It's beginning to look like "blue" skies and smooth sailing...

The GOP continues to flounder. I continue to find much heartfelt glee in this fact, and do not apologize for it. I never claimed to be non-partisan. I am an unapologetic Liberal Democrat.

Faced with Democrats running fundraising circles around Republicans -the DCCC has raised $56.6 million and has $29.2 million at its disposal, while the NRCC is sucking hind tit, having raised only $40.7 million, and showing a cash balance of $2.5 million. Faced with people not willing to bankroll losers, the lord high mucky-mucks of the GOP have resorted to recruiting obscenely wealthy individuals to run for office who can funnel millions of their own dollars into desperate efforts to buy seats. “National Republicans are in disarray, forcing them to recruit inexperienced and unprepared self-funders,” said Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

But the news gets better for Democrats.

Democrats now hold more Governor's mansions, and that gap looks like it is going to widen. While the Democrats might not make the magic number 60 in the Senate, they are likely to get close enough that they can strongarm moderate Republicans into backing off on their obstructionist ways. If five or more seats flip, that will likely serve as a wake-up call to some of the obstreperous jackasses in Class III and Class I, and their own sense of political self-survival will kick in.

In Virginia, the magic eight ball says that Mark Warner is going to take the seat being vacated by John Warner. The seats being vacated by Domenici (N.M.) and Stevens (AK) have a good shot of going to Democrats, if for no other reason than to teach the party a lesson - the Republican candidates are going to have the foul stench of their corrupt predecessors wafting behind them. Bob Kerry is likely to replace the retiring Chuck Hagel in Nebraska, Sununu is vulnerable in New Hampshire. Graham in South Carolina might prove vulnerable because he has lashed himself so tightly to aWol and his pet war. Kentucky is likely to Ditch Mitch, Larry Craig's seat just about has to go to a Democrat, Elizabeth Dole is vulnerable, and the seat held by Gordon Smith is all but assured to flip, possibly to Portland mayor Speaker of the Oregon House Jeff Merkley, although there is still a tough Democratic primary to get through. Whoever wins it will unseat Gordon.

[P.S. Thanks to all you Oregon readers for correcting me on this point - I know better than to blog while buzzing on Robitussin and Benadryl...I lived in the Willamette Valley for a bit in the 90's and to be perfectly honest, I am echoing a friend who is a Merkley backer. To hear her tell it, he is unopposed in the primary, and I'm firing off an email, since echoing her sentiment got my fanny handed to me. I'll look a bit closer and actually dedicate a post to the Democratic primary out there to show my contrition.]

And the outlook is even more dismal in the house, where unexpected retirements have dealt setbacks to the Republican pipedream of retaking the house. And I am left to savor the schaddenfreude and hum a happy tune...

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Language on the Supplemental Resolved

Negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate have finished hammering out a compromise agreement on the Supplemental War Spending Bill.

The legislation establishes benchmarks for the government of Iraq, and includes measurable progress in the development of Iraqi security forces. It would also give U.S. soldiers and Marines more authority to pursue extremists and wuld establish a program to disarm militias and pursue political reconciliation between the sects and protect minority rights.

If the benchmarks are not being met, troop withdrawals would start on 01 July of this year, with a goal of completing the draw-down in 180 days. If benchmarks are beign met, then withdrawal would start on 01 October, also with a goal of completing the draw-down in 180 days.

The current language must be ratified by both chambers of the congress and then it will go to the president for either a signature or a veto.

The president has promised a veto as he is allergic to any form of accountability.

Bush "is the only person who fails to face this war's reality -- and that failure is devastating not just for Iraq's future, but for ours," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) declared in a speech this afternoon.

Bush has repeatedly vowed he will not sign any bill with benchmarks or timetables, and he repeated himself today on that assertion in brief comments to reporters followign a meeting with General Petraeus. "I will strongly reject an artificial timetable [for] withdrawal and/or Washington politicians trying to tell those who wear the uniform how to do their job," Bush said.

Here is hoping the Democrats retain this newfound backbone and make him accept accountability. It's high time. He's sixty years old, and most of us start to develop a modicum of it by age six.

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