I am a late voter. Though I had intended to vote early, I decided to wait, curious to see if there would be an October Surprise. As you may know, everyone in Oregon votes by mail. More than half of the ballots had been returned to the offices of the Director of Elections by Friday. Though I can't imagine an October surprise that would have led me to vote for failed incumbent George W. Bush, there was the possibility of influence in regard to other candidates and issues. We did get surprised at the end of October. Osama bin Laden, the person most responsible for the terrorist attacks of 9/11, appeared by video to remind us he is healthy, wealthy, and, in his own way, wise. The Bush administration was crossing its collective fingers that bin Laden would remain out of sight, out of mind until the election is over. He reminded us who is yanking whose chain. I am curious to see what effect bin Laden's appearance, dismissive of any claim he has been pushed to the sidelines, will have on the electorate. Will the easily frightened rally behind Bush because of his tough rhetoric, despite his failure to capture the tenacious terrorist for three years? Will the fence sitters decide an unproven president is preferable to one we know the weaknesses of all too well?

Our ballot is a simple one. A double-sided thick paper rectangle, about eight inches wide and 15 inches long. One fills in circles next to candidates' names in pencil or pen. Compared to ballots in some other states, it is downright old-fashioned. We complete the ballot, drop it in the mail or in a special election drop box, and we're done. The innovation is in being the only state where much of the controversy and inconvenience of voting is avoided. Perhaps that is why Oregon usually has voter turnout of more than 70 percent.

My choices for national candidates were easily made until I reached hte U.S. Representative for the First Congressional District. I believe Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards will do capably lead the country. Sen. Ron Wyden has proven himself to be effective. Mitch Greenlick, representative for the Thirty-Third Congressional District, may not be memorable, but has done nothing to merit dismissal.

But, there's David Wu. He is the incumbent representative for the First Congressional District. A Democrat. I've written about him previously.

The episode the Republican candidate may be able to ride into Congress occurred when Wu was a college student, way back in 1976.

That summer, the 21-year-old Wu was brought to the campus police annex after his ex-girlfriend said he tried to force her to have sex, according to Raoul K. Niemeyer, then a patrol commander who questioned him.

Wu had scratches on his face and neck, and his T-shirt was stretched out of shape, Niemeyer said.