Pity poor Douglas Forrester, the GOP candidate for Senate in NJ. His original campaign slogan, "I'm not Toricelli", was an instant success, propelling him to early leads against the ethics-challenged incumbent. Then Toricelli pulled a "Toricelli", and Forrester's world came crumbling down.

His new campaign slogan, "I'm not old", isn't doing so hot, and while some GOP stalwarths hope against hope Forrester can pull through, the writing is on the wall.

The latest poll, a CBS-NY Times affair, gives Dem candidate Frank Lautenberg a 48-36 lead. If Toricelli was still a candidate, he'd be trailing 42-37.