Our prayers are with the Johnson family. The Senator is in great care at George Washington University hospital. And if anything can be done for him after a brain hemorrage, that is the place to be.

The political angle of his illness is interesting. If Mr. Johnson is ruled as incapacitated, he would need to be replaced. "Although the issue of incapacitation is not spelled out in state law, South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said he believes there would be a 'precedent at the federal level.'"

The Republican governor could replace him with anyone he wants until the next general election (2008). Should the governor select a Republican (and odds are that he would), the Democrats and Republicans would each hold 50 seats. The Vice-President would cast the deciding vote and Republicans would gain control of the Senate.

I was talking with a Republican staffer last night about all this and we had divergent views. I thought the damage was done. The election showed the Republicans weren't the people's choice to lead anymore and that Democrats had, so far, capitalized on that meme.

My friend noted that is probably true, so most people outside the beltway will remember that Democrats control Congress. They won't necessarily notice this change back to Republican control. Therefore, if Congress gets nothing done, then the population may punish Democrats in 2008.

We'll see how this all shakes out. Life is full of curveballs, isn't it?