It’s hardly just begun, but let’s review for a second the rather stunning impact of the Democratic congressional takeover. Not all of these advances have been won through legislation, but it’s safe to say none of them would have happened without the ballance provided by a Democratic House and Senate.

• Rumsfeld’s gone.
• Bush has backtracked on his warantless domestic spying, placing the extra-legal NSA program under the watchful eye of the FISA courts.
• You can now apply to be removed from the government’s No-Fly list.
• Chuck Hagel is openly clashing with Condi Rice on the war, in Senate hearings demanded by Democrats.
• Legislation to address the climate crisis is on the docket.
• The House has increased the Minimum Wage, decreased costs of Rx drugs bought by the government, sliced the interest on student loans, beefed up air-cargo security, implemented new ethics rules, and is about to revoke corporate welfare to the oil companies.

Not bad for three months after election day.

What else am I overlooking?

It’s going to be a good day for many millions of American workers when the 110th Congress raises the minimum wage.

But why not pass something durable: A minimum wage increase with a cost of living adjustment built in, adjusted every three years in a way that’s predictable for small businesses and protects the meager purchasing power of those unfortunate enough to have to toil for the nation’s lowest acceptable salary.

Why not solve this problem once and for all? Because, alas, the Democratic party loves to bask in solving it time and time again. See you again in 2017, you great, grandstanding champions of the little guy.

Watching the president’s press conference, in which he’s recognized the “thumping” the GOP received, and is striking a totally un-I’m-the-Decider-like conciliatory tone, is really quite eerie.

After lashing out at Democrats as the party of weakness and Al Qaeda coddling, he’s now talking about how he knows Democrats care as deeply about America’s national security as Republicans.

Is the Bush bubble officially popped?