--Newt Gingrich, in theory, is in a precarious situation. One of his perceived strengths: that there seems to be no viable challenger. But he may well be vulnerable to a slate of candidates with a broad appeal to all parts of the conference. That's why Capitol Hill staff is abuzz with this "dream team": Bob Livingston for Speaker; Tom DeLay for Majority Leader; Steve Largent for Majority Whip; and Jennifer Dunn for Conference Chairman. The odds of such a slate coming together are extremely long, but this or a similar team could be capable of sending the current leadership off into the dark, good night.

--Jim Nicholson has had to fend off complaints about his handling of the Republican National Committee-fairly or unfairly-since he took the job. Look for party insiders grumbling about the $110 million GOP spending advantage that came to nothing to try to convince Bill Paxon to take the job. An effort to install Paxon at the RNC would take some of the heat off Gingrich - since Nicholson instead would be punished for the disappointing showing. And if Paxon actually got the job, he would become the party spokesman on TV and elsewhere, lowering Gingrich's profile some.

--Trent Lott has so far tended to escape election-fallout speculation. He shouldn't. In the next issue of NR, we encourage Sen. Don Nickles to take on Lott, who has been most responsible over the last year or so for sucking the soul out of the congressional GOP. He helped deep-six tax cuts and has always acted as though he cares more about getting home on time and getting pork for Mississippi than any part of the Republican agenda. If there is no viable alternative to Gingrich, there is to Lott-- Nickles is a solid conservative with a likable demeanor. He should take the plunge.

20/20 Hindsight Department
It has been brought to our attention that our election predictions may have been a trifle off. So sorry. Winners of our pool, if any, will be announced Thursday. Meanwhile, let the recriminations begin!

Jesse's Day
Republicans should be happy "The Body" won in Minnesota. Otherwise we would all be spending even more time talking about how badly they did. (Unless, of course, the result is fake, like a lot of other pro-wrestling victories.)

The Mandate
Dick Gephardt pointed out yesterday night that Democrats won even though Republicans raised more than a million dollars more than they did, thus proving the need for campaign-finance reform. Russ Feingold's win was clearly a mandate for campaign-finance reform too. (Back-up plan in case there's a recount: Russ Feingold's loss clearly proves the need for campaign-finance reform.)