No election monkey business without a fight, and some things have started early: from the Friday WSJ (subscription):
Six weeks before Election Day, the two major political parties are skirmishing over election laws, practices and vote counts while building up war chests and hiring platoons of lawyers for a possible replay of the 2000 recount battle.
Already, a judge in New Mexico has rejected Republican efforts to require some voters to bring identification to the polls, while Democrats in Missouri are trying to quash a law they claim would keep some votes from being counted. Democratic Sen. John Kerry's campaign has asked the Federal Election Commission for guidance on funding a recount operation under the 2002 law overhauling campaign-finance rules. And both parties have lined up special teams of lawyers in at least five pivotal states to be ready to conduct recount fights...
Of the early battles and the planning, Bob Bauer, lead counsel for the Democratic National Committee, says, "These are the early skirmishes, the open battles taking place throughout the country. If voters' rights are violated now, we'll have great difficulty recovering them on Election Day or thereafter."
- Rasmussen FL/PA polling data w/graph by Jerome here. (Don't go if you don't want to look at polls, but a clear graphic illustration of what MOE means).
- My favorite: The Sunday talk shows hit the papers with G.O.P. Senators Voice Rising Concerns on Iraq. Tough to miss when they're on every channel.
Reflecting rising concerns, one senior Republican senator said today that the United States was in "deep trouble" in Iraq, another denounced administration "incompetence" in Iraqi reconstruction, while two others said that unless American-led forces quickly retake several areas from insurgents, credible elections cannot be held in January.
Sweet talk for tough times. And those concerns are just going to keep rising... right until November 2. of course, John Kyl, the weakest intellect in the Senate, stood up for Bush. Why am I not surprised?
Enjoy the rest of the weekend if you can.