both within and without the Old Dominion.  Webb is clearly a candidate to be considered, since his entry to the race was inspired to a large degree by ferment from below, especially from some of the major figures at this web site.

Al Weed is a terrific guy.  The problem with getting him added to what will bve a short list is that in a presidential year he was handilty beaten, and normally Repubicans like Virgil Goode Jr. do better in off-year elections.  However, Virgil does have problems of at least indriect (and maybe direct) association with several of the on-going Republican political scandals.  And one intelligence agency used to help cook the books was staffed by contract personnel associated with that scandal and is based in district ikn Charlottesville.  Thus perhaps the seat will be more in play that it wasm last time.

I think of a parallel situation in the 5th CD in Washington, where the incumbent is in her first term, won about 60% of the vote last time actually running ahead of Bush in the district.  But she is clearly linked to Delay, may be linked to Abramoff, and her opponent (my college classmate) Peter Goldmark has held statewide appointive office overseeing agriculture (he has a 7,000 acre wheat farm), is a Ph. D biologist with his own research lab on his farm, served ten years on the Washington State University (which is in the district) Board of Trustees and was twice elected to his local school board.  Again, like Al's race, it may appear too tough, but this is potentially one of those cycles where all the normal methods of evaluation are unreliable because of the zeitgest.

BTW  Peter just got into the race at the filing deadline, is already raising money (our small class in college is quite loyal and there are people from our class and elsewhere who have already committed to kicking in the max, although as a teacher I cannot).  his website is primitive, although it willb e upgraded this week --  look here if you are curious.

I think Webb's candidacy can potentially bring a number of otherwise out of reach House seats in Virginia into play --  that should include the 2nd, and who knows what else. 

But then, I am sitting in a room filled with steam trying to overcome a sinus infection, so this may be no more than the hopeful babbling of an idiot.

... to get Al Weed into the House. There are a few ways of looking at it, however, that make the race look at least potentially competitive.

1) Al got more votes in 2004 than Virgil got in 2002. No one can tell me this won't be one of the best mid-term Democratic turnouts in a long while, and Virgil's people will only get off their butts if he veers to the right quite a bit. The numbers are there, somewhere; we just have to get them to the polls.

2) The independent vote. How else do you explain the fact that Virgil got 65% as a Democrat, and again as a Republican? There are a ton of independents in this district, and there is a fairly convincing body of evidence that there is a major anti-incumbent backlash brewing especially among independents.

3) Jerry Kilgore and Jim Webb. We saw in 2005 that Virginians are getting tired of Jerry Kilgore politics -- the 5th went for Kaine! -- but we shouldn't think that it doesn't still meet some need that voters have, to feel like their political representatives understand and represent their values. Jim Webb is shaping up to be the Democrat that makes social conservatives realize that Democrats represent all the values that matter in government. With 5th district voters ready to listen to an alternative, and Jim Webb getting the Democrats' foot in the values-door, Al Weed may be able to connect at least enough to make Kilgore's fear-mongering smear-tactics fall on deaf ears.

Hear's hoping; either way, everyone go support your favorite progressive!

Feder has impressed me.

right now via ACTBlue at the WesPAC home page, http://www.securingamerica.com.

"all endorsed federal candidates" on the left, scroll down to Jim Webb.