Thanks for the info! I used to travel frequently to DC and go to parties as part of my job in the Fed Gov. I remember one party, back in like 2006, where all the talk was about that new black Senator from Illinois. All the higher ups stated flat out that Obama was going to be President. They knew where the money was going... So these parties can tell you the swing of things in DC for sure.
This post is interesting, possibly alluding to inside information:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3487057/posts?page=58#58