First of all, I opened the thread long before the TV and newspaper commentors began to say virtually the same thing, from Carvell to Brokaw, so my views are considerably mainstream, if not a tad prescient. It was Bush who came out of the White House against all polling advice, took his case to the people in a whirlwind campaign, and was the deciding factor in the Republican win. I never said it was a mandate, but it is clear that it is against the historic nature of off-year elections, and thus earns greater interest than the normal election.

And to the earlier comment about Clinton, Clinton lost steadily during both of his off-year elections (remember Newt as TIME's Man of the Year?).

I do not see this as finished however. With the run-off in Louisiana, both sides will pile it on (shades of Florida). And if Landrieau wins, I look for heavy pressure to be put on Chaffe from Rhode Island to pull a Jeffers, and switch parties.

And, as to the Dems faux pas(s) vs Bush, the election was full of quirks on both sides, witness NJ and Minn, but considering where the polls were (and the general acceptance of their accuracy at the time) it was a good leadership choice by Bush to jump into the fray and try and make a difference for his party. For those of you who wish to recall, Clinton let his side sink or swim in 1994...