A moot issue, but New Hampshire is a toss-up, again, according to MNBC, so maybe, just maybe, New England won't end up all Blue!

There is much to reflect upon, and little time to say it, as the old padlock goes on pretty soon. All in all, I think the news media covered the election fairly, and modestly.

After tiring of Fox and MNBC last night, I turned on CNN and watched Jeff Greenfield talk and was extremely impressed with his synopsis.

The Daschle/McAuliffe obstructionist cabal is FINALLY dead! And the Democrats must really reflect on where their party goes, from here.

It is the height of irony that there is already maddening speculation amongst some Dems, that the reason the Democrats lost, is that that the party is NOT "PROGRESSIVE" ENOUGH! That, in order to win in the future, they MUST MOVE FARTHER TO THE LEFT! (Apparently, Mr. Kerry's problem was that he was TOO CONSERVATIVE! ) If Howard Dean had been nominated, he'd have won! :rolleyes:

I'm no rabid Bush sycophant; in my mind, he was merely a better choice than Mr. Kerry, whom I found more than scary; I found him potentially terrifying. Yet, even I concede that Mr. Bush has his work cut out for him in a second term.

Whilst not overly superstitious, I also had a nagging thought in the back of my mind, that the Red Sox come from behind super-victory over the Yanks/Cards, might be an omen for Mr. Kerry. (Kerry felt the same, it's been reported.)

As it turned out, it was an omen; FOR BUSH! Shattering the punditry, HE was the "Comeback Kid" of '04. Love him, hate him, or be ambivilent; bottom line; Bush certainly has a minimum mandate this time around, and has been validated to some extent. In the least, the Democrats were soundly and heavily, repudiated!

My greatest satisfaction is that Mr. Bush will now be filling the 2 or 3, possibly 4 vacencies on the Supreme Court this term. He has an even higher Senate majority to work with, the obstructionist Daschle is history, (although Leahy and Dodd remain), and the Dems are set back on their heels.

It will be interesting to see how the extreme far-left Dems in the Senate fight Bush's judicial nominees. I'm far too jaded to be over-confident, but satisfied that my number 1 concern, individual rights vs. "collective" rights, is more secure, excepting the "Patriot Act" issue.

(Even if Roe V Wade was to be overturned, it would merely become a state issue again, rather than Federal. Abortion, i.e. "Choice" would still be a legal option where desired, the Northeast, for example. Even I would not vote to "turn back the clock" on this issue. I'm pro-choice, but pro-state rights, as well.)

Sportsman/2nd Amendment issues are more secure. Perhaps we can get the Arctic Wildlife Refuge/West Coast/Florida Coast/ New England Coast opened for oil drilling/exploration, now. (Done with all desired environmental protections. Perhaps my oft-memtioned surety bonds could be part of a compromise?)

Yep. I'm a pretty satisfied camper, today! (What a difference, a day makes. 24 little hours!)

On the bright side, I DON"T have to break out the tabasco and eat Mr. Mitchie-poo's hat!

On the downside, in the depths of my despair I promised the Great Odin my beloved Mini-14 in sacrifice for a Bush victory. Good-bye, Old Friend! We shall meet again, someday, in Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever!

I also promised Mitchie-poo 3, that's right, 3, 1st-hand fishing reports. I'd best get to work on that. And Fluke Fest '05; I'm a shootin' for that gathering. Sharpen your knife, and your wit, KC. T'is ordained by the Gods!