I stayed up really late Tuesday night reading and watching analysis of Tuesday’s off-year elections. I’ve been in so many spin zones I feel as if I’ve spent 10 ride tickets on a Tilt-a-Whirl. The bad news for Democrats in the exit polls was, as James Carville would put it, “the economy, stupid.”

You know about the disappearing “public option” in health care reform bills being promoted by Democrats? The conventional wisdom in Washington, D.C., now says that no bill can pass if it contains a government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurance companies. Well, they forgot to get the news out to the new “main man” on health care in the middle of Iowa.

A few politicians have been mentioned as possible contenders for the U.S. Senate seat of the late Edward Kennedy, but none has obtained nomination papers, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

As the debate over President Barack Obama’s universal health care initiative has escalated in recent weeks, some people say they have more questions than answers about how the plan would work and what could be done to reform the system.

In "As You Like It" William Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts." Amazingly, the bard's telling verse still seems relevant today. He could have written it after the most recent incarnation of reality television - President Barack Obama's national health care town hall meeting.
 

It's business as usual amongst the dough-driven denizens of Washington, D.C., where anything and anybody are up for sale.

They should disable the democratic process in Minnesota. We can forgive you if you accidentally elect a pro wrestler as your governor. But when you send a guy who played Stuart Smalley on "Saturday Night Live" to the Senate, you become a problem for all of us.

What makes Gov. Mark Sanford’s sin even worse is the way he left his co-workers and his constituents out to dry. Not only did he act shamefully toward his wife, but the arrogance he displayed by keeping his trip to Argentina secret is unforgivable. The only action he could take to perhaps salvage some of his reputation is to resign his office.  

A four-month investigation by the Sangamon County state’s attorney’s office has found insufficient evidence to charge U.S. Sen. Roland Burris with perjury. Burris, D-Ill., was under investigation for possible perjury for his January testimony before the Illinois House impeachment committee.

Read the letter from Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt to House Speaker Michael Madigan

In 2007, Americans bought 16 million cars. In 2008, we bought 13 million. And in 2009, we’re on track to buy just 9 million. Unless we turn the trend around fast, all the auto company bailouts and forced mergers in the world won’t save our economy. So you’d think that Democrats would be desperate to stimulate auto sales, because as the economy goes, so go the 2010 congressional elections.