Entries for November 2006

Pity the poor Iraq Study Group. Never has so much been expected from so few: They began toiling in relative obscurity–as much as these wise men are able. They include a couple of former secretaries of state (James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger), a former White House chief of staff (Leon Panetta), a former presidential best friend (Vernon Jordan), and a former Supreme Court justice (Sandra Day O'Connor). Quite a group. And, as one member told me, "The expectations of our group are far beyond what we anticipated."

Talk about stepping on your own story. There she was, the first female speaker of the House, voted in by acclamation, and what does Nancy Pelosi do? She ensures that the headlines are instead about her defeat–in backing a candidate for majority leader, Rep. John Murtha, who lost. And not only did he lose to Rep. Steny Hoyer–he was thumped, as the president might say. And that loss became her personal loss. Most Democrats–particularly the new ones–just scratched their heads and asked why.

It's finally here–and those of us who have had to cover this midterm election from start to finish couldn't be happier. It's been a long, nasty, exhausting, and interesting season. And tonight we'll see whether the House changes hands–from Republican to Democratic–for the first time in 12 years, and whether the Senate follows suit. At this point, the House turnover almost seems like a done deal–with some seats lost because of scandal, others because of the war and the economy. The Democrats need six seats to win the Senate, but that could prove to be more problematic–so keep your eyes on battleground states like Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, and Montana.

It was like watching a bad dream–the ghost of elections past, John Kerry, rising again–to make a mistake, then try to correct it–and, in the process, handing the Republicans an issue. It was something that left the Democrats cringing: They had "won" the month of October, were heading into the homestretch, and there he goes again. He made a mistake–a bungled joke about how if you're a young person and you don't work and study hard and go to college, you wind up in the armed forces. He should have just apologized and left it at that. In other words, don't become a distraction when the Democrats are doing just fine.