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OK, folks, here is how it will go.

Fritz Hollings is finished. Whether or not he runs, Rep. Joe Wilson is a lock to run and win that Senate seat. End of story. The Dems' cupboard is bare.

The media's golden boy, John Edwards, is likely to be defeated, but only by the right opponent. The best man for the job is Rep. Richard Burr.

Rep. David Dreier and NSA Advisor Condoleezza Rice would be phenomenal candidates against Boxer, but I doubt if either will run. Rep. Chris Cox is an excellent option, although he may be too conservative for the state and has given no indication that he will run.

Wouldn't it be great to get rid of both Boxer and Murray, who rode the feminist wave of the unspeakable horror that was the Clarence Thomas confirmation? Jennifer Dunn is a classy, conservative woman who would be a perfect contrast to Murray.

John Thune, after being narrowly defeated by Tim Johnson, should be set up perfectly to take on Daschle in 2004. Daschle was never a strong leader and was humiliated on Election Night. He may not even run again. I believe that Thune will run either way.

Former Gov. Ed Schafer will almost certainly run against Byron Dorgan, but do not underestimate Dorgan. He is an aggressive campaigner and is socially conservative, similar to Tim Johnson. Still, this would be a dogfight.

OK, I have an announcment to make: Ralph Reed is AWESOME! Thumping Max Cleland, stunning Roy Barnes and keeping control of the competitive House seats (not to mention defeating the State House Speaker and State Senate President) was nothing short of remarkable. We need to get Reed into Congress. In 2004, he will be 43 and ready to run. I am almost certain that Zell Miller will step down; Reed would be a shoo-in for victory. If he chooses to hold off, Rep. Jack Kingston would be a formidable candidate.

If Evan Bayh runs again, he will be tough to beat; either way, we will need a strong candidate. Forget David McIntosh; he flopped against O'Bannon in the 2000 Governor's race. How about Dan Quayle? His national (unfair) reputation notwithstanding, he is tremendously popular in Indiana. He could beat Bayh and would easily win an open seat.

Chuck Schumer is a GREAT politician, and he handled September 11 extremely well, but his radical position on abortion means that he must go. Unfortunately, only Rudy Giuliani has even a snowball's chance of knocking him off, and I'm not sure he will risk his career on a race that is this tough to win. A hidden star for the Republicans is my local Congressman, Buffalo's Jack Quinn. Hey, it's about time that we got some national representation! We'll see what happens.

In Wisconsin, Russ Feingold is an honorable guy, but there is not enough room in this chat forum to fulfill his liberalism. He only won by two points in 1998, and if Tommy Thompson runs, he could knock off Feingold. 1998 nominee Marc Neumann would also be a decent candidate. Still, I can't see Feingold losing.

Blanche Lincoln, the freshman Senator from Arkansas, is moderate and popular. We would need a blockbuster candidate, like former Rep. and drug czar Asa Hutchinson. But Hutchinson may be waiting for a judicial nomination, and voters soundly rejected his brother this past cycle.

In Connecticut, Chris Dodd looks untouchable, but he may retire, and popular Gov. John Rowland looks like a formidable candidate should be decide to run. Still, Connecticut seems to be getting more liberal by the hour. Dodd will most likely prevail.

I frankly cannot see how Bob Graham loses. A previous chatter mentioned John Delaney and Tillie Fowler, and I'm sure that we could find a decent candidate. But Graham destoyed his opponent in 1998. However, the GOP's resounding victory on Election Night could signify trouble for Graham.

In other races: a well-known moderate Republican could be elected in Hawaii if Daniel Inouye retires. John Breaux is a lock for re-election if he runs again; if he retires, Reps. David Vitter and Billy Tauzin would be strong candidates. Barbara Mikulski looks like a shoo-in in Maryland; the only viable Republican candidate is defeated Rep. Connie Morella, but she is liberal and will be 73. Kevin Mannix almost pulled a stunner in the Oregon gubernatorial race, but he would be a long shot at best against Ron Wyden. Finally, Republicans can kiss Vermont good-bye; Pat Leahy is in for another six. (@#$@#%#$@!!!)

Next up: My analysis of Republican seats.