As I said, Mudcatters have to stop underestimating her.

All she has to do is continue to articulate the frustration and bitterness felt by lots of Americans:   "How's that hopey-changey thing working out for you?"--and she is doing this perfectly--and she will be sitting pretty in 2011.

Especially since it looks like child's play to depict this Congress as a "do-nothing Congress". The public will not look at Republican obstructionism as the main source of the problem, much as Mudcatters devoutly wish they would.

It will be very simple:   "You have a Democratic House, Democratic Senate, and Democratic President.    Yet you still can't get anything done. Re-elect Democrats?    What possible indication do we have that that will improve anything?"

And the overwhelming cause of this is Democrats' unwillingness to compromise-- primarily with each other, but also with the few Republicans willing to brave their own party--like Olympia Snowe.   But compromise is what you have to do when you have a "big tent" situation.

And after the Democratic debacle which looks more and more likely this fall, there will be, if anything, more gridlock.    Then in 2012 President Obama has to run on this record.

It looks progressively more likely that the only thing that can change this is a huge economic surge--soon. Especially since Democrats still show no signs of willingness to compromise.

I suppose it goes back to Will Rogers:    "I'm not a member of an organized party...."