Feeling Blue?  —  After the Democratic sweep of Congress, President Bush's approval reaches a new low.  But voters want Democrats to chart a moderate course.  —  Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images  —  Can They Work Together?  Pelosi has 34 percent approval ratings, slightly better than Bush's 31 percent

Not Going To Bite  —  My good friend John Hinderaker links to a CBS report about the latest entertainment coming from al-Qaeda this evening, as do some of our mutual friends in the conservative blogosphere, that hails the Democratic midterm victory as a "reasonable" move.

Alternative Minimum Tax Targeted  —  Democrats Seek Fix For Middle-Class Families  —  Democratic leaders this week vowed to make the alternative minimum tax a centerpiece of next year's budget debate, saying the levy threatens to unfairly increase tax bills for millions of middle-class families by the end of the decade.

Democrats Win Bigger Share of Religious Vote  —  Parties Disagree on Why The Gap Has Narrowed  —  As the results of the midterm elections sank in this week, religious leaders across the ideological spectrum found something they could agree on: The "God gap" in American politics has narrowed substantially.

Dean criticizes Maryland Democrats on diversity  —  BALTIMORE - Saying Maryland Democratic leaders must do more to encourage black candidates so "we do not have another Michael Steele problem," Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Thursday criticized the state party's lack of diversity on its recent winning tickets.

The Great Revulsion  —  I'm not feeling giddy as much as greatly relieved.  O.K., maybe a little giddy.  Give 'em hell, Harry and Nancy!  —  Here's what I wrote more than three years ago, in the introduction to my column collection "The Great Unraveling": "I have a vision — maybe just a hope …

For Incoming Democrats, Populism Trumps Ideology  —  The newly elected Democratic class of 2006, which is set to descend on the Capitol next week, will hardly be the first freshmen to arrive in Washington promising to make a difference.  —  The last time Congress changed hands …

Democrats, Engaging Bush, Vow Early Action on Iraq  —  Democrats sought on Friday to put their new political power to use in shaping the debate over Iraq, promising stepped-up Congressional oversight of the war and a resolution demanding a schedule for reducing the number of troops there.

Hamas Offers to End Rule if Aid Resumes  —  Hamas committed today to folding its eight-month government if that would restore the international assistance that was cut off after it won national elections earlier this year.  —  In a shrewd and dramatic speech, the Hamas prime minister …

Health Care Strategies  —  Mark Kleiman observes that "since its reform under Bill Clinton" the Veterans' Administration health care system "now has the best medical-records system going and produces high-quality health care at a reasonable cost" and wonders if we couldn't …

Actually, it's more a case of Europe falling apart in 2006  —  France has sent a stiff complaint to Brussels about the European Union's choice of logo to commemorate its 50th birthday next year.  —  The offending image, a child-like rendition of the English word together …

For Georgetown 'Apostles,' A Rowhouse Rebellion  —  Religious Immunity to Zoning Laws Cited  —  It's about God, America and the bonds of friendship.  Or, maybe, it's just about beer.  —  On one side of the battle: nine best buds at Georgetown University who hung a skull-and-crossbones flag outside …

Post-Election 2006: Playing the Numbers Game  —  News networks recognize Crystal Ball success rate  —  It's been a long election season—seemingly much longer than midterms past—and your Crystal Ball is happy to have served our good readers right up until the end.

John Conyers And The Muslim Caucus  —  Congress: The likely new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says he's just fighting bigotry in leading a Democrat jihad to deny law enforcement key terror-fighting tools.  But he is in the pocket of Islamists.  —  John Conyers, son …

MYTH BUSTING....You're probably all a little tired of exit poll wonkery by now, but I want to follow up on my earlier post showing that the Democratic win was a broad-based victory, not one based on appealing to any particular demographic group.  Several demographic myths have turned out to be pretty hardy …