For the last week or so, coworkers and friends and I would talk about Election Night prospects and what the results would hold for the Democrats. While I had been very optimistic about their chances a month ago to control both chambers of Congress, as Election Day neared, I got more and more cautious. I remember the last crazy two Election Nights very well (2000 and 2004) and how depressing they were for me. Two years ago I was in Florida campaigning for John Kerry for a week and who can forget all the exit polls (at 6pm no less!) showing Kerry winning major states, only to be crushed with disapointment just a few hours later. There was no way I would build myself up again with hope (not that Kerry represented much of anything except that he wasn't W.) only to have it come crashing down again.

But as much as I didn't want to build up the hype and excitement, I said to a colleague of mine that I would seriously lose all hope in the American people if they indeed voted to stay the course and allow the Republican party to stay in power.

Someone wrote yesterday that what happened on Tuesday night was not an overwhelming Democratic victory but an overwhelming Republican loss. And I somewhat agree with that statement. The Republicans were voted out of office not because the voters disliked or disagreed with the invidiual Republicans running in each race. But put them all together and what do you get?

• A party that for years abused the power that was bestowed upon them.
• A party that labeled their opposition, citizens and public servants no less!, as haters of their own country.
• A party who was so full of themselves that they refused to listen to anyone who disagreed. And anyone who did disagree with them obviously hated America and supported the terrorists.
• A party who swept allegations of misconduct under the carpet.
• A party whose leadership hijacked the Constitution and brought back the imperial presidency.
• A party whose leadership doles out rewards for gross incompetence and negligence while firing those who speak up for what they believe in.
• A party with such disdain for process that they effectively shut out the opposition from conference committees and law-writing in order to push their own agenda.
• A party without a moral compass, willing to change long-standing rules to protect one of their own.
• A party whose leadership flat out lied to the citizens of this country and the entire world while claiming to be honest, compassionate, and truthful.
• A party so blinded by ideology, ego, and power that they assumed they would be able to ram terrible social policy down our throats simply because they could.
• A party with no accountability.
  

I can go on.

The Democrats didn't win as much as the Republicans lost badly. And I think that's a good thing. The Democrats won just enough to gain control of both chambers, but at the end of the day, they need the President to want to sign any legislation that they pass or else this is all just a useless exercise. They don't hold enough power in the Senate to stop a fillebuster, but just enough to set the agenda and have a hand in directing the course of the country for at least the next two years.

The lesson learned is that power corrupts, and it corrupts real badly. There should never be a time where one party leads both Congress and the White House. Debate is good. Opposition is good. It holds people accountable, and accountability is good. While the people hold the ultimate power in holding their leaders accountable, it sometimes happens much too late.

Bush has been publicly castrated, there's no doubt. He's weak and it's his own damn fault. Now it's time for him to seriously own up to his mistakes and work with the leaders on the Hill to get real stuff done.

Am I optimistic that it will happen? I dunno. I can only hope, I guess.