Start with Democratic seats in three states where President Barack Obama lost in 2008: Nebraska, North Dakota and Montana.

Then go down a list of where Democrats are poised to lose Senate battles this year — Ohio, Florida and Missouri, for example — and Democrats will be right back at it in 2012, defending seats there again.

Throw in some bona fide tossup states — Virginia and New Mexico — and it’s pretty hard not to picture Republicans picking off the handful of seats needed to take control, if Tuesday goes as well for the GOP as experts expect…

“It’s all in the hands of our esteemed president,” said Republican ad guru Fred Davis. “Look at what Bill Clinton did. If he learns some lessons from this, it could turn around. Bill Clinton turned ’94 around. With no changes in direction, he’s in extreme trouble, as are the rest of the Democrats.”