The reason they chased Durbin is because they are behind and we are routing their agenda now.
This game, like a lot of games, is a game of perceptions ... And suddenly the far right perceives that they have somehow slipped behind. They are throwing stones at our backs as we edge ahead. As we gain momentum, other runners are joining our pack ... On the Iraq War, on Social Security, on jobs and on the economy.
The poll numbers show it.
The question is now ...
What do we do with our current position?
Do we slow down, turn back every time someone throws a rock? Absolutely not.
We must be resolute. We must be relentless. Haven't any of the Beltway Dems run a physical race before? You keep putting one foot ahead of the other. You just keep going.
Every once in a while, I see us hitting a chance where we could decisively break away. The Gannon scandals. The Downing St. Memo. The Guantanamo horrors.
But the Beltway Dems keep looking back when the rocks come flying. Sometimes they stumble. Sometimes they physically fall. And our very real circumstance is that everyone is running different races. Our beloved Rep. Slaughter is running a sprint. Sen. Clinton is running a marathon. But that's no excuse for anyone to slow down when the attacks come ... especially when they come from behind.
Once again, we have to look at Howard Dean to show us how this is done. For all his faults, he understands what a race is ... and probably what a physical race is. He knows how to gauge where you are in the contest. He knows what strategy to use ... Something that seems to evade all the professional strategists in Washington.
When under attack in the media or by the Far Right, Howard Dean just keeps on moving. He is relentless. He is resolute. It's he that we should be emulating.
Let's all take a moment and learn a lesson here.