286. Watch and give Nancy Pelosi time, she'll be the beast that comes out of washington, of course you sam will paint glorious pictures of anything this worman (no I did not mispell) does.......

June at 11:02AM on Nov 8th 2006

287. The really big story here, beyond the results, is the voter turnout! It was the highest in many years here which is a BIG boost for democracy. From Massachusetts where I live and work with people from other states as well, people were certainly energized by the national issues, Iraq,the deficit, locally unfunded mandates from both state and national levels, and perhaps most univerally the ire against the partisanship, anger and negativity which has only grown over the past 12 years.

I have heard many from both sides of the fence speak of the ruin being brought on our nation by the current administration and the doubt that we can get through it within the next several decades.

Happily, though, neagive ads in both RI and MA rebounded on the issuers. If the results can bring a revival of finding solutions together and a revival of civility in civic conversation, the election will be a success in my mind.

Do you think that this desire for greater cooperation between the parties from many voters will actually cause some change in Washington? I am encouraged by Harry Reid's and Nancy Pelosi's remarks and I hope that the Dems will actually let the GOP members in the door for hearings unlike the GOP over that past 12 years.

Your thoughts please.

Elizabeth Cregger at 1:24PM on Nov 8th 2006

288. For the Democrats, could this suddenly turn into a great BIG "be careful what you wish for"? With the distinct possibility of a Democrtic President to come in 2008,the moon will aline with Mars and BAM! The age of Aqaurius returns. Harmony and understanding, peace, and love...Puuuuhhhhhlease, wake up and smell burning fossil fuels, higher interest rates, higher personal taxes, and larger global terror. My fellow Democrats, this ain't your grandpa's country any more.

Dave Seibert at 4:33PM on Nov 8th 2006

289. Speaking about all of the so called dangerous criminal terrorists that we have had in foreign prisons for 2-4 yrs. now witrhout a trial, is Mr. Bush the judge and jury? If in fact they are all guilty, Did he try all of them all by his self? Has he even met any of them? Or are they like the rest of us that live over here. We are all guilty until proven innocent. If you are charged, with anything. You are guilty unless you can prove beyond a dout, that your innocent. That is how it is, and to help they can freeze all of your assetts so you can't even hire a competent lawyer. Then you can have the lawyer of there choice to defend you. Is this democrocy?

Steven Carty at 7:52PM on Nov 8th 2006

290. The war it is going on and that can not stop it at if thay to then thay can get bigger and that we need to make the one's that we have on trill to make them tell us what is going to happen with there home land and are's as well that is the only way the war is going to stop in are life time and that will be the fast way to know what is going to happen as well it is in are law's that we can not to that to the one's that we have but that is the only way we can be salf here and are troop's well be sale there as well the Whit House need's to think about it that is the only way that we are going to be safe and that are sroop's are going to come home as well so the Whit House need's to look at this and think about makeing them tell us by doing sothing to us I thik thay do it too us so we need to do it to there as well and if we do not make then tell us then thay have the power we will not know what is going to go on that is why thay will have the power and we cannot make that happen at all I think I speak on all of the U.S.A. on that as well

Leonard Studniarz at 8:35PM on Nov 8th 2006

291. Sam,
It's clear Democrats won because the people were tired of Bush. However, if that was the only reason they voted for the Democrats, we are in trouble because the Democrats have not spelled out any form of clear agenda, which places us back to where we were in 1999. I feel that the voters have taken us backward since, the economy is strong, taxes are low, inflation is in check and the stock market is strong. I think people should stay the course and be true to their beliefs and not jump ship when things don't go their way. Being patient does pay off. Just like a marriage takes work, so does faith in leaders. I say the people over-reacted and now we will soon pay the price for jumping the gun. That's my opinion....
Thanks for reading....Joe R.

Joseph Ruggiero at 7:25AM on Nov 9th 2006

292. I go to Boston,Mass.and surrounding area quite a few times a year. I have yet to find a person who admits voting for Kennedy, how does he do it?

mark stallworth at 9:34AM on Nov 9th 2006

293. What is your best guess on whether congress will pass a change to the estate/death tax by 2010 and what it might be.
Thanks,
Mrs. F

dorothy fontenot at 12:20PM on Nov 10th 2006

294. in repsect to the war, how do you fight an enemy who is willing to kill himself over a chance of possibly killing yo or possibly maiming you? why are all the intelligent ones part of the reputable press

monique at 7:09PM on Nov 10th 2006

295. Mr. Donaldson, What do you know about Nancy Pelosi and these issues?

Nancy Pelosi and vineyard employees - non-union
Nancy Pelosi and hotel/restaurant (Auberge du Soleil hotel/Piatti restaurant chain) - non union/no union cards required
Nancy Pelosi and golf course (CordeValle Golf Club and Resort) and environmental requirements avoided
Nancy Pelosi and Puerto Rico trip
Nancy Pelosi and donation to U of San Francisco McCarthy research center
Nancy Pelosi and WestStart-CALSTART
Nancy Pelosi and stand against border security
Nancy Pelosi and vote against anti-terror tools
Nancy Pelosi and stand against bill to make employers financially liable for hospital bills of undocumented (illegals) employees
Nancy Pelosi and no fan of employer sanctions against hiring of illegal aliens.
Nancy Pelosi and vote against barring issuance of driver's licenses to illegal aliens
Nancy Pelosi and vote against requiring businesses using systems to verify aliens right to work in U.S.
Nancy Pelosi and vote against tax cuts and whether she, then, took the tax cuts or not (not a legal requirement to take any tax cuts)

Jo Nickel at 3:12PM on Nov 11th 2006

296. President Bush sent troops to Iraq to fight terrorism over there instead of here.Has anyone put a percentage of our troops who have been killed by terorists,not by collateral damage of their civil war or Iraqis angry about their occupation?

Chuck Bellstrom at 3:33PM on Nov 13th 2006

297. My understanding is that the President of the United States must be born in the United States. If so how can Sen. John McCain be running for President since he was not born in the United States

Roger Conley at 8:24AM on Nov 16th 2006

298. Hey Sam! Why is it that even as the media is already pronouncing Pelosi's speakership to be "doomed" because of a typical leadership battle, they aren't trying to spin the revival of the titanic Boehner-Blunt Majority Leader rivalry in the House GOP as evidence of the GOP House Caucus's allegedly fragile state.And Dick Armey's 1998 reelection campaign for House Majority Leader took THREE BALLOTS to accomplish, yet nobody in the media back then was saying that the GOP was going to implode as a result.

Phoenix Woman at 11:29AM on Nov 17th 2006

299. Does AOL only cater to the left because to have Donaldson giving his opinion is truly a leftist bias non objective opinion .

Luis at 1:40PM on Nov 24th 2006

300. The American people have clearly 'shouted' out there disdain for the senseless, needless War in Iraq. How unresponsive can out government(President(?)) be? Iraq is unfixable and as Colin Powell stated a 'pot broken' which can never be put back together. If we can't fix out own societal problems of 20 million, give or take a few million illegal immigrants, the most crime ridden society in the world, the ridiculous trade imbalance with China(a sworn enemy), how than can we proceed to fix an already broken Iraq? Let us withdraw to the borders and not let another life or limb be lost of our own military-it is clearly not worth it and we will always perceived as occupiers and will never 'win' this war. The Democrats have a responsibility to cut funding and stand up to the President/King Bush.

Pat Graham at 2:07PM on Dec 21st 2006