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Christine O'Donnell hasn't even been elected yet and she's already casting her spell on the White House.
During President Barack Obama's speech to a women's conference Tuesday, the presidential seal fell from the podium. A Senior White House adviser joked Wednesday that "witchcraft" was the only explanation.
"You know we've been here almost two years, five hundred speeches probably, never happened before and I can only think of one thing... witchcraft," David Axelrod told CBS' David Letterman.
The remark was a reference to Republican Senate candidate from Delaware Christine O'Donnell. After O'Donnell primary win, HBO's Bill Maher released a 1999 clip of O'Donnell saying she had "dabbled" in witchcraft.
O'DONNELL: I dabbled into witchcraft, I never joined a coven. But I did. I did. [...]
I didn't join a coven. I didn't join a coven, let's get this straight. [...]
But that's exactly why...because... because I dabbled in witchcraft. I hung around people who were doing these things. I'm not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do. [...]
One of my first dates was with a witch was on a satanic altar and I didn't know it and there was a little blood there and stuff like that. [...]
We went to a movie and then like had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar.
Polls released Wednesday showed O'Donnell down by as many as 19 points.
A University of Delaware poll released Wednesday showed O'Donnell trailing Democrat Chris Coons by 19 points. And a Fairleigh-Dickinson University poll showed Coons up 53 percent to 36 percent.
For all the national buzz that the Palinesque perennial candidate has received, her supporters in her home state are comparatively lukewarm about her bid, according to the Delaware poll. Only one third of O'Donnell supporters said that they would be "very disappointed" if she lost the race, compared to two-thirds of Coons supporters who said the same about the Democratic candidate.
Axelrod spent a little time talking about Fox News and potential Republican presidential candidates. USA Today reported:
Axelrod also got on Fox News, saying it and members of the conservative media are contributing to conspiracy theories surrounding Obama's birth place and other attacks. "It is no doubt promoted by our friends at Fox and others," Axelrod said.
As for Romney -- a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012 -- Axelrod said he is a former moderate who as Massachusetts governor signed a health care bill similar to the one enacted by Obama. Now, Axelrod said, Romney is "trying to cater to the right wing of that party, and I don't think that's a prescription for victory."
Axelrod also told Letterman he has "soft spot" for Palin, who has "her own special kind of charisma."
"I was at the vice presidential debate (in 2008)," Axelrod said. "And, you know, she winked at me."
