November 8, 2006:

It was interesting to watch all the political coverage of the Mid-Term Elections; contrasting the tone and projections on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and of course, FOX. The major news channels that are supposedly part of the "liberal media" were measured in their approach to the nightly news, and took every chance to point out how the Dems won't really be able to change the Iraq War strategy, that only the President can do that. Meanwhile, the "reporters" and pundits on FOX awaited Karl Rove's big secret to be come apparent, as if another diabolically genius scheme cooked up by Rove (robo-calls, fake calls about changed polling stations, etc.) would halt the Dems in their tracks. As the night wore on, I watched the FOX lapdogs smirking faces change to dour disappointment.

Even thought the prognostications were correct and that this election was nationalized as a referendum against President Bush, the do-nothing Congress and rampant Republican corruption, the Dems do not have total power. While Bush claimed a mandate of 1% in 2004, Dems are wise to be cautious: the Senate is as divided as the country is as a whole, and thus, bi-partisanship will be needed to get anything accomplished.

Democrats need to prove to the American people that they can get an agenda through Congress and be effective. While they may not be able to change the War, they should hold the President accountable by holding hearing on the evidence. This is not a push for Impeachment, but rather if they spend the next two years slowly gathering information, then after Bush and his Administration is out of office in 2008, they can be properly held accountable legally, without creating a national distraction.

But back to the elections: the big victory goes to Bob Casey in PA for defeating the #3 man in the Senate, Rick Santorum. Bye-bye Rick, not sorry in the least to see you go (although, he gave a gracious concession speech). Lieberman had no right to win that seat, after he turned his back on Democrats, voted with Bush, ignored his party's choice and ran as an independent after he spent so much time telling us what a "good Democrat he has always been." And he only got into power by a majority of Republican votes, yet he plans to caucus with the Democrats. Right...

My one note of sadness for the Republicans is to see Lincoln Chafee go. He was a strong Independent voice who not only had the balls to stand up to his party, but was a fair supporter of Lebanon and Palestine, when all other politicians were catering to the AIPAC vote. Hopefully the Dems will be half as good as Chafee on the Middle East.