The Weekly Standard, a DC-based neoconservative magazine, published an early political obituary for GOP Senator Conrad Burns this week, in the form of a glowing profile of Democratic opponent Jon Tester. The piece confirms speculation that beltway Republicans are very pessimistic about the chances that Burns can stage a comeback, given his deficit in the polls. Tester dons the cover of the magazine in a dirty t-shirt shoveling into a huge truck over the headline: "The New Face of the Democratic Party?" (Details after the break.)

While the substance of the piece is fairly standard, the tone is striking. While outlining the often-discussed themes of the “Western Democrat,” the new liberal populism of pols like Tester and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and the influence of the netroots, author Matthew Continetti finds time for soft-focus anecdotes about Tester’s life as a farmer and meeting his wife in church softball. Continetti describes Tester as a “striking figure” with “a contagious laugh” whose physical presence is reminiscent of none other than Dick Cheney. The worst criticisms presented are that Tester is “not what you would call a detail-oriented politician” and that his belief in military power only as a last resort makes him “dovish” in a “post-9/11 world.” In contrast, Continetti describes Burns as a politician who has a "habit of spinning out of control" and is far too close to Jack Abramoff.

The Weekly Standard, of course, is unlikely to have much of a political effect on Montana politics. But the tone and approach of the piece speaks to the decidedly unenthusiastic mood toward this election that dominates Washington’s conservative punditry.

Read the whole piece right here.