Open Thread

• Hey women, they're talking about us again. The gender gap is reasserting itself in polls, one of the key factors in the generic congressional polling putting Democrats ahead of Republicans. This could play out interestingly against the Republicans' plans to reassert "values" in their legislative agenda leading into the elections.

• Is the Senate going to stand up to Bush on Iran? More to the point, does it make a damn bit of difference to King George?

• Speaking of Iran, Yglesias at TMPCafe dissects The New Republic's latest warmongering issue. At Tapped, Greg Sargent poses a key question for the left and for Democrats: "How do we persuade Dems with presidential ambitions to tell the truth about Iran along with the rest of us?"

• Here's a big surprise. Falwell says he doesn't see any Democratic presidential nominee winning over any fundie voters. He also gives notice that he won't be supporting Giuliani. Music to McCain's (born again?) ears.

• And to round out on a much lighter note, here's a very happy story, just for PhillyGal. A cat in Germany saved a newborn baby's life. Smart pootie.

• Ok, two lighter notes, because this one is sort of appropriate to the secular aspects of this holiday.

  LONDON (Reuters) - It sounds like a job for Wallace and Gromit. A "monster" rabbit has apparently been rampaging through vegetable patches in a small village in northern England, ripping up leeks, munching turnips and infuriating local gardeners.... "They call it the monster. It's very big -- it's nearly the size of a dog," said Joan Smith, whose son Jeff owns one of the plots under attack.