Bear with me as I try to do this in the 30 seconds or so that I have right now. The fact is that this probably won't get posted until later when I can come back to it. But, gotta start sometime.

Welcome to the season of correction. In many circles they call this phenomenon "regressing to the mean." It happens everywhere. Often times in sports, players have huge starts to seasons, but, inevitably, the regress to their normal stat levels. It happens in the stock markets.

And yes, it happens in politics.

You'll remember that in 2006, there was a big "taking back of Congress" by the Democrats. The trend continue in '08, when it seemed like everything Dems wanted, they got. And it has come in handy thanks to extremely close votes on issues such as energy and healthcare. Everything controversial has been largely on party lines this year. In the Senate, where there was much outward celebrating when the session began, Dems have shown that they don't have a real supermajority, but certainly the number of seats is helpful. Everyone just had to remember that Joe Lieberman does what Joe Lieberman feels like doing.

Well now, things are getting a little shaky. There were some expected retirements early, which the party was prepared for, but now the hits are coming from all directions and, expected or unexpected, they are going to hurt.

Yesterday may be remembered as the day things really went bad, starting with the announcement by North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, that he would not seek re-election. It not only surprised the Dems, but also guaranteed the loss of a seat in a state that leans rather heavily Republican. It was closely followed by whispers-turned-to-shouting that Chris Dodd indeed will not run again in Connecticut, an expected, but not insignificant development for the former presidential candidate who has completely fallen out of favor in his home state. That said, this is Connecticut. Put that one down to stay blue.

The carnage didn't stop there yesterday, as Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced that he will not seek re-election, to a mixed response. The fact is that he was becoming more unpopular in the state and many were skeptical about his chances. Now, another, hopefully better Dem candidate can step up. However, Colorado is a dark red state in some places, meaning this is certainly a potential loss.

The same can be said for Michigan, where another gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. John Cherry ended his campaign before it officially got started, thanks to some awful fundraising numbers.

All told, it could be a rough November for the Democratic party, which many predict to lose 20-30 seats in the House, with the Senate really being an unknown right now. Even the Mass. Senate race is close.

What this shouldn't do is affect the final healthcare vote, as both Senators mentioned were "yes" votes anyway. Both were facing serious challenges in their upcoming elections, a fact that certainly played a role.

With all of that (and more that is happening election-wise), let's add insult to injury, courtesy of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Right now, the toughest politician in Washington isn't fighting the right, she's taking out her own party - specifically the White House.

In reality, the best Democrat in the country right now is a guy named Michael Steele - the chair of the RNC. "Honest injun," as he would say. Seriously, I mean this. The issues in the Democratic party are really only topped every time this guy goes on television and acts a fool. He once said that white Republicans were scared of him because he is black. Yesterday, he said he would join the Tea Party Movement - the movement that is splintering the party he is leading (I'm guessing he really just wants a one-on-one trip with Sarah Palin somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Alaska). Oh, and he wrote a book, which promises to be written in English - I think.

Finally, Steele also said yesterday that the GOP will not win back the House and even if they could, he's not sure they would be ready. This is the guy who's job it is to make sure this happens. Somewhere, Ronald Reagan is cursing Dick Cheney for letting this all happen. And Ted Kennedy - all the Kennedys really - are laughing.

Felt compelled to add this at the end, as it has become the message of the day that Dems are not alone in leaving office at the end of this term. In reality, they aren't even doing it the most Six Republican senators and and 14 reps are not running for re-election, while two Dem sens and 12 reps are doing the same. Expect both numbers to rise a little more, but not a lot. It is just where and who these are in the Democratic party that make it such a big deal.

And a reminder, where do I go to get most of my information (other than my impeccable connections here on Pennsylvania Ave, of course): The Fix. Or come here, because, you know, that ups my own readership.

Have a good one y'all.