I no longer subscribe to the RTD, but whenever the NYT delivery is late on a Sunday, I'll nip in to see what's become of some of my old hobby-horses.

Like Jeff "Good Copy" Schapiro, who today serves up a column that could have (and might just have been) written in 2003: How those dastardly "hyper-conservatives" are looking to take over that most staid, noble, venerable and, yes, centrist of institutions, the sclerotic Virginia Senate.

Cutting through the forest of cliches, the reader learns that an enlightened few call Dick Saslaw "Sassy," which almost, but not quite, induces the vomit reflex. We learn that a panoply of potential Democratic committee chairmen, aided by the Republican Gang of Four, would somehow be able to keep the Democratic left at bay (presumably with the aid of mirrors, bits of string or perhaps mustard gas) and that the Republican House is, as ever, a ticking time-bomb of flat-earth nihilism.

And let us not forget power-napper Henry Marsh.

Nevermind. I thought we were through the cliche forest, but it seems invincible.

As Schapiro is no doubt aware, things look very bad indeed for those mouth-breathing hyper-conservatives. And not just in the Senate. Of course, things don't look so hot for the angelic Republican moderates, either (JMDD is trailing badly, Stuart, seeking to replace Chichester, is lagging as well and poor Nick Rerras is staring down an on-rushing train, too).

And let also us not forget Walter Stosch's near-death experience in the June primary. Lord knows I won't (and here's hoping Joe Blackburn makes another run in 2011).

Nope, things don't look good. And if the voting began today, then "Sassy" and the rest of his happy-fun team of middling merry-makers would be cruising toward the majority.

Which will suit Jeff just fine. Though, sadly, it will also mean he'll have to craft a whole new set of cliches for future columns.