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‘Tis a banner day for the endless reading of election tea leaves, and plenty of the usual analysts are offering their perspectives – particularly with regard to the most recent little surprises that the last week has brought.

This past weekend was ushered in with news that National Association of Evangelicals’ spokesman Ted Haggard was resigning his post following accusations from a male prostitute who claimed to have had numerous meth-fueled trysts with the pastor. Haggard later admitted to buying meth and receiving a massage from the prostitute, and then on Sunday told members of his church that he was guilty of “sexual immorality.”

The predictions of how this might affect Republicans at the polls are, predictably, mixed. One “conservative activist who describes himself as a former homosexual,” Stephen Bennett, told the Kansas City Star: "Will this affect the elections next Tuesday? ... You better believe it. The more and more hypocrisy I see each day, the more I realize next Tuesday we are going to get exactly what we deserve." In a shocking twist, a Republican pollster disagreed, arguing that conservatives are indeed put off by such news, but not that much: "Are they so discouraged they're going to participate in any movement to have Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi run the country? No."

If Haggard’s woes are affecting your vote, John Dickerson suggests that you e-mail him explaining why (slatepolitics@slate.com) because, writes Dickerson: “I don't think you really exist or exist in large enough numbers to change much on Tuesday.” So take that.

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Let's say you're, oh, I don't know, an evangelical preacher who has been accused of having a three-year sexual relationship with a male prostitute while using crystal meth. Media outlets aren't sure how to play the story, since no evidence, other than the word of the escort, has surfaced. What do you do?

One hint: Don't step aside. When Mike Jones told a Denver radio station about his alleged relationship with Rev. Ted Haggard, who opposes gay rights (and presumably meth use, though I'd have to confirm that), many media outlets reacted cautiously. The Denver Post ran a small story. The national media waited to see how it would play out. But when Haggard stepped down, the kind of action that offers a solid news peg, he gave the press a green light to have at the story.

In fairness, it looks like Haggard had little choice – according to the acting senior pastor at Haggard's church, "there is an admission of some guilt" from Haggard. Wrote the acting senior pastor in an e-mail to Church members: "It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true."

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