We have witnessed tonight a momentous election with far-reaching implications for the country -- in Mississippi, where the Associated Press is projecting that Democrat Travis Childers has won the special election for the open GOP House seat.

With 90% reporting, Childers leads 52%-48% -- and with the strongholds for GOP candidate Greg Davis mostly in, and some of Childers' stomping grounds still out. And all of this happened in a district that went 62%-37% for President Bush in 2004.

This election tells us a few things:

• The Republican strategy to tie down-ballot Democrats like Childers to Barack Obama has failed. Even in a district that Obama is unlikely to win, it doesn't appear that an Obama-based attack can actually cause real damage for a relatively conservative Democrat.

• The GOP is in serious trouble overall. They have now lost three special elections in what should be safe seats: The Illinois seat of former Speaker Dennis Hastert, the Louisiana seat of former Rep. Richard Baker, and now this.

• Dick Cheney's visit to the district didn't help -- or at least didn't help enough.

• Republican morale is probably going to be even lower now as it was before, as they have been reduced to 199 House seats, down from 232 seats after the 2004 election.