Scary Quote of the Week

"I've been planning that myself." - President Bush, asked about the prospect of Putin keeping power next year by becoming prime minister.

This will come as no surprise to some, who believe that the current administration might even plan a terrorist attack (or let one happen) next summer, suspend the Constitution, and call off the 2008 elections to stay in power.

Senator? Do you have a square to spare?

So Larry Craig is staying. Does this mean that his ultimate retirement will mean Idaho will elect a Democrat to replace him? Probably not, but it will certainly make his seat a little more competitive with him staying on the stage too long.

The Republicans have the majority of seats to defend in the 2008 cycle, 22, versus 12 for the Democrats. Five of the Republican seats will be open as the Republican incumbent is retiring.

Here's a rundown on the Senate Races for 2008 and the (very early) predictions:

• Alabama - Jeff Sessions (R) cruises to a third term.


• Alaska - Ted Stevens (R) will be 85 in 2008. Let's hope the Democrats can find a worthy opponent. Ted is definitely a target. Let's say Democratic pickup.


• Arkansas - Mark Pryor (D) vs. whatever sacrificial lamb the Republicans can find. He's probably safe.


• Colorado - Wayne Allard (R) promised to stay for two terms and he's keeping his promise. Congressman Mark Udall (D) is running. Look for a Democratic pickup here, remember the Democratic Convention is in Denver in 2008.


• Delaware - Joe Biden (D), you remember him? The guy running for President? Watch for him to slink back to DE and pick up his campaign to return to the Senate (until a democratic president-elect chooses him for Secretary of State, the job he's really running for). The seat will stay Democratic.


• Georgia - I would love nothing more than to see Saxby Chambliss (R) lose this election. He managed to defeat Max Cleland by calling him unpatriotic. Nice. A veteran in a wheelchair is unpatriotic. Chambliss is not worthy of being a Senator, but I don't see a good enough challenger to unseat him.


• Idaho - Larry Craig (R) is staying until the end of his term. But in this conservative state, that might not be enough to make the state go blue.


• Illinois - Dick Durbin (D) has risen into the party leadership. Illinois loves him and will send him back to the Senate.


• Iowa - Tom Harkin (D) is an institution in this state. No Republican should have a chance.


• Kansas - Pat Roberts (R), see Tom Harkin, but as a Republican.


• Kentucky - Mitch McConnell (R) is now the Minority Leader in the Senate. He's not going anywhere.


• Louisiana - With the election of Congressman Bobby Jindal (R) as Governor, the state is losing Democrats left and right. Mary Landrieu (D) is certain to be targeted by the Republicans and she is in danger of losing her seat. Republican pickup.


• Maine - Susan Collins (R) is a dying breed, that of a moderate Republican. Tom Allen (D), one of Maine's two Congressmen is already running and it will definitely be a close race. I say Democratic pickup.


• Massachusetts - Hey, remember this guy? He wanted to be president? In one of the bluest states in the nation, John Kerry will stay in the Senate.


• Michigan - Carl Levin (D) has been around the Senate for sometime. While he will be 74 in 2008, he's not heading home. He's safe.


• Minnesota - Norm Coleman (R) should have never been elected. Had Paul Wellstone not died in a plane crash, he wouldn't have. A bevy of characters have lined up to take on Coleman, including comedian Al Franken. Democratic pickup.


• Mississippi - Thad Cochran (R) is the other senator from Mississippi. He will cruise to reelection.


• Montana - Believe it or not, both Senators from Montana are Democrats. Max Baucus (D) has been there a while and should be hard to push aside.


• Nebraska - Chuck Hagel is taking his marbles and going home. Bob Kerrey, the former Senator is being pushed very hard to run for the Senate again. Let's hope so. Democratic pickup.


• New Jersey - Frank Lautenberg (D) was called out of retirement to run when Bob Menendez hit the skids in 2002. Lautenberg will be 84 in 2008. Does he have it for another six years? Either way, I think the seat stays democratic.


• New Mexico - St. Pete, Pete Domenici (R) is retiring due to brain disease. There are those that are hoping Bill Richardson (D) will give up the presidency chase and go for this seat instead. This seat's a toss-up.


• North Carolina - Elizabeth Dole (R) turns 72 in 2008 and has had some health problems recently. Might she announce her retirement soon? But the seat is likely to stay red.


• Oklahoma - James Inhofe (R) will be 74 in 2008. He may call it quits, but there is currently no real competition for him. Either way, the seat stays in the Republican column.


• Rhode Island - Jack Reed is a nice moderate Democrat. He's safe.


• South Carolina - Lindsay Graham, who made his name as one of Clinton's impeachers, has moved to the center as a Senator. He's very impressive and a shoo-in for reelection.


• South Dakota - Tim Johnson nearly died, but he's running for another term. You want to go negative on this guy? He should be fine.


• Tennessee - Lamar Alexander is quiet, unassuming, and of retirement age. But he's probably staying and should be reelected easily.


• Texas - John Cornyn is one of Bush's closest allies in the Senate. While that is certain to be a handicap for him, he should be safe.


• Virginia - The Commonwealth looks to be changing color and will exchange one Warner for another, as John (R) is retiring and former Governor Mark (D) is running. Democratic pickup.


• West Virginia - John D. Rockefeller IV is still the junior Senator from WV (at 71). He's back for another term.


• Wyoming - Both seats are up for reelection with the passing in 2006 of Craig Thomas. John Barasso was appointed and will run on his own for the completion of Thomas's term. Also up in Mike Enzi. Both should win.

So what's the scorecard?

Current - 49 R, 49 D, 2 I (with the Democrats)

Projected - 44 R, 54 D, 2 I (with the Democrats)

A Look at the House of Representatives

I have been neglectful of this blog for some time. Here we are in October of 2007 and the interminable quest for the presidency continues. Here are a series of posts to update where things stand for the races for the House, the Senate, and of course, the Presidency.

The House of Representatives is currently at 232 Democrats and 200 Republicans. There are currently three vacancies. In Massachusetts, Martin Meehan resigned to become Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts. A special election will take place on October 16. It is expected that Paul Tsongas' widow will win that election and the seat will remain in Democratic hands. Representatives Paul Gillmore (R-OH) and Joann Davis (R-VA) died in office and special elections will be set to fill those vacancies. Neither seat is expected to be competitive.

So what does this mean for 2008? According to Sabato's Crystal Ball, there are a total of sixty-one competitive races in 2008. Twenty-eight of the seats are held by Democrats and thirty-three by Republicans. Sabato defines the race as competitive if the victor won with less than 55 percent of the vote in 2006. This site is watching the "open seat" races, where the representatives have announced their retirements from the House. As of mid-September, this list has nine people on it, seven Republicans and two Democrats, including former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

Several of the seats currently held by Democrats are in Republican districts (Mark Foley's district in Florida, for one) and they will be challenging for Democrats to hold. My early prediction? The House stays in Democratic hands but the majority shrinks. Make me put a number on it? 220-215.