"Inexplicably Upbeat"

There must be something in the water at the White House. The Administration's poll numbers are stuck in the cellar, GOP candidates are refusing to have party bigwigs appear at fundraisers, the Republicans are beset by scandal left and right - but according to the Washington Post President Bush and Karl Rove are "inexplicably upbeat." Indeed, the same White House that refused to plan for Iraq, Katrina, etc, has refused to plan for a Democratic-controlled Congress, insisting that everything will be just fine.

I can think of three possible explanations:

1. Bush et al are so insulated from reality, so happy in their fantasy world, that the possibility of an electoral defeat next month literally has not crossed their minds. Given this Administration's track record of delusion and wishful thinking, this one seems the most obvious.
   
2. A rally-round-the-flag military attack on Iran is in the works. This may not be so farfetched; the battle group commanded by the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower was sent to the Persian Gulf ahead of schedule earlier this month, and Rove bragged to GOP insiders in September that an "October surprise" was on deck to happen before the elections.
3. With electronic voting systems now in place in most electoral districts, the possibility of hacking the vote (officially or otherwise) is scaring the tar out of a lot of computer-security experts. Especially in close races, some carefully aimed shenanigans could keep the GOP in control of the House.

Wait and see, I suppose...