I've been saying this for a long time now offline, and it's finally time to say it online. This political season for the 2006 midterm elections is going to be ugliest we have ever seen in our lifetimes and possibly ever in this country. Why? There is just so much at stake. If either one of the two houses of Congress changes over from Republican to Democratic control we're going to see one investigation of the Bush Administration after another as the Dems wield their subpoena power to uncover all the crap that the White House has been trying to bury under a miasma of secrecy and privilege. With Bush's approval ratings at historical lows and sinking and the Republican Congress faring even worse in the eyes of the American public, all signs are pointing towards a shift in power that would spell disaster for BushCo. They are going to do everything they can to avoid what more and more is seeming like an inevitable conclusion. The Republicans are mired in scandal from Abramoff, to the NSA to Iraq, but the Democrats are not going to win simply by default as an alternative. They have to prepare themselves for millions upon millions of dollars spent on nothing but negative advertising. They have to be prepared to defend themselves against attack. They have to prepare to be swiftboated. And the American public has to prepare for all this too because, like I said, it's going to be ugly.