Campaign 2009: Thesitis

A friend passes along the following -- apparently accurate -- diagnosis of a newly discovered malady:

"Thesitis -- an obsessive-compulsive disorder affecting campaign-impaired, idea-deprived candidates; onset is typically triggered when an irrelevant but tantalizing issue drops into your lap through no fault of your own in the middle of an acute period of campaign disorientation and listlessness. Symptoms are distracted repetition of the same words, tending toward babbling, and extreme receptiveness to suggestion, even if suicidal (e.g., large newspaper tells candidate to propose billion-dollar tax increase during a recession, one month before election)."

So far, the outbreak is highly localized; the hot zone is the Creigh Deeds campaign.

Our correspondent suggests the public is nevertheless growing tired of the epidemic. A few minutes later, results from the Rasmussen polling firm showing Bob McDonnell's lead growing appeared to confirm that thesis.