*sniff*
.
During the drive to L's school this morning; he asked about yesterday's elections, and what did it really mean. I started to explain, and suddenly it all hit me. Tears were streaming down my face as I tried to talk around the ball of cry in my throat.
What does it mean?
It means our votes counted.
It means there is again balance in our system of government.
It means the House of Representatives might use the power provided by our Constitution to prevent any future President from doing what Bush has done -or worse than what Bush has done.
And it means there are enough votes in the Senate to back the House.

Some options for our Legislative Branch include:
* Impeachment. It's phenominally expensive, both financially and in the stress it causes U.S. citizens. And it's an option in our Constitution specifically "Section 4 - Disqualification
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." Thanks to the first amendment, calling the constitution "Just a piece of paper" is not a crime. But declaring that laws don't apply to you, then using your power as President to prevent your written declarations from being reviewed by the Judicial branch is a crime. Deliberately witholding crucial information, providing misinformation, and giving the Legislative branch false information is a crime.

* Inquiries into the corruption in both political parties. (Oh, please!)

* Asking the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of so many of Bush's actions these past 6 years. (Again, please! Pretty please with sugar on top!)

* Trials for war crimes or treason. (Not something I favor. I think that's too extreme.)

It's not about Bush. And it's not about the war. It's about making sure the Constitution continues to provide a balance of power. Bush has set precidents that must be dealt with, or somewhere down the line some President might use those precidents to sieze even more power.