Once Again, I Give You

the inimitable Gail Collins. (I read them so you don't have to.)

In the good old days, victorious politicians did not have to worry about currying good will. Their defeated opponents were sent to work out their issues in the Libyan salt mines. That doesn’t happen much anymore, so let’s try to be gracious.

Sure, it was an intense campaign. Of course, regrettable things were said in the heat of the moment. My mother and my sister Patti, for instance, had an argument about the prospects of the local Republican congressman that culminated in my mother betting her house that he would be re-elected. But when he lost, Patti generously announced that she had decided to let Mom stay in residence. I think this is the spirit we should all be trying to emulate.

Still, there is a fine line between good sportsmanship and being played for a sucker. I am thinking of McCain’s other BFF, Senator Joseph Lieberman, who not only endorsed the Republican ticket and spoke at the Republican convention but also said, in the course of the campaign, that unlike McCain, Obama did not always put his country first. Since Lieberman is part of the Senate Democratic caucus, all this is not normal like squirrels climbing trees. It’s more like squirrels breaking into your house and setting fire to the sofa.