The Senate, today

By all accounts, the Senate has come down to eight races.

Six Republican, incumbent or retiring: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennesee, and Missouri.

Three Democrat: Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey.

These are the stakes. The Dems must win all six GOP seats and hold their own.

As Rocco Lampone said to Michael Corleone: difficult, not impossible.

The day-to-day business can be found in Slate. Looking over that and others, there is this:

The GOP may have lost Ohio and Pennsylvania--sad, because Santorum and DeWine have been good, effective Senators, and also because that strip of states between New Jersey and the Great Plains figure to be crucial in McCain vs. Hillary.

Losing Chafee in Rhode Island--as seems likely--won't be the worst of all possible worlds.

Ford (D), in Tennessee, seems vulnerable all at once. Corker has a fighting chance.

Right now, I have to think Talent will hang on in Missouri. I sincerely underestimated the man; of the freshman Senate class of 2002, Talent and Norm Coleman are the ones who continue to impress.

Which brings us to Conrad Burns in Montana. Good Christ. A Republican Senator in a state that George W. Bush (or McCain, or Romney, or Rudy, or even pathetic Frist) couldn't lose in a Presidential election if he tried. Hillary will not set foot in Montana in 2008. So what the f---? Yes, the ties to Abramoff, yes, the war. But, c'mon. This defies explanation.

As for the Dems.

New Jersey. Let's just assume another shoe will drop re Menendez. New Jersey and corruption: perfect together. GOP gain.

Maryland. Close call. Let's err on the side of caution and say the Dems hold.

So?

52-48 GOP. Wildly optomistic now, it seems. Let's see.