Will Saddam verdict affect Tuesday's vote?  —  Both parties applaud court decision, but talk turns to 'November surprise'  —  President Bush and politicians from both parties hailed the conviction of Saddam Hussein on Sunday but disagreed on its larger meaning as campaign strategists tried …

Bush Trumpets Hussein Verdict to Rally Support  —  President Bush on Sunday seized on the conviction of Saddam Hussein as a milestone in Iraq, seeking to rally Republican voters with the issue of national security as some polls suggested that his party might be making gains in the final hours of the campaign.

Parties Crank Up Voter Turnout Efforts  —  Amid the Last-Minute Blitz, Some Polls Hold Positive Signs for Republicans  —  Republicans seized on signs of movement in their direction yesterday as they unleashed a massive election-eve voter mobilization operation in an effort …

Republicans Cut Democratic Lead in Campaign's Final Days  —  Democrats Hold 47%-43% Lead Among Likely Voters  —  Summary of Findings  —  A nationwide Pew Research Center survey finds voting intentions shifting in the direction of Republican congressional candidates in the final days of the 2006 midterm campaign.

THAT AWFUL PEW POLL:  —  John Judis and I have been e-mailing about the alarming Pew poll that came out today.  It reflects the same trends captured by that earlier Washington Post/ABC poll, except that the trends are, gulp, even more pronounced.  Worse, the folks at Pew have graciously posted …

Can the Democrats stay afloat?  —  Just when partisan Democrats were finally allowing themselves to revel in the expectation that they would sweep the House and maybe win the six seats needed for control of the Senate, two national polls released Sunday seemed to sound the first ominous notes from the theme music from "Jaws."

Soldier dies of wounds from Afghanistan battle  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — An American soldier has died from wounds received during fighting in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Monday.  —  U.S. Army Specialist Isaiah Calloway, of Jacksonville, Fla., died Oct. 30, the U.S. military said.