Happy New Year!

I'm still settling into the new year (good morning afternoon!) and full blogging will resume tomorrow, with thoughts on this fantasy Bloomberg candidacy and other topics. For now, I'll stick with end-of-year recaps.

First, a NY Times editorial sums up the anger many of us feel-

There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country....

...Out of panic and ideology, President Bush squandered America’s position of moral and political leadership, swept aside international institutions and treaties, sullied America’s global image, and trampled on the constitutional pillars that have supported our democracy through the most terrifying and challenging times. These policies have fed the world’s anger and alienation and have not made any of us safer....

We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.

This passionate plea for national sanity was, of course, met with a cartoonish 'if you don't like it, you can just giiittt out' from the gang at National Review. Patriotism = Shhhhhh!

Moving right along, the AP has a pretty balanced analysis of Speaker Pelosi's first year running Congress. It sums up what a frustrating year 2007 was for progressives and the obstacles that remain in the way of change.

Finally, the muckraking gang at Talking Points Memo held the first annual Golden Duke Awards, honoring the year's most significant scandal-makers. A fun/depressing watch.