It could be close -- we'll see. Voters can be fickle.

It had all the makings for a close ballgame.

[That assumes, of course, that voters are paying close attention. Few are--at least at this point.] They're more interested in spending time with their families and planning for graduation or summer vacations, as well they should, ... the details laid out now will provide the foundation for the debate that takes place in the fall, when people do start to tune in.

Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves, whistle and dance the shimmy, and you've got an audience.

I have to give in to the fact that I'm fickle.

If independent voters start breaking our way in this election, that's a good omen for '06 and '08. It's a good signal that we retain New Jersey, and it's even better if we win in a Southern state like Virginia.