It's not a joke. The things that keep me awake at night (like tonight) are the fear that Reagan dies during the campaign, the Pope dies during the Demo convention, and that Cheney pulls Osama out of his spider hole the week before the election. :(
Super Bonus Fear: Some contrived "October Surprise" terrorist thing that is so horrible it puts us on super-double-extra red alert through the election.
Seriously, think about it:
Reagan dying at any time during the next year gives Bush a chance to look uber-presidential while attending a "heros" funeral.
The Pope (God bless and all that) dying during the convention would suck media oxygen away from the Demo's when they need it most.
Osama being captured/ killed right before the election would give Bush double the Saddam bounce.
Oh, god, don't even get me started on a real or imagined attack during October and November, like that psychic prediction thread from a while back...