On the August 22 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, previewing a discussion about Republican gains in a recent poll, co-host Sean Hannity asserted that “some people are saying” that a Democratic victory in the November elections would be a “victory for the terrorists.”

Noting that a just-released August 18-20 Gallup poll showed a “4-percent increase” in the number of respondents who “now say they would vote for a Republican candidate if the midterm elections were held today” and that President Bush's approval rating is up by “five points,” Hannity declared that terrorism is a “winning issue for Republicans” and wondered whether Democratic victories in the midterm elections would constitute a “victory for the terrorists.” He further wondered whether voters would “agree with [independent candidate and incumbent Sen.] Joe Lieberman [of Connecticut], who said that Democratic challenger Ned Lamont's support for a gradual withdrawal from Iraq would be taken as a victory by terrorists.” Discussing the poll with two Democratic strategists, guest host Bob Beckel and Fox News contributor Mary Anne Marsh, Hannity argued that Democrats “are weak, consistently wrong on homeland security and national security issues. They are weak. They'll cut, run, and surrender. They won't allow us to combat the terrorists.” The polling, released August 21, showed respondents preferred Democrats to Republicans in the upcoming mid-term congressional elections by 47 percent to 45 percent and showed Bush's approval rating at 42 percent, compared with 37 percent in the previous poll.

From the August 22 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: Also coming up tonight: if the Democrats win -- if they win in November, is it a victory for the terrorists? Some people are saying that. And a new poll could mean some very good news for Republicans. We'll share that with you.

[...]

HANNITY: There you have it. Just 77 days left until the American people take to the polls to elect a new Congress. There are two new Gallup polls out today, and they reveal that the arrest of terror suspects in London earlier this month may have given the GOP a boost. Forty-five percent of Americans now say they would vote for a Republican candidate if the midterm elections were held today. That's a 4-percent increase from earlier this month. And the prospects for Democrats are at their lowest point in a year. Forty-two percent of Americans said they approve of the job of George W. Bush that he's doing as president. That's up five points from earlier this month and, by the way, his highest rating in six months. Now, approval on the president and how he handles terrorism is at 55 percent, and that's his highest rating in more than a year. So, will the majority of voters agree with Joe Lieberman, who said that Democratic challenger Ned Lamont's support for a gradual withdrawal from Iraq would be taken as a victory by terrorists?

[...]

HANNITY: You know something, Mary Anne, when I look at your party, and I think of cut-run-surrender, wave the white flag -- when I think of not having the wiretap program, the data mining program, the [USA] Patriot Act as strong as it is -- when I think of [House Democratic Leader] Nancy Pelosi [D-CA] third in line for the presidency, it scares the daylights out of me. I think when the public hears where the Democrats stand, I think you guys are very likely to lose. Why am I wrong?

MARSH: Well, I think it's far more interesting, Sean, what [Sen.] John McCain [R-AZ] said today about President Bush when he criticized him for not being more honest with the American people about what's going on in Iraq. And that comes on the heels today of finding out --

HANNITY: And he wants to be president.

MARSH: -- we're still not enlisting -- and we're still not enlisting enough soldiers to serve in Iraq. So, we're drafting -- I'm sorry -- enlisting grandmothers to go fight that fight. So, the one word that no Republican wants to hear in this election is Iraq, Sean, and that's with good reason because we're failing in Iraq.

KATE OBENSHAIN GRIFFIN (Virginia Republican Party chairman): You know --

HANNITY: No, no, no. Hang on, Kate. This is a good point 'cause Mary Anne is saying -- but this is what I say. Mary Anne's party, Bob Beckel's party, are weak, consistently wrong on homeland security and national security issues. They are weak. They'll cut, run, and surrender. They won't allow us to combat the terrorists. Let's take that issue to them. I think it's a winning issue for Republicans.