Karl Rove's campaign success has rested on his ability to create an aura of inevitability. But that method is a tricky skill to master -- and over the past two weeks, as the storyline has shifted from whether the Democrats can recapture the House to just how overwhelming their victory will be, Republicans aren't the only ones edgy as the L-word makes its 2006 debut...

Even as recent focus on the GOP's turnout operation makes for a few unpleasant '04 flashbacks down at the DNC, several consultants that work closely with party leadership have told me over the past few days that there have also been a handful of nervous discussions about the current flood of Democratic landslide predictions. The worry is that expectations have been set so high, anything less than a 20 or 25-seat pickup may be assessed by the media -- and spun by Republicans -- as a disappointing result for Democrats. Sure: a year ago, this is a problem the party would have killed for. And if current polling trends hold, none of this will matter. But if the Democratic party does find itself assuming control of Congress with a whisper-thin margin, some say that this perceived "weakness" might help rally the battered GOP leadership, and make for a failed legislative session leading into the '08 cycle.

As one consultant put it: "This isn't the White House, and I'm not Karl Rove. Maybe we could turn a two-seat win into a mandate. But I'll feel a lot better with ten."