Democrats sweep, yet U.S. still very very messy

So, in case you live under a rock, the Democrats have swept both Congress and the Senate. If these results had occurred within a parliamentary system, it would have amounted to a non-confidence vote, and the government would have been thrown out. Instead, Rummy gets the boot (and by “gets the boot” I mean he will likely be taking up a very lucrative position related to either weapons contracts or reconstruction in Iraq; in other words, he will continue to reap the spoils of his oh-so-proficient war efforts.)

That being said, he’s out, and the American people have spoken. They have quite clearly expressed their dissatisfaction with the Bush administration. You’d think a lefty like me would be pleased, yet for some reason, I’m not all that impressed. Perhaps it’s because the Democrat victory is solely based on the misjudgments, miscalculations and ineptitude of the Bush administration. Has anyone heard anything other than politicking and sloganism from any of the successful Democrat candidates? (If you have, by all means, let me know!) Is there a Democrat out there that can provide an intelligent strategy for Iraq? Immigration? Health care? Pensions? One can't help but think that this is a victory by default, and in my opinion, such a victory does not inspire much confidence in the Democrats.

What it comes down to is this: As a result of the Republican disaster in Iraq (which, by the way, many Democrats actually supported in the first place), the Democrats now hold the balance of power, yet it seems unlikely that they have even the slightest inkling as to how to clean up the mess.