History is not on our side. I am holding out little hope that we will retain the house and regain the senate. Even the hugely popular FDR during WWII lost massive ground in the house and senate during mid term elections. The first of which saw his party lose 50 something house seats and 13 senate seats! Point being that popularity of the president and a war does not lead to his party gaining seats in midterm elections.
I don't think 2002 will be a normal mid-term election cycle. It is beginning to look more like a mirror image of the 1962 mid-term elections. In 1960 Kennedy won the presidency in one of the closest elections of the 20th century. He had no coat tails, and his party actually lost seats. In 1962, the Democrats actually made gains in the mid-term elections rather than lose seats.
I see it shaping up to be more like the 1998 mid term elections. The GOP was so smug and high on the horse of the Clinton fiasco that GOP reps on talking head shows were actually laying money on the table challenging the dem on the show to put their money up on who would pick up seats.
We all know how that election turned out. Dem gains.