Democrats swung for the fences in the Calf. 50 race but came up empty. The media would have pumped a Donkey victory for days. That said, I'm not sure how to interpret Bilbray's narrow win. He overcame the Duke Cunningham corruption albatross by emphasizing the need for tough border enforcement. But he did so in a majority Republican district and against an opponent who committed the cardinal sin of politics -- making a major gaffe in the closing days of the campaign. In the end, Bilbray ran a better campaign, which means Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), the party's top strategist for taking back the House, shouldn't get too cocky about the prospects of a Speaker Pelosi - for now at least.