The GOP races Joe the Plumber to Capitol Hill for private advice on how to save themselves. That and the day’s other news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

It occurred to me while reading Politico’s interview with Dick Cheney, that the GOP’s plan to regain political viability in the short term rests on two disaster scenarios: the failure of the financial rescue efforts (stimulus, TARP, and other bailouts) to stave off complete economic collapse and a new mass casualty terrorist attack — both of which they are positioning themselves to blame Obama for.

Without one of those two, they have to figure it’s going to be a long time wandering in the political wilderness. Now think about the curdling effect, the blight on the soul that comes with rooting for such disasters to befall your country. The rot is now eating at the party’s very core.

Bank Rescue Would Entail Triage for Troubled Assets

With everything else that’s going on, I’m sure glad we’re building this moronic border fence.

Coleman tries to use the Bush v. Gore decision to wrangle his way back into the senate. Doesn’t work.