"There is no crisis on our side of the aisle,” says a top House Democratic Leadership aide in response to the GOP's "rebellion" on oil exploration. “We have a plan, and we will stick to it.” It may all end in tears, but the Democrats "what, me worry?" attitude seems like a smart strategy. There's often a tendency in politics to get really wrapped up in the news cycles of that particular week. But if that week isn't the one right before the election, it generally doesn't matter very much. Three weeks ago, Maliki had endorsed Obama, McCain's economic team couldn't open their mouths without tasting their own shoes, and the election looked all but over. Now lots of Democrats are tripping out because the McCain campaign is driving the conversation with attack ads. In two weeks, the stories will be wholly different. Sticking to your overarching gameplan and guarding against the tendency to become totally reactive to whatever leads on Hardball that day is, in general, a smart approach.
