DEMOCRATIC DISARRAY: I'm not a superstitious guy, but sometimes I find myself wondering whether by openly celebrating the liberal left's cluelessness I might inadvertantly help them get better at disguising their agenda, thereby fooling a greater number of Americans. Now that I've got that off my chest, let me say what a pleasure it is to see leading Democratic senators chasing shadows, bumping into walls, and muttering aloud in a manner that's not always easy to distinguish from a garden variety street person. Listen to Adam Nagourney account in the in-house Democrat newsletter known as The New York Times:

Democrats are heading into this year's elections in a position weaker than they had hoped for, party leaders say, stirring concern that they are letting pass an opportunity to exploit what they see as widespread Republican vulnerabilities. In interviews, senior Democrats said they were optimistic about significant gains in Congressional elections this fall, calling this the best political environment they have faced since President Bush took office. But Democrats described a growing sense that they had failed to take full advantage of the troubles that have plagued Mr. Bush and his party since the middle of last year, driving down the president's approval ratings, opening divisions among Republicans in Congress over policy and potentially putting control of the House and Senate into play in November. Asked to describe the health of the Democratic Party, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said: "A lot worse than it should be. This has not been a very good two months." "We seem to be losing our voice when it comes to the basic things people worry about," Mr. Dodd said.

No, keep it up, Senator. Keep looking for ways to exploit GOP foibles, if only to keep voters from noticing your party's regressive political agenda: increase taxes, foster new bureaucracy, cut spending for national security. While you're at it, keep communicating to Americans that you agree with the ACLU that international phone traffic among known terrorist operatives should go unheeded by the president of the United States. Keep using the funerals of dignified civil rights leaders as forums for naked, self-aggrandizing political rhetoric. Keep inferring that Bush and Cheney had the World Trade Center blown up so they could suspend the Bill of Rights. My only request: Make your criticisms a tad more shrill. Pound your fists harder, like Ted Kennedy during the Alito hearings. Don't go soft on us now, guys. We need you to stand tall.