...or is the sun shining a little brighter this morning?

WOW!

This was a big deal. I mean, you expect the Democrats to carry the coasts. You assume that most of New England is blue. But North Carolina? Indiana? Iowa? 46% in Georgia? 45% in South Carolina? Even in McCain's own state, Omaba managed 45%. Democrats are dancing through these numbers barefoot. (Black Americans are probably waiting for the news that some mistake was made and McCain actually won. They won't believe the results even if they get to watch the inauguration from the podium.)

John McCain is a nice man but you can't swim very far with an anvil under each arm. George W. Bush and Sarah Palin stood in contrast to every positive argument that McCain attempted to make. How do you persuade America that you are something different when you look like more of the same? How can you make the case as a sound decision-maker when your decision-making process produces Simple Sarah? (Jesus, have we had enough of her? You can keep the clothes honey, just go home.)

It's interesting that a Presidential election should be so much about vice presidents. If Dick Cheney hadn't been running the country for the last eight years, McCain might have been able to use GWB for something besides a political leper. If John McCain had used something beside a dart board to pick a running mate, he wouldn't have looked so stupid telling everyone how experienced Sarah was. (Hint to future presidential hopefuls: if you have to apologize for your VP choice, you made the wrong choice.) Any positive effect that McCain might have received from choosing a woman was instantly negated by the fact that Sarah Palin was on the wrong side of every woman's issue. McCain might as well have chosen Clarence Thomas hoping for a few black votes.


The Republicans do have a few bright spots in this otherwise dismal picture. They never have to hear about Joe the friggin plumber ever again. They will be able to use a smaller room in the Senate for caucuses. They can bid a fond farewell to both the Bush and Dole families. Mostly, they can stop being embarrassed at the colossal ineptitude of Sarah Palin. Explaining this woman to America was like explaining to your new girlfriend why your crazy uncle Charlie keeps trying to take his pants off over his head at Thanksgiving dinner.

Meanwhile back at the White House, as Democrats, we are sensitive souls and might therefore be tempted to shed a tear for poor lonesome George. Hell, even his movie is a stinker. There he sits on the curb in front of 1600 watching the Obama bandwagon roll past. Well, before you mail that sympathy card to the White House, remember the 4,190 American service men and women that didn't get to vote because George W. Bush sent them to die in a needless war. Remember Donald Rumsfeld who sent insufficiently prepared and insufficiently provisioned troops into Iraq with an unwarranted arrogance and a contempt for any counsel save his own. Remember the Justice Department that was purged of justice by Alberto Gonzales. Remember Gail Norton's systematic attempt to shred every environmental safeguard while at the Department of the Interior. Remember a President who for six of his eight years had both houses of Congress under his party's control and accomplished exactly nothing....unless you count a shattered foreign policy and a crippled economy. George, you can't be gone soon enough. It's a wonder that Canada hasn't annexed America out of sheer pity.

But that was yesterday. Today the birds are singing, all the stoplights are green and even rice cakes taste like fillet. The country has made a bold if scary move away from a dark time. We have come out of hiding. Personally, I haven't felt this good about my country in a long time. I will, however send that sympathy card to the White House. Not to the current resident however, but to the cleaning crew. They still have to figure out a way to get the sulfur smell out of Karl Rove's old office.