Well, Tarheel, Nancy Pelosi and Claire McCaskill, among others have what sounds to me like a good idea. They're saying that the US public did not elect them to try to score points on the other side--but actually to solve problems. Politics can too easily turn into a game--with winners and losers. But that doesn't help the country.

Since there is close to a standoff in power between the Republicans and Democrats, there are only two possibilities--gridlock or co-operation.

They have opted for the latter. And, in contrast to Mr Bush, who trumpeted his "a uniter not a divider"--then completely turned his back on it while actually in power---it seems Nancy et al. may just mean what they say.

At any rate we'll have to wait til January to even start to see any evidence--positive or negative.

As I've said elsewhere, I think a top priority for the Democrats--in addition to hiking the minimum wage--is to put together a program to offer all illegal aliens a path to citizenship--without requiring them to leave the US.

And kill the US-Mexico fence idea.

And they will definitely be able to get enough Republicans behind such a plan on immigration--the business community is already behind it.

The people who scream "amnesty" at any such idea are in the distinct minority--and some of their standard-bearers have just been wiped out in the US voting public's recent attack of good sense.