Quin, the most interesting detail in
that Novak column is, "House Republican leaders . . . are in a
state of terror over their party's desperate condition." Based on
recent off-the-record remarks by some conservatives, I'd
characterize the mood more as "paralyzed by bleak depression," but
if Novak prefers "a state of terror," that's close enough. It is
fair to say that Republicans generally are wallowing in a slough of
despair, and talk openly of the possibility of a Senate with as few
as 41 or 42 Republicans next year, no matter who wins the White
House.