Forget everything you were taught about natural law and the time-space continuum.  Is it – shudder — possible for someone named Biden to lose in Delaware?

Consider this Wilmington News Journal shocker:

The Delaware Attorney General’s race is in a statistical dead heat, with nearly one-fourth of voters still undecided, an independent poll released today shows.

The poll by Fairleigh Dickinson (N.J.) University’s PublicMind institute found 35 percent of voters support Republican Ferris Wharton, and 34 percent pick Democrat Beau Biden.

That’s right, Beau Biden.  As in, son of.

Which makes this fascinating:

Pollsters also found it significant that while Biden, the son of Delaware’s senior U.S. senator Joe Biden, held a wide edge in name recognition — 89 percent to 57 percent — the race was virtually deadlocked.

First, the answer to last week’s question.  When the last time the same hometown featured two presidential candidates?

Peter Roff was first to answer correctly:  1996.  Bob Dole and Arlen Specter.  Russell, Kansas.

Now, the next Extreme Trivia question.  How many U.S. ambassadors have been killed by terrorists? (for tie breaking purposes, name the countries they were stationed in).

The Washington Times pointed out last month: “With the exception of the very liberal Republican Sen. Charles Mathias, no Republican had been elected statewide in Maryland between 1970 and the election of Messrs. Ehrlich and Steele in 2002.”

Today the Washington Post endorsed Bob Ehrlich for re-election as Maryland governor.  Which reminds us of Mathias again.  Why?  He was the last Republican running for statewide Maryland office to get the Post endorsement.

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz in today’s Washington Post:

“They honestly need a baseball bat against the head.  Because if they don’t change the lexicon immediately, as bad as this election is going to be, they’re going to lose the presidency in 2008.”

We’ve got neocons.  We’ve got paleocons.  Must be time for lexicons.

President Bush on the campaign trail yesterday:

The Democrats have made a lot of predictions. Matter of fact, I think they may be measuring the drapes

“Measuring the drapes” is a great ole political saying/attack/defense.

Here’s a goldie from the 1992 presidential campaign — Al Gore in Oct. 19, 1992 Time magazine:

Well, we’re not counting our chickens before they hatch. We’re not measuring the drapes.

We learn from Dana Milbank’s profile of Charlie Cook in today’s Washington Post:

Cook’s well-rehearsed speech includes …an allusion to the movie “Young Frankenstein.”

And what is the “Young Frankstein” gag to which Cook alludes?  A source tells Extreme Mortman it’s when Igor (Marty Feldman) mistakes an abnormal brain for Abby Normal’s brain.

To which I think I speak for Mel Brooks fans everywhere in pleading with Charlie to switch to something from “Blazing Saddles.”

Didn’t see any mention of Barack Obama on the network TV news tonight.  Poor guy.  Peaked too soon.

Representing Scott Palmer: Scott Fredericksen
Representing Mark Foley: Gerald Richman, David Roth
Representing John Shimkus: Barry Pollock
Representing Jeff Trandahl: Cono Namorato
Representing Kirk Fordham: Timothy J. Heaphy
Representing Jordan Edmund:  Stephen Jones

Best review of the new Air Force Memorial is posted at Patrick Cleary’s great blog, shopfloor.  An excerpt:

The monument is an engineering feat, a reminder that our society needs engineers (and other highly skilled workers) to perform at its best. The monuments are clad in stainless steel, yet another reminder of the manufacturing base of our country. And if that’s not enough reminders about manufacturing, how about the link to the technology that has created the aircraft that Air Force men and women fly daily? That’s homegrown too.

In case you missed the news the last three days, a quick recap: the media has coronated Barack Obama, awarding him the Democratic presidential nomination for 2008 — or. presumably whichever year works best for his schedule.

Lots of words, lots of glowing descriptions.  But as captured below by Newsbusters, NBC Nightly News should get credit for at least being able to make the case most succinctly: