To take your mind off the cringe-worthy Blago and Burris sideshows, go to the Economist's Democracy in America blog, which explains why -- potential Democratic stumbles aside -- Republicans aren't wildly optimistic about a great Senate showing in 2010:
The news that Kit Bond, a four-term Republican senator from Missouri, will not run for re-election, opens up a seat in a state that basically broke 50-50 for John McCain and Barack Obama.
The Republicans have a deep enough bench to replace Mr Bond, but his relatively early retirement (he turns 70 in March, practically Benjamin Button-ish in Senate terms), alongside Jeb Bush's decision to pass on the Florida Senate race, reveals what Republicans won't admit out loud: They don't think 2010 is going to be a comeback year.
--Eve Fairbanks