Just went on the Thune site and donated $100. Wonderful what payday can do for one's generosity, isn't it? I always regretted that the Pubbies didn't contest Thune's previous contest in SD. I never really understood why they didn't.
Here's my explanation:
American voters HATE sore losers. No quicker way to end a political career than to become one.
Thune knew this and took the gracious loser role knowing he could come back and fight another day.
His political base was rock-solid...he had won his previous statewide congressional races by huge margins.
Looks to me like he's turning out to have been pretty darned smart.
Me neither, but what's done is done. Look at it this way... if Thune HAD been elected in '02, we wouldn't have a very strong candidate to take on Daschle this year. I'd rather see Daschle gone than Tim Johnson, wouldn't you?