The Coming Democratic Congress?

Conservative commentators Michael Barone and John J. Miller are starting to brace for Dem wins in the House and Senate in November.

Says Barone, who devotes his col to what a Speaker Pelosi would do: "It is time to take seriously the possibility the Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in the elections next month. The breaking of the Mark Foley scandal on the last day of the congressional session—who held onto the incriminating instant messages until this strategic delivery date?—put the Republican leadership on the defensive and changed the political landscape."

And Miller surveys Senate races over at National Review with some trepidation, asking whether the Dems will pick up the six seats they need to take contol: "Odds are they'll come close. If they gain five seats, Vice President Cheney will spend his final two years in office as the Senate's tiebreaker.

And the Wash Post is now reporting that GOP officials are expecting to lose between seven and 30 seats in the House, where the magic number for Dems is 15.