Al Hunt writes the most bullish Election '06 analysis for the Dems to date:

Barring an unexpected and big event, Democrats will win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November and conceivably the Senate, too. Whether it's a tsunami or just a powerful wave, the political dynamics are moving in that direction, or more accurately, against the Republicans and President George W. Bush.

Democratic insiders, who months ago thought their chances of winning a majority in the House were no better than even, and that the Senate was a lost cause, have become far more optimistic. Now, they say, winning the House is a lock, and the Senate is within reach.

Michael Barone obviously doesn't see it that way. His column today suggests that recent terror-related events have created a possible "change in the wind" for Republicans this November.

My own opinion is that the political dynamics remain poor for Republicans this November, but it's way too early to suggest, as Hunt does regurgitating on behalf of Democratic strategists, that "winning the House is a lock." It's not even Labor Day. To say Dems have a lock on winning House at this point would be like declaring the game over at halftime. Sixty days is an eternity in politics, especially when people are just on the verge of starting to pay attention to what's going on.

The Republicans could very well end up losing the House. But anyone who says they know that for certain at this point in the cycle is either lying or just spinning for effect. Indeed, Hunt's piece seems almost perfectly constructed to convey an "air of inevitability" to the election, and to preemptively start managing perceptions about the outcome in November.