It's almost Thanksgiving Day 2005, and I've got a list of 10 things to be thankful for this year. Being a political blog, the list is largely political, of course. But not only political, as you'll see.
1) Tim Kaine as our new Governor, not Jerry "The Duck" Kilgore
2) The defeat of Dick Black and Chris Craddock and the overall pickup of 1 seat by the Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates
3) Creigh Deeds still in the running to be our next Attorney General - hope remains that we'll be saved from the right-wing wrath of "Taliban Bob" McDonnell!
4) Gov. Warner riding high after Kaine's victory, boosting his chances for 2008 BIG TIME compared to a few weeks ago
5) A healthy budget surplus here in Virginia - thanks to Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, and the Virginia legislature -- meaning more money for urgently-needed cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay
6) A possible run by James Webb against George Allen next year. Now THAT would be interesting!
7) A thriving Virginia political blogosphere, bringing us the news and gossip you just can't get in the "mainstream media"
8) Michael Scanlon agreeing to testify against his Republican paymasters in Congress
9) Baseball's return to the DC/Northern Virginia area after 33 years; hockey's return after a 1-year strike
10) Virginia's high-and-dry location, far FAR away from the Gulf of Mexico (aka, "hurricane alley")
I'm sure you can think of plenty more reasons -- personal, political, or otherwise -- to be thankful this year. Whatever they are, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving 2005!