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.

What a Mandate!  Popular Vote For Senate Was 55%-43% Democratic  —  Look how easily the media manipulates everyone's perceptions, including our own.  An hour of vote tabulation reveals a stunning fact: Democrats won the popular vote for the Senate by an overwhelming 12.6% margin - 55%/42.4%.

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.

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 …

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 …