TYPING FAST: Quick thoughts on the morning after...

Looks like Bush wins. I can't see how it comes out any other way, and I think the Kerry camp's intention to drag this out is unhealthy. Were Bush in Kerry's shoes, I'd want him to concede. I hope Kerry and Sajak will do so soon enough.

Am surprised how resoundingly the states came down against same-sex unions/marriage. Alas, this will be the hot civil rights issue of the next decade, as it should be. It strikes me that most Americans are content to have a sort of gay minstrel show these days, with WILL & GRACE and QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY, and perhaps to have "don't ask, don't tell" neighbors and colleagues, but not to truly see the entirely worthy human beings alongside them as deserving of all the rights and freedoms available under our Constitution. Very sad.

A colleague just suggested our country needs some kind of reconciliation, some overt act that will allow us to move past the divisiveness of the past year's campaign. My suggestion is reconciliation must start at home. Kerry supporters can start by looking at their friends and family members and colleagues who voted for Bush and respecting their views. And Bush supporters can refuse to gloat, can chase after their guy where he's wrong (stem cell, gay marriage, anti-choice), and can open their hearts and ears to what comes next, devoid of partisan filtering.