Editor's note: Portions of Mike's analysis were excerpted in First Read, the NBC blog that covers politics 24/7. Here's the rest of it.

Many aides and lobbyists believe that President Bush and Democrats -- should they take control of the House -- will have at least a few areas where compromise is possible over the next several months before the 2008 fight begins in earnest. The following is gleaned from several conversations at the end of last week.

To the extent that Democrats will have a "mandate" should they win control of one or both houses of Congress, surely it would be to do something to force the president's hand on Iraq policy. To a lesser extent, if Democrats try really hard they might be able to read a rejection of Bush's Social Security plan into the election results.

But this appears to be a protest election... more a rejection of President Bush than an endorsement of Democrats. As such, Democratic "political capital" won't be available to be squandered. So the president and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will essentially be faced with the same choice over the next year, before the 2008 race overwhelms everything: they can start that battle now, pick fights to fire up the base and "win by losing" legislatively. Or they can find some areas of common ground and "triangulate" to pass a few high profile items.

Several top Democratic aides and lobbyists polled last week think it will be a bit of the former, but more of the latter. For the president's part, what do he and his legacy have to gain by politics as usual? Why not take what chance you have to avoid the grim prospects of spending the next two years ceding the limelight to presidential hopefuls in the Senate while your agenda languishes?

For the Democrats, those in-the-know see a third message from voters come Wednesday: We are sick of partisan gridlock. If true, then the time is right for compromise.

So what issues constitute the middle ground between the president and Democrats? One obvious issue is immigration policy, where the votes will certainly be there to pass the president's goal of a path to citizenship and a guest worker program. Another might be extension of some of the tax cuts passed in Bush's first term that are set to expire after 2010, the $1,000 per child tax credit and "marriage penalty" relief, for example.

The Democratic caucus is likely to remain about 70% liberal, and the base that they represent will be calling for payback for 12 years of oppression at the hands of the GOP. But don't expect people like Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who is in line to head the premier investigative committee in the House, to overreach. Every Democrat that I spoke with on this topic over the last days has mentioned the name Dan Burton, by way of illustrating what they would like to avoid: turning the committee room into a circus. Having said that, investigations into Halliburton's Iraq contracts is an obvious and likely place for them to start, given the amount of attention Waxman has given to this topic over the past three years.

Neither base will be happy with Bush and Pelosi making nice. But as a matter of politics and strategy, this is what many smart people both on and off the Hill are expecting for the coming year.

Politics are the obvious lead story on this Election Eve. If you'd like to know where Brian will rest his head Wednesday morning, click here or on the image to watch.

You can read the Blogging Baghdad post he mentions from NBC's Richard Engel here. And you can read an AP story about NBC's Election Night plans, among other things, here.

You have heard the polls, the predictions, the paid political commercials,  the speeches.  You have listened to the analysis.  And you'll have to listen for at least 2 more days.  Then, it will be up to you.  Control of the U.S. House and Senate could be determined by the results in a handful of very close races.  Democrats and Republicans appear to be engaged in a series of battles that resemble a World Wrestling "Smackdown".

Now, it's the home stretch.  The President continued to campaign in key states today.  NBC's Kelly O'Donnell is traveling with the President and she'll have the latest tonight from Crawford, Texas.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews will play "Hardball" with us tonight, giving us his view of the upcoming election.

Also tonight, the view from Iraq.  NBC's Jane Arraf has the latest on preparations for tomorrow's verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein.

Plus, a group of newspapers, catering to the military, will print an editorial Monday calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.  NBC's Rosiland Jordan has that story.

NBC's Pete Williams will show us exclusive video of the man who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in Al Qaeda... Zacarias Moussaoui.

When Congressman Mark Foley resigned in light of the Congressional Page scandal, political observers predicted Democrats would take over his seat in the House.  But now Republicans are saying, not so fast.  NBC's Mark Potter reports.

And In Depth tonight, the scandal surrounding the Rev. Ted Haggard, what it means for his church and his future.

It's all coming up tonight.  We hope you'll join us.

The opening graphic on the lower third of the screen during our story on the midterm elections tonight will tell the story: THE HOME STRETCH. This is crunch time. We'll look at the races that are getting the attention these days and we'll look at the plans the Democrats are putting together (remember what the President said about celebrating in the end zone?) just in case Tuesday night goes their way... in a big way. We'll also cover the story involving Rev. Haggard that has gone off like a bomb in the evangelical Christian community. We'll have the dramatic story of this day from the Middle East, and since this is Friday: our Making a Difference segment airs tonight... a truly beautiful installment. We'll also read from a few viewer e-mails tonight, which I must say have taken a decided turn toward the nasty, angry and vitriolic. We touched on my personal favorites on last night's broadcast: those who have unmasked our role in the conspiracy to get Harold Ford Jr. elected to the U.S. Senate by locating last night's remote broadcast from Memphis! I'm in the process of selecting tonight's "readings" and there is no shortage of raw material to choose from.

GIANTS AT THE TABLE               
On a summer night early in my television career, my wife and I were invited to be the weekend house guests of an icon in our lives. Dick Salant, by this time long retired as the President of CBS News, had invited us to come to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend. The Salants, Dick and Frances, were friends of my in-laws. So the calculus went like this: by marrying a wonderful woman, I also inherited an association with a lion of television news. Dick was a Harvard-trained Wall Street lawyer who was the famously counter-intuitive and much protested (at the time) choice of William Paley to run his News Division. He became a champion of television journalism -- with special emphasis on the standards that govern our profession every day, to this day -- and was one of the pillars of the industry. I could never quite get over the fact that I was in his presence.         

Then his friends arrived for dinner.

Depending on the evening, it was any combination of the following: Mike and Mary Wallace, Art Buchwald, William and Rose Styron -- truly a table of giants. I did a lot of listening and very little talking. William Styron, whom I later learned was in the beginning throes of his crippling depression, was superb company and a treasure to simply behold.
 
Dick Salant died in 1993. He died the way all people of great accomplishment should: he had just concluded a speech to a senior men's group and had retreated to his chair on the dais. When he rose to acknowledge a standing ovation, a heart attack took him as he stood bathing in a spontaneous burst of appreciation.
                                          
I never saw Art Buchwald again after that summer weekend. I've followed him though, through his writing and speeches, from his dire prognosis to his present state of suspended, happy remission. So it was when I read the towering obituary of William Styron in yesterday's New York Times by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt [NYTimes.com login required for link] -- I thought about Art Buchwald, about Dick, about Mike and Mary. Another member has been stolen from this club of comfortable friends. Another giant has passed from the scene; a troubled, brilliant, creative, frighteningly insightful giant of American letters. 

I don't know who now owns that home on Martha's Vineyard that the Salants used to rent. I'm fairly certain that the current owners are unaware of the gathering of icons in that dining room long ago. Another place at the table is empty. William Styron is no more.

REMEMBERING THREE GREAT MEN
Tonight at the end of our broadcast we'll share with you part of a gathering of NBC family members that took place this morning in Studio 8H.  If that location sounds at all familiar, that's probably because it's the home of Saturday Night Live. Prior to SNL, it was known as the original home of the Huntley Brinkley Report. It's been 50 years since the duo made their debut. Today we gathered to remember both men, and a third man who is something of a pillar of our past around here: Reuven Frank. Reuven died back on Feb. 6 of this year, and today was the first time many of us had to contemplate his life and achievements and remember the man. The event reunited most of the living greats of this news division, and it featured a spectacular videotape history of the early years of this News Division and Huntley and Brinkley in particular. While our friend Walter Cronkite is generally considered the all-time ratings leader, the truth is NBC News was the dominant force in television news during the 60s when Huntley and Brinkley enjoyed near-rock star status. Barbara Raab of our staff made a superb suggestion at our afternoon editorial meeting: Why not let these two men, who were famous in part for the way they said goodnight, say goodnight for us tonight?   It's a deal.

We hope you can join us this evening.  Have a good weekend, and we'll see you Monday.

Brian has been in non-stop meetings this afternoon, preparing for NBC network coverage of Decision 2006 next Tuesday. So Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory does the vlog honors, previewing a couple of the stories we're working on. Brian will offer a more detailed rundown in an hour or so.

For now, click here or on the image to watch Early Nightly.

Editor's note: Tonight's "Making a Difference" segment tells the story of "The Heart Gallery." We asked founder Diane Granito, who you'll meet in the report by NBC's John Larson, to join us as a guest blogger and tell you more about the idea she helped launch in 2001.

Five years ago, as a foster and adoptive parent recruiter for the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD), I had the honor of developing an idea from photographer (and adoptive mother) Cathy Maier Callanan: having talented photographers create inspiring portraits of older children and sibling groups who were freed for adoption. At the time, social services agencies like CYFD had to use whatever images of the children they could get, and most were as inspiring as a driver's license photo. With the support of CYFD, I approached Lisa Bronowicz at the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe about hosting an exhibit of these art-quality portraits.

That's how "The Heart Gallery," as I dubbed it, was born. More than 1,200 people attended that first opening, Randy Travis serenaded the crowd, and connections were made that night leading to the adoption of six Heart Gallery children. We all knew we were on to something special, though what was to come has exceeded our wildest dreams.

The vast majority of states now have Heart Galleries, and many have more than one. Every day I receive an inspirational e-mail from a Heart Gallery group, or see the results of the outreach here in New Mexico. A few examples: Five older children found a home after years of waiting, a girl who had just "aged out" (turned 18) was adopted after she had given up hope, an aunt spotted her long-lost niece being photographed and ended up adopting her. Four photographers have even adopted their charming subjects.

What does finding a family mean to a child? A judge asked young New Mexican brothers Isaiah and Elijah, known as "The Growley Rowley Boys" to their adoptive parents Elle and Gene Rowley, whether they had anything to say at their adoption finalization. Isaiah piped up loudly: "We are Growley Rowley Boys forever now, right?" (Elijah just grinned and said, "I like Blue's Clues!")

While Heart Gallery exhibits have helped raise awareness about adoption through foster care and have found homes for hundreds of children, there are many more who need our help. 118,000 American children are waiting for adoption as you read this. They need any and all support you can provide.

To find out more about The Heart Gallery, including possible exhibits in your area, and to learn about adopting a child through foster care, please visit adoptuskids.org. And please make sure to check out New Mexico's very own Heart Gallery Web site.

My thanks to NBC correspondent John Larson and producer Gene Choo for taking the time to tell "The Heart Gallery" story on Nightly News tonight. In doing so, they are helping more of these very special children step from the shadows into the light, where they might be seen and embraced by loving families.

President Bush's Iraq policy has dominated this political season with candidates on both sides arguing about what to do next. Should the U.S. put Iraq's leaders on a timetable for securing and governing their country or just encourage them to meet "benchmarks", should U.S. troops get out now or should it be a phased withdrawal? As Republicans and Democrats alike lay out their plans, many Americans just want to know - are we winning? And is victory even possible?

President Bush last week wanted there to be no doubt. "Absolutely, we're winning," he told reporters in the East Room. But, today his Secretary of State telegraphed what might be the more likely sentiment within the Bush inner circle - we're not winning yet. When asked the question by radio host Laura Ingraham, Secretary Rice said "Oh, I think there's no doubt we are making a lot of progress... Has it been very, very difficult? Absolutely. Are we home yet? No, by no means." Rice did predict that America ultimately "will succeed" in Iraq, but she was clearly not ready to say we were winning.

Perhaps the Secretary was trying to tone down her boss's rhetoric, as she often does in her travels around the globe. Regardless, voters will make their own assessment of Iraq at the polls on Tuesday as it remains issue  No. 1 in this election.

For the best Decision 2006 coverage on the web, go to: www.politics.msnbc.com

...or more accurately, driving to our live location. We will remote the broadcast from Memphis tonight. We just interviewed Congressman Ford, and NBC News spent yesterday with the Corker campaign. This race is a lot of things -- dirty, personal, important. We'll look at all aspects tonight.

It's axiomatic that an unusual story rears its head when we travel. Today is no exception. See: Tom Cruise. From Iraq, we have an important piece from Richard Engel tonight. He has been embedded with U.S. troops once again. Tim Russert will join us to talk politics, and there's a lot of it. In health news, we will talk about chronic fatigue syndrome.

As this is being written by BlackBerry, and as time is short and I have one more interview to conduct, at this point I have to say: please join us for tonight's broadcast from Memphis.

A quick trip to Graceland turned out to be a bigger bonding experience than we'd expected, as we stood and gazed at a running loop from the King's 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" concert on our very own NBC television network. And maybe just a little more humbling, too, since more people watched that concert than watched man land on the moon, apparently. This we were told by our escort, Elvis Presley Enterprises' Kevin Kern, while we all reminded each other that there was no cable or Internet competing for our viewers 33 years ago. A Memphis native and gracious host, Kevin saw us to our rental cars and headed off to vote. Early voting in Tennessee ends today. We look forward to returning the favor to Kevin by having him join us on the Nightly News set tonight.

Editor's note: Producer Subrata De promises a photo from Graceland later. Elizabeth is with Team Brian in Memphis tonight. She and the NBC News Political Unit blog daily at www.FirstRead.MSNBC.com.

The broadcast originates tonight from Memphis, Tenn., where Brian will report on the Senate race between Democratic Congressman Harold Ford and Republican Bob Corker, who most recently was the mayor of Chattanooga. I'm told some of the team just visited Graceland, and promises a photo or two later this afternoon.

With Brian on assignment, Robert Bazell handles Early Nightly today, which is focused on the story he'll report tonight, about women with chronic fatigue.

Click here or on the image to watch.

As the election looms we've all heard about states deemed crucial by the pundits, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Montana. But right at the top of the list is Missouri, or is it Missourah? I'd like to wade into the the pronunciation debate of my old stomping grounds because it appears to be nearly universally accepted by many talking heads on television that the state name is pronounced "Missour-ah." I beg to disagree. I grew up in a small river town named Alton and I crossed the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers every school day for eight years to attend schools in St. Louis. And during all those years the predominant pronunciation that I heard for both the river and the state was Missour-ee. I knew that folks in downstate Missouri and more rural areas used Missour-ah, but they also tended to have the softer southern dialect that lended itself to that type of pronunciation.

And it wasn't just the St. Louis area that used the "ee." I had a good friend from Kansas City who called it "Missour-ee" too. Maybe it's city versus country? I don't know, but what I do know is that universally  referring to the state as "Missour-ah" is flat wrong. But don't just take my word for it.  Remember those old Budweiser advertisements? At the end the announcer would say, "Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis Missour-ee." I know this will hardly settle the debate, but who are you going to go with -- an East Coast-based reporter trying to sound like the "common man," or the voice behind the King of Beers? I go with the King.

Editor's note: Producer Mike Viqueira, who covers the House of Representatives for NBC News, contributed the following to our sister blog First Read. It's too good not to post here, as well. But just a reminder that you can get your political blog fix any time at www.FirstRead.MSNBC.com.

Let's be clear about what is at stake here on Tuesday. When you're talking about holding the majority in the U.S. House, you're talking about being in utter control of everything from how, when, and what is actually debated on the floor of the chamber to what is served for lunch in the cafeteria.

"The job of the minority is to make a quorum and to draw its pay." Words spoken by House Speaker Thomas Reed in 1890 that perfectly describe the sweeping hegemony of the majority party -- and emasculation of the minority -- that is as evident today as it was 116 years ago. The majority here controls every step of the process, and when you control the process, you control the substance.

It's not too much of an overstatement to say that the most oppressed minority in America is the minority here in the "lower body." If you're a member of the party out of power -- for the last 12 years, of course, the Democrats -- you typically are not permitted to have your bills considered in committee or on the floor; you can't get your amendments debated and voted on (especially the ones that have a chance of passing); you even have to go hat in hand to the majority staff in order to get a room to meet in. In short, you take it in the neck every time. This isn't "Schoolhouse Rock" and it never has been.

It's been this way since the time of Henry Clay, and through the years it has more or less held true regardless of which party is running the place. The Senate, where any one random member can raise his hand to object and gum up everything, is a completely different animal. But the House was designed to be more responsive to public sentiment (though the Founders were against the idea of a two-party system in Congress (Federalist #10, if you really care), and over time the majority has established rules and procedures that make it easy to exercise its will and run roughshod over those out of power. It's what the legislative geeks call a "majoritarian institution."

Yes, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Calif., has pledged to afford more rights to Republicans should Democrats take control come January 3. Just how much leeway she is willing to grant, however, might depend upon just how big a majority she holds. Tighter margins likely mean tighter controls. But whatever the case on the floor, Republicans would have minuscule staff on committees. Democrats holding the gavels would be the ones deciding what hearings to call, what oversight to conduct, and what investigations to undertake.

This is all about the House, of course, and its legislative product. The White House, and perhaps the Senate, will still be controlled by Republicans, which opens the door to an entirely different discussion about politics and strategy. We'll try that next time.

With apologies: I am on a tight deadline, during a day full of meetings, and now am en route to the studio to do a round of satellite interviews with our NBC stations in Tennessee. I head there after the broadcast tonight to originate Nightly News from Memphis tomorrow as part of our campaign coverage.

I note that our blog has become quite the political debate site today. I intend to stay far from it.  Please note that Sen. Kerry has just issued an apologetic statement. We'll have coverage of this issue tonight, and it will be interesting to measure its shelf-life from this moment forward, in terms of news cycles. I just got off the phone with David Gregory at the White House, who is doing our lead, uber-view of the Kerry story tonight. Tom Brokaw will also be a part of our package of political coverage tonight...a great piece on the "hidden hands" in this election season.

Also tonight: the aviation incidents of late, and health news on two fronts: menopause therapy and some staggering news about red wine ingredients.

We hope you can join us tonight for all of it.

Sen. John Kerry could very well be the lead story for the second night in a row. In today's vlog, Brian discusses why many Democrats would prefer he not be. He also offers a clue about tonight's closer from correspondent Bob Faw... anyone (who doesn't work for NBC News!), and who cares to guess the topic, just click the "Discuss" link below.

Click here or on the image to watch the Early Nightly.