DEMOCRATS HIT ROUGH PATCH: “Over a period of fewer than 10 days, Democrats have seen their nominee go down in defeat in the Georgia Senate runoff – eliminating the prospect of a filibuster-proof majority – lost two winnable House races in Louisiana and witnessed House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) sink deeper into ethics trouble. Then there’s the still-unfolding Illinois Senate debacle, which exposed Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s tawdry attempts to auction off President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat and forced Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to hold a press conference Wednesday denying any inappropriate discussions with the governor.”

And there’s still the Chris Dodd “Friends of Angelo” business simmering in the background. . . .