This week's OC Business Journal just came across the transom. Naturally, I went directly to Rick Reiff's OC Insider column and found this item:

National Democrats are committing troops to Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook's spirited, if long-shot, congressional race against 10-term incumbent Dana Rohrabacher. Campaign Group principal Bill Wachob, an architect of Loretta Sanchez's 1996 upset of Bob Dornan, is advising Cook. Redlands native Kevin Thurman, a Beltway campaign consultant most recently with Hillary Clinton, has come aboard as her campaign manager. Thurman has sent a letter to Rhonda Rohrabacher, Dana's wife and campaign manager, calling for three debates. Even if Cook doesn't win, her efforts could force Republicans to defend their "safe" seat ...

The Cook campaign is currently pursuing the classic challenger strategy of trying to hector the incumbent into a series of debates...in this case, three of the.

Dana Rohrabacher, being the incumbent, is willing to have one. If the Cook campaign persists in insisting on three, my guess is Dana will eventually decline to have any, saying the Cook camp had its chance for one and now won't get any.

I'm curious to see if the DCCC actually commits any money to CD46 on Cook's behalf, or if this is all a bluff.

In the meantime, my money is on Debbie Cook being hit on her weak spot: oil. The "we can't drill our way out of it" refrain is falling on deaf voter ears. Even the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County -- ground zero of opposition to offshore drilling -- is expected to vote today in support of drilling.