Perspective

Losing the House was a blow, no doubt about it. Losing some great public servants like Russ Feingold hurt, certainly. And the prospect of the GOP ginning up a nonstop subpoena and impeachment machine sure sucks.

But all in all? I'd rather be in our position than theirs. As political prizes go, the White House and the Senate ain't too bad.

Things will be tough, for sure, but in many ways not much tougher than it was with a bunch of Blue Dogs in the House and without a super-majority in the Senate. And it will be interesting to see if Boehner has something beyond "no" for a policy agenda.