It wasn't the best of weeks for Chris Matthews or his leg.

First, The Leg took hard the news that it would be Tom Brokaw's leg tucked under Tim Russert's desk for the forseeable future. Then, "The Head" mixed up the names Obama and Osama not once, but twice! To top it off, the Brokaw thing seemed to accelerate Olbermann's heartbreaking descent into self-important madness.

It was the kind of craptacular week that makes a Leg restless for hope and change.

Hope dawned in the form of a news report from India that political party officials there were preparing a special gift for Barack Obama.

As The Leg learned from that Times of India news article:

Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified.

The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms.

At first, The Leg was a little skeptical about the notion of a serious contender for the presidency carrying a little Hindu monkey charm around for good vibes. But then it remembered a Time Magazine photo essay it saw a while back - one which revealed what the presidential candidates routinely carry in their pockets for luck.

McCain carried an old penny. Senator Obama reached into his pocket and pulled out this:

What we have here, according to the Time essay, is:

* A U.S. soldier's bracelet (currently deployed in Iraq)
* A gambler's "lucky chit"
* A "Madonna and Child" charm
* "A tiny monkey god"
* And three or four other unidentified items, among which seems to be a slug, an angel coin, yet another Virgin Mary charm, and some other coin-y detritus.

It seems that Senator Lightworker believes in hedging his bets. The Leg chose to view it as an example of Senator Obama's commitment to diversity. A commitment that clearly extends even to his pocket mojo amulets.

Chris Matthews' Leg needs to have a better week next week. Thus the search for a good, used Lord Hanuman monkey charm this weekend.

{Cross-posted at Chris Matthews' Leg blog}