Jim sees the early voting numbers in Colorado as encouraging for Republicans, and he’s not the only one looking at those returns.

Rachel Maddow had Howard Dean on her program Monday night and asked that very question:

MADDOW: I’m feeling like things are mostly good news for the Democratic Party generally right now, for Senator Obama specifically. But I am seeing some clouds in the silver linings, too, because I’m that kind of person. We had 100,000 people rally for Senator Obama in Colorado this weekend, but it did not translate, at least immediately into a surge in early voting in Colorado this weekend.
Is it possible that there is a risk that some of the demonstrated enthusiasm for Senator Obama may not translate into actual votes? How do you work on something like that?
DEAN: Well, you just work like crazy. And we’re all working like crazy right now. I’m going to be in North Dakota before this week is over because we think we got some opportunities there. And I’m, you know, going to be active at some Senate campaigns and New Hampshire and Minnesota and Oregon and so forth. We’re all working as hard as we can to get every vote out. I will say, though, that I’ve just looked at the numbers — the early voting numbers from Colorado, they’re very, very good.

Jim posts that the Colorado numbers are about split between Republicans and Democrats, and this is after the big rally. Is that Dean’s definition of “very, very good?”