GOP officials: Rumsfeld stepping down  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday.  —  Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.

Webb Claims Victory in VA Senate Race  —  Virginia Democratic Senate candidate James Webb claimed the title of "Senator-elect" today even as Republican incumbent Sen. George Allen declined to concede a race he was losing by 7,146 votes.  —  Webb advisers said he will announce members of his transition team later this afternoon.

Democrats win House; Senate now tied  —  WASHINGTON - Democrats won a cliffhanger race in Montana on Wednesday that brought them to the brink of control of the Senate, after Americans sick of scandal and weary of war ended the Republican majority in the House.

Just A Step Forward—But What a Step!  —  Here is where we stand right now:  — National Sweep.  Democrats take the national majority in the House, Senate, Governors, and State Legislatures.  The only thing Republicans have left—Bush—still sports a sub-40% approval rating.

U.N. Celebrates Republican Loss?  —  From the desk of Kofi Annan's spokesman: … Why is the U.N. commenting on member state elections?  We're told that this isn't normally done.  So why is the Republican loss worthy?  It's almost celebratory.  Does the U.N. think they'll get more support now?

South Dakotans Reject Sweeping Abortion Ban  —  Voters in South Dakota yesterday rejected the most sweeping abortion ban proposed in the nation in more than a decade, turning back an effort by the ban's authors to set up a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal.

Netroots Victories  —  The media and the right-wing blogospehre used to brag aobut how Dailykos and MyDD candidates never won, even though they might have heard of Barack Obama, Stephanie Herseth, and Ben Chandler.  Well, welcome to our new generation of victorious netroots candidates:

Best of the Web  —  Always Look on the Bright Side of Life  —  This column is scrupulously nonpartisan, but we will bend the rules for a moment and acknowledge that last night's outcome was not what we were hoping for.  As of now, the Democrats have picked up 28 House seats, giving them at least 228 (a majority is 218).

Time To Socialize Medicine  —  HOW DEMOCRATS CAN MAKE THEMSELVES USEFUL.  —  May I put in a word for socialized medicine?  —  The Democrats have won back the House of Representatives and may also have acquired a gossamer-thin majority in the Senate.  They won by not being the party …

I Feel Liberated  —  RUSH: Just to reiterate, ladies and gentlemen: "It's going to get worse before it gets better."  I'm not trying to be negative.  I'm trying to prepare you here for what is coming.  It is obvious from the president's press conference that his view is …

MAKE A CHOICE  —  (SEEING THE UNSEEN is directly below this post)  —  The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life.  — Teddy Roosevelt