Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races:

Bachmann: It Is "Absolutely A Lie" That I Questioned Obama's Patriotism
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) told the Washington Times that people are lying about her McCarthyite rant on Hardball last week. "I did not question Barack Obama's patriotism, I did not say he was anti-American," Bachmann said. "And the other accusation is that I was calling for members of Congress to be investigated on their anti-American views. That's absolutely a lie."

House GOPer's Ad: Dem Opponent Favors Driver's License For 9/11 Hijacker
Check out this new TV ad from Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who is facing a very tough re-election battle. The ad accuses Democratic challenger Suzanne Kosmas of favoring driver's licenses for illegal-alien terrorists -- using a picture of 9/11 hijacker Muhammad Atta:

Feeney's problems here stem from his having been implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandals, and he's gone so far as to tape an ad in which he abjectly apologized for it. The Democrats have released internal polling showing him losing in a landslide, but he clearly thinks that playing the terrorism card could help him recover in this GOP-leaning district.

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: With GOPers scrambling to staunch the political bleeding amid the meltdown, all signs point to Dems gaining in multiple down-ticket races.

Bachmann Blames Loans To Minorities For Financial Crisis
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is laying the blame for the financial crisis on loans made to minorities, saying in a hearing that the Clinton Administration encouraged the granting of mortgages "on the basis of race and often on little else." Roll Call reports that Bachmann stepped back from her comment just a bit, saying that the policies were "well-intentioned."

Cheney Cancels Campaign Stop For House Candidate, Citing Economic Crisis
Vice President Cheney has canceled a scheduled campaign stop today for Ed Tinsley, the Republican nominee or an open GOP-held House seat in New Mexico, and is instead staying in Washington to assist in negotiations on the financial bailout.

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Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races: More polls show that the Democrats have a very good chance of picking up some tough seats, thanks to the economic crisis and anti-incumbent fervor -- but they might also lose a few of their own.

Poll: Dems' New Hampshire House Seats in Danger
A new Univ. of New Hampshire poll shows that former Rep. Jeb Bradley (R) is leading incumbent Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) by a 45%-42% margin, in his comeback attempt after she defeated him two years ago. In the state's other district, freshman Rep. Paul Hodes (D) is leading his challenger Jennifer Horn (R) by a 38%-33% margin, with a very high undecided number that should be of serious concern to the incumbent.

Poll: Alaska Senate Race Close, House Race Getting Closer
A new Ivan Moore poll of Alaska shows challenger Mark Begich (D) leading incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R) by a 48%-46% margin, compared to 49%-46% three weeks ago. The same poll shows Ethan Berkowitz (D) losing his once 17-point lead over incumbent Rep. Don Young (R) from just three weeks ago to now just a 49%-44% lead.

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Here's a quick roundup of political news relating to down-ticket races:

* Democrats plan to use the issue of stem-cell research against two Republican Senators from blue states who have voted against it: Norm Coleman and John Sununu, The Hill reports.

* Coleman, meanwhile, is busy raising money for an expected challenge from a strong Democratic contender, possibly from comedian Al Franken.

* Senator Tom Harkin told The Des Moines Register that he is taking the necessary steps to run for re-election in 2008, but stopped short of a full commitment. The 67-year old Harkin said, "until I tell you differently, the Democratic presidential nominee will have Harkin on the ballot in Iowa."

* The Hill reports that freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-KS, might face former state Attorney General Phill Kline in 2008. Kline — who does not live in Boyda's district — was defeated for re-election in historically Republican Kansas by a wide margin last Fall.

* Nathan Daschle, son of former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, has been appointed as the new executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, Roll Call is reporting.

* Roll Call notes that a special election nexth month for the New York State Senate would — if Dems pick up the open GOP-held seat — leave Democrats just two seats away from a majority. If a majority is achieved in 2008 or 2010, their ability to totally control redistricting would have a drastic impact on the state's six remaining GOP House members.

As we reported yesterday, an unnamed aide to GOP Rep. Charles Bass got nabbed for posing as a liberal blogger named "Indy NH" or "Indie NH" and going on liberal sites to argue that the race between Bass and Dem opponent Paul Hodes wasn't competitive. Today the aide was identified as Bass' policy director, Tad Furtado, and the GOP sock puppet has now gotten sacked:

A top aide to U.S. Rep. Charles Bass (news, bio, voting record) resigned Tuesday after disclosures that he posed as a supporter of the Republican's opponent in blog messages intended to convince people that the race was not competitive...

"Tad Furtado posted to political Web sites from my office without my knowledge or authorization and in violation of my office policy," Bass said. "I have referred this matter to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct for their review."

A Hodes spokesman rejoined: "If Charlie Bass can't beat us on the issues, maybe he feels like he's got to turn to impersonating people on the Web."

An aide to GOP Rep. Charles Bass has been busted for posing as a liberal blogger on several local left-leaning blogs. Today's Roll Call reports (subscrition only) that the unnamed aide was unmasked by several liberal bloggers for posting on sites such as Blue Granite, NH-02 Progressive, and others. Bass’ office admitted the aide's guilt and said the staffer would be “appropriately disciplined.” It turns out the blogger -- who posed as "Indy NH" or "Indie NH" -- raised suspicions when he tried to cast doubt on a poll showing Bass tied with Dem challenger Paul Hodes. The lib bloggers tracked his IP address to the House server.