Well, it would seem that after all those nightmarish years, the Democrats may again have some power in Washington. As we're sure you know, the Demmies took back control of the House of Representatives for the first time since they lost it so tragically in 1998 (Correction: We meant the Dems lost the House in 1994, not 1998. It was early; we're human. xoxo).

While it's too soon to tell, it also looks as if they'll retain control of the Senate.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that perhaps some progressive policy can take place in Washington. It also means that while Illinois Republican Dennis "Hasturd" Hastert won reelection, he will no longer be Speaker of the House, opening it up to San Francisco based Nancy Pelosi. While she has not yet officially been made Speaker, she seems poised to take over, which would make her the first woman Speaker in history. What was President Bush's reaction? According to a White House spokesman:

His reaction was, he was disappointed in the results in the House. But he’s eager to work with both parties on his priorities over the next two years. He’s got an agenda of important issues he wants to work on, and he’s going to work with both parties.

As for the Senate: well, that's still up in the air, with Montana and Virginia still undecided. It seems as if the race between Senator George Allen and Jim Webb may require a recount. In Montana, it seems as if Republican Senator Conrad Burns's lacking the votes to keep control out of Democratic challenger, Jon Tester. But, again, the votes haven't all been counted.

Now, with regard to same-sex marriage bans. Unfortunately, Americans in Virginia, Wisconsin, South Carolina, South Dakota, Idaho, Tennessee and Colorado all voted to ban same-sex marriage in their states. On a positive note, however, pro-marriage group Arizona Together fought a fierce battle and beat the proposed ban. We predict Arizona's the next big gay thing, whatever that means.

Oh, and you may also like to know that two homo-politicos, Patricia Todd (D-AL) and Paul Koering (R-MN) won their respective races. Meanwhile, reported homo-politico, Charlie Crist, won his Republican Governorship in Florida. Countering the balance, however, New York's gained Eliot Spitzer, who has promised to write more progressive gay legislation.

• The United Nations is fingering the U.S. for not doing enough to protect its gay citizens. The report, released late last month, chides officials for not enacting protection laws for gays in the workplace and on the receiving end of violence. [NYB]

• After 21 years in prison, Robert Rosenkrantz is free. He left a Los Angeles jail on parole after serving a 17-year-to-life sentence for killing his best friend from high school — for telling Rosenkrantz he was gay. Judges had approved Rosenkrantz's parole appeals before but California's State Attorney General's office rebuffed his attempts. [ABC 7]

• As conservatives in Colorado beef up efforts to have the state define marriage as a union between a woman and a man – with a state constituional amendment expected to be submitted today – gay rights advocates are taking a different strategy, putting a bill supporting domestic partnerships on the ballot instead of just asking voters to strike down the other measure. [SF Chronicle]

• Connecticut's Joe Lieberman, fighting to save his U.S. Senate seat from challenger Ned Lamont, today makes a last stab at distancing himself from President Bush by criticizing him on his handling of Iraq and making sure you're aware he doesn't agree with the White House's position on stem cell research or a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. [AP]

• While some military leaders have worked hard to ensure their outfits are at least tolerant of gays, others haven't been so friendly. On the Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, homophobia runs rampant, with a video about the F-14 Tomcat (shown to reporters) depicting pilots – including the fighter squadron's commander – wearing T-shirts reading "I'm a Tomcat guy and you're a homo." While gay service men and women can be dismissed for publicly announcing their sexual orientation, harassment is supposedly prohibited. [Reuters]

• Montana Democrats aren't so interested in supporting gay marriage this time around, though their just-approved party platform calls for civil union support and "hate crime" status for crimes committed based on sexual orientation. [365 Gay]

• Aside from being totally discriminatory, "Don't ask, Don't Tell" is also a colossal waste of time and money. [Reuters]

• New Superman Brandon Routh's bulge isn't naturally super. The codpiece under his uniform is padded. Shucks. [Zap2it]

• A travel company in Montana wants to make sure that you too can have a Brokeback Mountain vacation. And when you do, be sure to re-enact that scene in the pup tent. [Times Mirror]

• Blizzard wants the world to know that its games are "gay-freindly." [BBC]

• Just in time to join the 21st Century, India is reconsidering its ban on homosexuality. [Pink In The News]