The Democratic Party experienced a historically unprecedented loss in the first mid-term elections since the Supreme Court installed President George W. Bush in the White House. In response, one might think that party leaders would be engaged in a bit of public soul-searching.
Instead, the party's national chairman, Terry McAuliffe, and his counterparts on the House and Senate campaign committees offered nothing but spin, while the skirmish to replace outgoing House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt ended barely before it began, so well-greased was the stealth campaign run by its winner, Nancy Pelosi.