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Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., walks out of the Billings Hotel and Convention Center in Billings, Mont., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. Incumbent Sen. Burns was locked in the fight of his political life early Wednesday, trailing Democrat Jon Tester by fewer than 2,000 votes as the GOP tried to hang on to control of the Senate.

AP: Democrat wins Montana seat, ties Senate

Republican Sen. Conrad Burns lost his job in a squeaker of a race Wednesday, thrust from office due to his own gaffes, his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a determined campaign by Democrat Jon Tester, a farmer.

Tester’s win gave Democrats at least half the U.S. Senate, but the party still needed a victory in a tight Virginia race to gain control.

Burns, 71, first elected in 1988 as a folksy, backslapping outsider, has been under siege because of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and because of his own gaffes — including an incident in which he cursed at firefighters.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Tester had 198,032 votes, or 49.1 percent, to Burns’ 194,904 votes, or 48.3 percent.

Put a fork in Conrad Burns – He’s done!

Also put a fork in the GOP’s chances to hold control of the United States Senate. There will be a recount in Virigina but it will be a long shot at best.

Senate breakdown will be 49-49-2 with the two independents voting with the Democrats.

Just as Flap predicted – A DEBACLE

Stay tuned…….

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Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – Senate

United States House 2006 Election Watch: Rush Limbaugh and the Coming GOP DEBACLE

Michael Ramirez on the Coming GOP Debacle

United States House 2006 Election Watch: SEA OF BLUE

Election 2006 Watch: The Coming Republican DEBACLE

House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., fires up fellow Democrats at an election night rally at the Hyatt Regency Hotel near the Capitol in Washington Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. She is joined, left to right, by Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla.

U.S. House: GOP Loses Control by how much will be the issue.

U.S. Senate: Continues in play. Virginia, Montana, Missouri and Tennessee are contested.

The Maryland Senate race is NOT over and the Washington Post has retracted its projection.

Maryland Election results are here.

Watch along with Flap at the links above.

Stay tuned……..

Update:

Riehl World calls if for Allen but Flap feels it is premature. This race will be recounted and will determine control of the Senate.

Update 12:07 AM EST

Looks like a recount in Virginia with Montana and Missouri going blue.  If Virginia goes to Webb then Democrats win control of the U.S. Senate – as per Flap’s prediction.

The GOP will lose between 20 and 25 seats in the House and control.

THE GOP DEBACLE HAS ARRIVED! 

Previous:

Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – House

Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – Senate 

Election Projection has final United States House Election 2006 Projections:

Current: 232 GOP, 202 DEM, 1 IND
Projected: 208 GOP, 227 DEM, 0 IND
DEM +25, GOP -24, IND -1

Election Projection is forecasting a net loss of 25 House seats and loss of GOP control of the House. While this is a pessimistic account, I do not forsee any other likely scenario. Here is Election Projections summary of the race:

The Real Clear Politics House Summary chart is here.

The GOP House Debacle has arrived. Robert Novak has a conservative loss of 18 seats for the GOP. His analysis is here.

The next Speaker of the House will be Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

For election night coverage NZ Bear at Truth Laid Bear has set up an election tracker page here.

Previous:

Election 2006 Watch: THE ARRIVING GOP DEBACLE – Senate

United States House 2006 Election Watch: Rush Limbaugh and the Coming GOP DEBACLE

Michael Ramirez on the Coming GOP Debacle

United States House 2006 Election Watch: SEA OF BLUE

Election 2006 Watch: The Coming Republican DEBACLE

Election Projection has final United States Senate Election 2006 Projections:

Current: 55 GOP, 44 DEM, 1 IND
Projected: 49 GOP, 49 DEM, 2 IND
DEM +5, GOP -6, IND +1

Election Projection is forecasting a net loss of six Senate seats and loss of GOP control of the Senate. While this is a pessimistic account, I do not forsee any other likely scenario. Here is election Projections summary of the race:

The Real Clear Politics Senate Summary chart is here.

The GOP Senate Debacle has arrived. One race change will make the result transfer to GOP control. Flap feels this most likely will occur in either Rhode Island or Montana.

Stay tuned for House Projections which ARE even more bruising to the GOP later in the evening.

For election night coverage NZ Bear at Truth Laid Bear has set up an election tracker page here.

Previous:

United States House 2006 Election Watch: Rush Limbaugh and the Coming GOP DEBACLE

Michael Ramirez on the Coming GOP Debacle

United States House 2006 Election Watch: SEA OF BLUE

Election 2006 Watch: The Coming Republican DEBACLE

LOOK WHERE AL QAEDA & CO. HAVE STRUCK SINCE 9/11

THE woman who will become Speaker of the House, should Democrats pick up sufficient seats on Tuesday, believes passionately that the War on Terror is only the war in Afghanistan.

Reality check: The map above shows a selection of the major, memorable terrorist attacks world-wide since Jan. 1, 2002, as well as indicating nations which the Rand Corp. Terrorism Database lists as hosting a significant al Qaeda presence.

(Just a selection, of course – a map of attacks in Israel or Iraq could fill the whole page.)

Only Afghanistan? It is staggering to think that anyone of such naivete could soon leading one house of Congress.

Nancy Pelosi’s defenders will point out that she answering the question, “Do you not think that the war in Iraq now, today, is the War on Terror?”

But her full answer was, “No. The War on Terror is the war in Afghanistan.”

Mind-boggling. She doesn’t even deny that terrorists have flocked to Iraq, “but that doesn’t mean we stay there,” she says. “They’ll stay there as long as we’re there” – implying . . . what? That they’ll just retire if we go?

True, some would leave – but only to do killing elsewhere. How many would come here?

None of this is to defend every particular of Bush policies in Iraq – would that that were all that divided America’s two political parties.

But it’s not. No, the overriding divide is that one party generally understands that America faces a determined and utterly ruthless enemy of global reach and ambition, an enemy that will keep on coming and keep on killing until it is stopped . . . and the other party just doesn’t want to think about it.

Sure, there are exceptions – one honorable one is Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

But he was rejected by his state party because of his firm stance in the War on Terror. He’s not the mainstream of the Democratic Party.

Nancy Pelosi is.

The political consensus is the GOP WILL lose majority control of the House. But, will the next Speaker of the House be Nancy Pelosi?

Flap is not so sure. It depends upon the nature of the majority.

But, then again, is the GOP in the midst of a “COMEBACK?”

Stay tuned……

Blackfive: “We support those not as smart as John Kerry” – At the Army-Air Force Game

Wow, who’d have thought that – “John Kerry bringing the armed services together…”

But, what about the impact on the election?

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John Kerry Watch: I’m Sorry But…….

John Kerry Watch: Kerry Makes Direct Apology to Troops

John Kerry Watch: Kerry Apologizes for “Botched Joke”

Michael Ramirez on John Kerry – Educate Yourselves or You’ll Get Stuck in Iraq

John Kerry Watch: Kerry WARNS Students – Educate Yourselves or You’ll Get Stuck in Iraq

Photo Credit: J. Farmer

John Kerry, Democratic congressional campaigner in the Fifth District, speaks at a news conference Sept. 18, 1972 in Boston. During the Vietnam era, Kerry opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to “the perpetuation of war crimes.

AP: Kerry’s ’72 Army Comments Mirror Latest

During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to “the perpetuation of war crimes.”

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, made the observations in answers to a 1972 candidate questionnaire from a Massachusetts peace group.

Is Senator Kerry FLIPPIN’ again? Or?

After Kerry caused a firestorm this week with what he termed a botched campaign joke that Republicans said insulted current soldiers, The Associated Press was alerted to the historical comments by a former law enforcement official who monitored 1970s anti-war activities

Kerry apologized Wednesday for the 2006 campaign trail gaffe that some took as suggesting U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq were undereducated. He contended the remark was aimed at Bush, not the soldiers.

In 1972, as he ran for the House, he was less apologetic in his comments about the merits of a volunteer army. He declared in the questionnaire that he opposed the draft but considered a volunteer army “a greater anathema.”

“I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown,” Kerry wrote. “We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply ‘doing its job.’

“Equally as important, a volunteer army with our present constitutional crisis takes accountability away from the president and put the people further from control over military activities,” he wrote.

So, did he make the statements about Iraq and the troops before he meant them?

Or did Kerry BOTCH THE JOKE before he was AGAINST it?

Or is it a HYPOCRITICAL APOLOGY?

Allah has more: What the left really thinks about the military

• Joust The Facts
• Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: Kerry’s speech at the Angelides event, uncut(?)
• Bill’s Bites
• Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » The Real John Kerry, Redux
• RightWinged.com
• JunkYardBlog
• Michelle Malkin

Previous:

John Kerry Watch: Kerry Makes Direct Apology to Troops

John Kerry Watch: Kerry Apologizes for “Botched Joke”

Michael Ramirez on John Kerry – Educate Yourselves or You’ll Get Stuck in Iraq

John Kerry Watch: Kerry WARNS Students – Educate Yourselves or You’ll Get Stuck in Iraq

Photo Credit: J. Farmer