A friend asked me the other day what I thought Rick Santorum would do if he loses tomorrow to challenger Bob Casey. I don't know, of course, but I made an impetuous and no doubt ill-advised prediction. I recklessly repeat it here, confident that if it doesn't come about no one will remember my poor judgment and if does mirabile dictu turn out to be true a month or so down the road, I can always rerun this post and gloat over my prophetic powers or astonishingly lucky guess.
What I said to my friend is that I would not be surprised that, if the Democrats win the House and if Santorum loses his senate seat (which would be a real shame for the country), Donald Rumsfeld will resign as Secretary of Defense and Santorum will be appointed to take his place.
You heard it here first.
Since I'm making wild predictions I might as well give voice to another thought that has been bubbling in the back of my mind for the past couple of days.
All of the polls and pundits notwithstanding, I don't think Santorum is going to lose. Turn-out is everything in an election and Casey's voter strength is in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia whose citizens are not easily moved to turn out for a mid-term election. Minorities, especially, are not likely to be particularly excited by the phlegmatic, uncharismatic Casey. Should Philadelphians and their counterparts in Pittsburgh find other things to do tomorrow, Santorum may well pull this chestnut out of the fire. I think it's going happen.
If it doesn't, don't remind me. I'll feel badly enough without having salt rubbed into the wound.