The American Spectator

br> The possibility of failure on the Senate side is one reason for the renewed rumors of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton looking to fill a leadership slot for Democrats in the Senate. Over the weekend, London papers reported that Clinton was looking to fill the minority leader shoes currently filled by Sen. Harry Reid . /p>

Her decision to take a leadership slot, rather than run for the presidency, may in part be determined by the outcome of the Lieberman race in Connecticut, say advisers to the junior senator. “If Lieberman wins, it leaves all of the anger on the far left focused on her,” says one New York-based adviser. “It might be easier — and more appealing — for her to become leader of the party in the Senate.”

p> FACING THE MUSIC br> As Republican House members return home from three weeks in their districts, the news is mixed, according the House insiders. But the news is also more positive than negative. While a number of House seats are in play, GOP House members who were down as much as ten points before returning home, are coming back to Washington with polling data that shows many of them back on solid footing with their constituencies. /p>

“I think there is rightly a lot of anger about the way Iraq and the Middle East is looking,” says one House member from the upper northeast. “But I think my poll numbers — and those of my colleagues — had a lot to do with being complacent and hesitant to deal with the issues full on. I went home, worked my butt off, and feel like I’m in a better position than I was a month ago.”

p> ROVE TIME br> Staffers in the White House have been talking up the possibilities of an “October Surprise” or two leading into the mid-term elections. They say the President feels confident he can still play a role in the election, that he intends to campaign hard for Republicans, and that on the policy front, there are a couple of issues that can be used as wedges along the way.