Gloom!

A very difficult day. But the people have spoken. I love my country but love, especially enduring love, always has episodes of agony. The test of love is whether or not it breaks you. It was a decisive election, I'm not going to throw fits about the process. It'll take me a while to assimilate and accept the meaning that must be evaluated regarding the election results. But I'm heartened and consoled by commentary on The Peking Duck and other liberal blogs and I particularly recommend like minded readers to check out the editorial in today's New York Times, although I can't quite bring myself to concur with their hopeful conclusion.

A snip:

We have had enough of the rancor for a while, and our greatest hope now is that Mr. Bush will set out to earn the right to be seen as leader by all the nation. It was inspiring yesterday morning to see the lines of voters at the polls around the nation, but the mood was worrisome. Party loyalty was not the overarching emotion this year. Neither was enthusiasm for either of the candidates. The main emotion seemed to be contempt for the other side ­ and the main divisions over lines of moral belief and fears about personal and national security that no position paper or 30-second spot can bridge.
...
Those whose candidate was defeated yesterday, and that includes this page, must recognize this political reality and figure out how to deal with it.

And Kerry and Edwards, the people who supported them and the ideals they cherish aren't going to go away or shrink from an uphill struggle. Americans won't be complacent ever again, at least not any time in the forseeable future.