A nomination fight between former Democratic Senator Mike Gravel and former Republican Congressman Bob Barr? That's right, folks!

That was a difficult title to write, y'all! Rasmussen continues to take polling snapshots of Senate races around the country with a look Northwest to Oregon. With a margin of error of 4%, Rasmussen shows incumbent Republican Senator Gordon Smith leading Democrat Jeff Merkley by 3%, 45%-42%. The same poll shows the matchup between Senator Smith and Democrat Steve Novick to be 47%-41%.

Stories about Iranian arms and Iranian activity in Iraq have been a periodic staple of the news this past year. The most recent eruption of these stories has proven to be a bit problematic:

The Rick Noriega campaign sent out an email earlier today with more good news for Texas Democrats and more bad news for John Cornyn. This Research 2000 poll shows Cornyn at 48% and Noriega at 44%.

This makes two polls in one week that show Senator Cornyn under 50% and two polls in one week that show Rick Noriega to be within the margin of error of Senator Cornyn.

New York Republican Congressman Vito Fossella was arrested in Virginia last week for driving under the influence. Unfortunately for Representative Fossella, this week has proven to be worse than last week.

Congressman Fossella admitted today that he is the father of a three year old daughter with a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Fossella and his wife, Mary Pat Fossella, have three children.

Last month I wrote about contracting giant KBR's issues with employees' pillaging in Iraq and KBR employees sexually assaulting other KBR employees.

Sadly, it appears that KBR has dug even deeper. Think Progress reports that KBR had re-hired a man who had been fired in 2006 for possessing child pornography. The person in question, Ira Waltrip, is being detained in Austin under Federal Judge Robert Pittman's orders after being caught with child pornography again last month in Baghdad.

CNN's Bill Schneider has some numbers on Obama's projected victory in North Carolina.

I'm getting the numbers for this news item here and here.

8:30pm UPDATE: Indiana shows 73% reporting, 52%-48% for Senator Hillary Clinton. North Carolina shows 47% reporting, 57%-41% for Senator Barack Obama. All numbers from the CNN links above.

Rasmussen has a poll on our very own Texas Senate race out today that shows incumbent Junior Senator John Cornyn at 47% and Democratic challenger Rick Noriega at 43%.

Despite the best Republican efforts to tie Democratic State Representative Don Cazayoux to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the voters of Louisiana's 6th Congressional District saw through the spin yesterday. Cazayoux defeated former Republican State Representative Woody Jenkins 49%-46% in a special election runoff to replace outgoing Republican Representative Richard Baker who resigned to work as a lobbyist.