City Star depicts Iraqi apprehension.

Iraq canceled leaves Friday for all military officers, two days before an expected verdict Sunday — and possible death sentence — in the trial of Saddam Hussein.

“We expect jubilant shooting from people who support the verdict or that insurgents will try to take revenge when they hear the verdict,” Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed Askari said.

From United Press International:

Iran's state television reported Thursday that the country has test-fired "dozens" of missiles, including the Shahab-3, with a range of 1,000 miles.

The missile firing appears to be a response to naval exercises in the Persian Gulf earlier this week by the United States and its allies, The New York Times said. Vessels from 20 countries, including three Gulf States, practiced intercepting and searching ships for nuclear weapons, doing this only 20 miles outside Iran's territorial waters.

The news agency ISNA said a senior official denied any link between the missile tests and advances in Iran's nuclear program.

"The first and main goal of this exercise is to demonstrate power and national determination to defend the country against any possible threat, and show Iran's missile capability which has increased the country's defense capability," the ISNA said.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called Iran's actions "saber-rattling" and said it shows Iran is a force for instability.

From United Press International:

The chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq Thursday touted the progress being made in building an independent Iraqi security force.

"A transition is not always a pleasant thing to watch as it happens," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said at a briefing. "But when common goals are achieved, speed bumps and differences of opinion along the way are soon forgotten."

The story on the briefing released by the Armed Forces Press Service did not include Caldwell's most arresting metaphor -- "a lump of clay can become a sculpture; blobs of paint can become a painting that inspires." Rather, that was quoted in The Swamp, a blog by a Chicago Tribune correspondent who added: "I'm not making this up."

Caldwell listed a number of benchmarks, including the previously announced addition of 12,000 soldiers to Iraq's military and plans to add another 18,700, and progress in training Iraqi forces to the point where they can lead operations.

Caldwell said the U.S. military's changes in strategy in Baghdad have shown flexibility. For example, he said the placing of checkpoints was changed this week to make movement easier for local residents.

GOP USA relates marriage initiatives.

Eight U.S. states are within days of considering constitutional amendments to define marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman. Pro-family activists in several of these states are working hard to turn out the vote on November 7; but in at least one state, their attempts are being overshadowed by another issue of concern.

One of the eight states with marriage amendments on the ballot is Idaho. As in other states considering such measures, pro-family advocates there say voter turnout could be the deciding factor. Julie Lynde of Idaho's Marriage Protection Alliance says they are doing what they can to encourage "values voters" to go to the polls next Tuesday.

"We have been sending out mailers and flyers and doing radio," Lynde notes, "and it looks as if people will turn out to vote. I would estimate that they will turn out here in Idaho in greater numbers than in prior off-year elections."