[FourtySeven]

I hope you didn't think I was saying all Republicans in Vermont are RINOs. I was saying only that it seems, from recent history at least, that any winning candidate falls into that category (given Jeffords). Of course I'd love to be proven wrong by having a real Republican (or conservative in another party) elected to the Senate seat up for grabs in 2006.

To be clear: Obviously of course I don't believe all Vermont Republicans and/or conservatives are RINO's and CINO's, respectively.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I wouldn't put much stock in polls taken a year out from the actual race.

If the GOP can find a stalking horse for the extreme left-with more name recognition than the loon who ran on the Green Party ticket against Howard Dean-than we may have a shot at snatching this away from the Dems.

Of course, we have to watch out for any shenanigans that Dean & Co. might try to pull over on our side.

They managed to stage-engineer the nomination of a sacrificial lamb against Sen. Leahy two election cycles past.

See Mark Steyn's brilliant piece on this faux election, several years ago in TAS