The non-partisan's take on the midterms.

Putz offered this fair-and-balanced commentary on the midterms this morning.

IT'S A ROUGH YEAR FOR REPUBLICANS, with Tennessee in play and George Allen barely holding on.

How's that for spin? It's not a rough year because the Republican lame duck president is historically unpopular, or because our guys are getting blown up in Iraq's civil war, while our enemies in Tehran, Caracas, and Pyongyang fart in our general direction. It's not a rough year because the Taliban are resurgent in Afghanistan, 5 years after 9/11. It's not a rough year for Republicans because the Republican House and Senate are polling in the 20s, stupidly split their own party over the immigration issue, and have accomplished nothing of significance for the past two years other than providing the unpopular president with a speedy rubberstamp.

No, it's a rough year for Republicans because Tennessee "is in play", and George "Macaca" Allen is "barely hanging on."

The Republicans should be so lucky.