This does not mean that Democrats are soaring with newfound respect from the voters. ... They have done little to project themselves as having the solutions to the nation's problems.

If this environment holds, you have to assume it's going to tip for the Democrats.

They walked into the convention very unified and, in the process, drove away a lot of conservative Democrats.

An aggressive, well-run campaign focused on your accomplishments can turn this race into an extremely competitive toss-up race in the general election.

From the beginning, this is a campaign I thought she could win. But it's become too tough an environment.

If the political environment does not change, the outcome of the 2006 elections becomes increasingly a roll of the dice dependent on how the campaigns are run, party and interest group resources and the intensity of base voters to turn out to vote.