Can I kick it? No, you can't.

Wrong and pleased

So, the Democrats have taken back not just the House, as widely predicted, but also the United States Senate. I'm quite amused to have been wrong about the Senate, and not optimistic enough about the House.

I expected the Democrats would get about 28-30 seats, and even though the count isn't all done yet, it looks like it may be a gain of 32. I thought the Dems would make it to 49 in the Senate, but apparently, the rampant corruption and incompetence of the GOP was being noted by more than just old watashita here.

An added bonus today in the resignation/firing of Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. He's the person most readily to blame for the failed military strategy/tactics/benchmarks/timetable/insert catch phrase here in Iraq. He deserved to lose his job, although no more so than the president. All in good time...

The timing, was, at the very least odd. Had the president not lied to reporters last week about Rummy's status ("He's staying as long as I am."), he might have saved those last two Senate seats, and possibly a handful for his party in the House. Well, go figure, Bush made a tragic miscalculation. His press conference today, which apparently was his first discovery of disgust with his policies among the American people, was pretty typical fare for George. He tried to be somewhat contrite at first, but he couldn't really pull it off. He announced Rummy's upcoming date with the underside of a cross-country Greyhound, and then for kicks, put a small knife into Karl Rove. I love it when the disciplined party gets disciplined, and then loses that discipline.

Bush also said that he was looking forward to cooperating with House Democrats (even before he knew he'd lost the senate) on a slate of issues from Iraq to the economy to Medicare drug prices.

If he had said anything remotely like that in the past six years, he might not find himself a lame duck, and possibly the worst president this country has ever had. Six years of "my way or the highway" has left his party beholden to religious fundamentalists, bereft of spine, and on the outside looking in.

Let this be a cautionary tale of hubris to the Democratic-run 110th Congress. There's too much at stake here, kids. Don't fuck it up.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006