I’ve read both the online edition and the hard copy now, so I’m certain my eyes are not deceiving me.

The editorial page of today’s Burlington Free Press smacked Republican Congressional Candidate Martha Rainville right across the kisser with a crisp, stinging contradiction of a certain  "version of reality" she attempted to pitch reporters on Wednesday.

In fact, Marvelous Martha’s comments were so precious that day we had already linked to John Dillon’s "Rainville Wants Moderate Republican for Speaker's Post" story on VPR which had Martha saying what she said so everyone could hear it.

Obviously with control of Congress determined by the opening-day, party-line vote in January 2007 for House Speaker, being a Republican means Martha, if elected, would vote for the R candidate. It might be Dennis Hastert, if he survive the storm, or it might be a another Republican. Either way, it’ll be more of the same party running things.

Democrat Peter Welch has made a big deal out of this. Why shouldn’t he?

With 202 of 435 House seats currently controlled by the Democrats (one of them’s held by some Independent fella from Vermont named Bernie something-or-other), the party out-of-power - the Democratic Party - needs 16 more House seats. At the moment, all indications are the November 7 outcome House-wise (and Senate-wise, too, in fact) is completely up in the air.

Let me repeat that. The OUTCOME of the November election Congress-wise is UP IN THE AIR as we speak. And everybody knows why, right?

What if it came down to a one-vote difference and Vermont voters got to choose the next Speaker and determine the course of history as far as the next two years of the House of Representatives?

Those are the facts. The numbers don’t lie. It’s a fair question for a politician.

Still, what a startling surprise this morning to see the Freeps editorial page weigh in!

We checked the masthead and it’s the same personnel listed as the editorial board.

Just to be sure, we’re having random water and air samples from inside the Freeps 191 College Street headquarters analyzed.

If the samples come back negative, Marvelous Martha’s gonna have a problem.

Time for Plan B?

SPEAKING OF PLAN B.....

Moderate Martha may just have had the stool pulled out from under her as today's Washington Post reports that a well-known, well-respected Connecticut MODERATE named Republican Rep. Christopher Shays has joined the chorus calling for a timetable for withdrawal from the Bush-Cheney American Disaster called the War in Iraq.

Shays, the pro-military Republican, like pro-military Democrat Moderate Rep. John Murtha before him, was until yesterday an ardent supporter of the stupid, needless, macho exercise in international ignorance that will forever mark George W. Bush in the history books.

Now Chris Shays has decided he wants a timetable for U.S. withdrawal.

A Democrat says "timetable"  and V.P. Dick Cheney pops up from his bunker in Wyoming to slime and slander their patriotism.

Hey, Big Dick, we’re all ears now!

Shays, a 19-year veteran of the House lives in Bridgeport. You don't think he could be sweating reelection do you?

Meanwhile, this just in from Camp Rainville spokesman Brendan McKenna (formerly with the Rutland Herald): 

“As she has said before, Martha Rainville does not believe we should publish a public timetable for withdrawing our troops from Iraq. However, she does believe the time is rapidly approaching when our troops will have accomplished their mission in Iraq.

“She believes there must be concrete, measurable political and military objectives and there should be internal timetables, between the Iraqi and U.S. governments for bringing our servicemen and - women home, soon with honor and thanks for the work they’ve done and the successes they’ve achieved.”  (Underlining added by your Blogger.)

O-o-o-o-o-o! 

Sounds like a “Rainville Calls for Secret Iraq Exit Timetables” headline could come out of that, eh?

Things are, shall we say, in flux!