(DEAN BARNETT HERE)

A commenter at the MyDD blog (the former astrological stock-picking site which is now a clearing-house for left wing bloggy concerns) makes the following interesting observations about the left’s response to the latest Quinnipiac poll:

You guys are awfully happy about a poll that cuts Lamont's lead by more than half in just two days.

Lamont's campaign has a faint odor of Howard Dean in Iowa to me ... slip sliding away.

There are two items of interest there. Last week, when Lamont was leading by 14 points, the left wing blogosphere was full of disingenuous “this race is still a longhsot” posts while Markos Moulitsas was suggesting gracious ways for Lieberman to fall on his sword Tuesday night after the expected rout.

Now that there is real doubt about Lamont’s impending victory, the blogs are stunned into the kind of brainless happy talk that campaigns who don’t like their polls typically splutter. The Daily Kos’ coverage of the poll encouragingly cites the news that “This remains a solid lead for Lamont” but is curiously reluctant to speculate why Lamont’s lead has been cut from 14 to 6 in three days and what it might portend for the election. The Kos blog post also assures the potentially rattled nutroots, “Intensity is unmeasured.” So true – if only the votes of the intense counted more, the Nutroots would never lose an election.

The other interesting thing in the comment is the potentially spot-on comparison between the Howard Dean campaign (which peaked too soon) and the Ned Lamont campaign which may well have done the same. If by some chance Al Gore swoops into the Nutmeg state to endorse Lamont today, I will fly to London and bet Mrs. Soxblog’s 401k on Lieberman pulling it out.

Compliments? Complaints? Email me at Soxblog@aol.com .