Polls: Dems' lead shrinking, but still strong  —  WASHINGTON — A national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds remarkable parallels between the congressional elections Tuesday and the watershed elections in 1994 that swept Republicans into control of the House and Senate.

Soldiers in Iraq Say Pullout Would Have Devastating Results  —  For the U.S. troops fighting in Iraq, the war is alternately violent and hopeful, sometimes very hot and sometimes very cold.  It is dusty and muddy, calm and chaotic, deafeningly loud and eerily quiet.

DICK CHENEY TO SPEND ELECTION DAY HUNTING  —  Vice President Dick Cheney is shown while quail hunting in South Dakota.  —  Vice President Dick Cheney is shown while quail hunting in South Dakota.  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will spend Election Day Tuesday …

Hastert May Face Post-Election Unrest  —  Foley Scandal Just One of Speaker's Problems  —  House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's future is in doubt even if the Republicans retain control of the House because of unease among GOP lawmakers about his handling of the Foley page scandal …

Webb and Allen Dead Even  —  Allen (R) 49% Webb (D) 49%  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports poll of the bitterly fought U.S. Senate race in Virginia shows the contest too close to call, with both Republican Senator George Allen and Democratic challenger James Webb collecting 49% (see crosstabs).

New Telemarketing Ploy Steers Voters on Republican Path  —  An automated voice at the other end of the telephone line asks whether you believe that judges who "push homosexual marriage and create new rights like abortion and sodomy" should be controlled.  If your reply is "yes," …

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.

When All Else Fails...  ... Execute the dictator.  It's that simple.  When American troops are being killed by the dozen, when the country you are occupying is threatening to break up into smaller countries, when you have militias and death squads roaming the streets and you've put a group of Mullahs in power- execute the dictator.

Dole: Dems 'Content With Losing' in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the GOP Senate campaigns on Sunday sought to deflect growing criticism about the war in Iraq, saying her party will prevail in Tuesday's elections partly because "Democrats appear to be content with losing."

It's Game Time  —  Mary Matalin, a Republican who has been at this game for years, is obviously very smart when it comes to elections.  So, too, is Paul Kirk, a Democrat who has been at it even longer.  —  It is a bit odd, then, that when asked for their most coldly objective expertise …