ne day after the election and for this voter, the outcome overall was splendid. The Democrats are the majority in the House; the next speaker will be Rep. Nancy Pelosi; the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has resigned, to be replaced by a Bush insider, the former CIA Director, Robert Gates, and it even appears that, after a thorough check, the Democrats will be in the majority in the Senate too. The basic message of yesterday is clear: Americans want change.
Only a handful of days ago, the President had voiced, yet again, confidence in Sec. Rumsfeld, but the elections on Tuesday provided a furious reaction from the American public over the military campaign which has cost some 3,000 members of the armed services. Yesterday's election was a call for change and now, it would appear, the president will be listening. Now we really need a bipartisan approach to this war about which Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said he "vowed to work with the new secretary on an Iraq policy that is both strong and smart".
While hitting the a.m. dial this morning I landed on several of the more jingoistic, bound to the Republican party hosts, who were bitter about the outcome. So many of the most high-profile characters who run the anti-Democrat, staunch Republican programs, were already attacking the new majority and forewarning the easily persuaded that the "extreme liberal" wing of the party was about to take over our foreign policy and domestic issues. They are wrong, of course, but they'd love to see that happen, for it would provide wonderful targets for their vitriol.
Today marks the first day of the presidential election of the year 2008. The political pendulum of this country's politics has swung away from the right, closing the 12 year Republican Revolution on Capital Hill and a sharp rebuke to the president.
No longer will there be one party rule in DC and the outcome of yesterday's election will surely transform the final two years of the George W. administration. Despite the early criticisms, based on nothing but their rabble-rousing instinct, the talkshow hosts of radio are much more likely to discover that the newly elected majority will be anything but Newt Gingrich-like in the denial of centrist opinions. As Harry Reid (D-Nev,) said in an interview, "We must work from the middle". I think that there are many Republicans who feel the same way; ready to work with the new leadership and looking for a fresh direction.
Beyond the war, corruption proved to be a more potent issue than it appeared likely to be as recently as a few weeks ago.
This may surprise you, but top Democrats have told their members that they cannot allow the party's liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year. These are savvy and experienced politicians and know well the old LBJ adage, that "Politics is the art of the possible".

On a personal note, I do hope that the Presidential advisor, Carl Rove, is having the day he deserves.