I have this political fantasy...

Obama runs the way he runs.

McCain, spurred on my Rove and co, wallows in the gutter, making "the kitchen sink" look quaint and cute.

And Obama wins in an electoral landslide, carrying 60 Democrats into the senate with him and a filibuster proof majority in the House to boot.

The primary result - a strong democratic majority with the power to actually clean up our country after the Bush national disaster.

The secondary result - a strong repudiation of Rove politics. Republicans realize for once and all that to compete they need Ideas, Ideals and to raise their level of discourse to match the Democrats, thus ushering in a golden age of political activism, debate and citizen involvement.

But Obama needs our help to make it happen.

in which the republicans decide they lost because they held back too much - next time they're going to get NASTY!

The nastier they get, the more they appear like raving lunatics.