I handed in today’s column on Louisiana congressional candidate Joseph Cao before I got a call back from my friend and former boss Clancy DuBos, owner of Gambit Weekly newspaper in New Orleans and also easily the most astute political columnist in the New Orleans area. Clancy has no ideological dog in the hunt; he’s a true centrist/reformist. Direcct quote on Cao’s race: “If Republicans get behind him, I think he’s goa a shot.” He then went on to explain, in some detail, why he thinks that “shot” is not just an outside one, but a reasonable (if still uphill) one. Space doesn’t permit a full recittaion of the possibilities, but the basic thrust was that a lot of skill and just a little luck could really allow Cao to pull the upset. It’s worth watching.