Interesting Rumblings

Good news on the 'nationalize the 2006 races' front:

House Democratic leaders "are casting about for squeaky-clean congressional candidates -- even if they're long shots -- to challenge prominent GOP incumbents who have been tainted by news reports of their allegedly unseemly connection to lobbyists," The Hill reports.

Meanwhile, Roll Call notes Democratic operatives "are digging into their archives for photos of Republican officeholders and candidates" with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).

In 1996 the Democrats did a good job of using Newt Gingrich as the face of the GOP (remember the "wither on the vine" commercials?) Winning will require more than just a Republican version of Emmanuel Goldstein. But it doesn't hurt to put a face on the reckless wing of the Republican party.