Democrat Mark Begich has eked out a 3724 vote victory over convict Ted Stevens... which is actually about a one percent margin, considering the population of Alaska. Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not return to the Senate. Do not collect over $100K of free home repairs!
This gives President-Elect Obama a 58 member majority in the Senate... which is good, but nothing to get too cocky about. Bill Clinton had a 58 member majority in his first term, and still couldn't pass national healthcare, so if Obama & Co. are going to succeed with healthcare or with shifting from Big Oil to Big Green, then every possible vote is needed, as there might be serious corporate fearmongering ad campaigns to try and resist changes that could hurt their profit margins.
The best news in this, of course, is that it prevents Sarah Palin from running for Senate this year and gaining the kind of experience necessary to become president. With any luck, she'll be as memorable in a few years as Bob Dole's running mate back in 1994....
And, of course, you all remember that one without having to do a web search... right?!
I look forward to a future where her memory is relegated to soon-to-be obscure moose-related questions in the next Trivial Pursuit booster pack.
