Can you feel it in the air tonight, oh lord?

Conditions: Brisk

There's something a little bit different about the world today. You could feel it when you woke up this morning. It's as if we've finally found a signpost that's telling us how much farther there is to go. The future unrolls towards us now like a black highway at night. I face it for the first time with some hope. Ahem.

Yes, the American elections that people said the Democrats couldn't lose have been won, by the Democrats. Finally the leaders of the free world have realised the people are pissed off. Or should I say finally the people awoke from their comas and did something about the shit we're in.

I think the new democratic senators taking control may well pause in the champagne-popping when they consider just what it is they're now in control of. The economy is a mess, the deficit is enormous, unemployment is still high, and Iraq is still, well, Iraq. And they've still got the cranky President to deal with. Everyone with a voice is now hollering for the troops to come home from Iraq, but personally I don't see how that's actually going to help Iraq. All it is is an opportunity to preseve American soldiers, while blaming the resultant Iraqi civil war on the outgoing Republicans.

But there's a sense of some intelligence and compassion returning to American politics, though probably based on sentiments now 12 years out of date. In fact these New Democrats may well prove to be very Republican-like in their thinking, sticking to the centrist promises they made in order to get voted in in the first place.

But I like the shock this has issued to Commander Bush. Rumsfeld himself has quit his post as of this morning, and I for one certainly won't miss that particular war-mongering bastard. His replacement is another crony from Bush's extended circle, a former head of the CIA who was involved in the Iran-contra scandal. So the more things change...

But perhaps this is the final toll for Bush's legacy of unlimited power and authority. He'll try and brush it off, call for bi-partisanship, aw-shucks, can't-we-all-just-get-along?, but I hope it's going to stick like glue. The people have had enough, and it's all coming to an end. I hope.