Yesterday, I felt like I stepped in a minefield here.  I'd like to step back today by taking a cue from David Sirota and Tim Russo.

Both have declared a cease fire. I'd like to do same.

What I really want is a candidate that can beat Mike DeWine.  I'm from Northeast Ohio, so I'm partial to Sherrod.  Still, if someone can convince me that Hackett is a better choice, I'd go for him.

Over at Kos, I just wrote about the profile of Sherrod Brown in the latest issue of In These Times.

I subsequently stumbled on an interview with Hackett in GQ. Contrast this from Hackett:

"Bush is a fraud. He wants to be perceived as a macho guy, but he didn't have the stones to serve in his generation's war. He didn't have the balls to do it. Point fucking blank. He didn't have the balls. Because he wanted to drink alcohol and snort cocaine and party. Well, I didn't do that."

Thankfully the terrible outcome of Tuesday's special election in Ohio were overshadowed by Democratic victories in other states.  The results were simply awful.  All the ballot initiatives proposed by the progressive coalition Reform Ohio Now went down to blazing defeat.

Some Ohio activists are understandably distraught. But not me.  RON R.I.P. I say.  The ballot measures were not adequately funded or supported by Democrats across the state.  Their defeat was inevitable.

I'm glad we now can move on and begin the real battle for Ohio, the 2006 Gubernatorial and Senate elections.

Statewide contests in Pennsylvania, California and Florida have already picked up steam.  But all the activity in Ohio has been put on hold because of this longshot ammendment battle.

Thank god it is over.  It is time to concentrate on knocking the Republicans out of the governor's mansion and sending DeWine back to his barn in Southwest Ohio.