The hardest part of preparing for the party turned out to be cleaning the house before our guests arrived.

NPR: New Year Is Time for Tapas

But in an ideologically divided nation like ours, a party must expend political capital to enact major change (i.e. the Democrats loss of the House after passing health care reform and stimulus spending.) Our polling shows the Tea Party is paying a price for the debt limit battle it initiated.

FORBES: Obama Looking For Love From Fearful Electorate

They know that the Republican Party could be slaughtered in House elections this fall because of the rising opposition to our involvement in Iraq.

NPR: Roundtable: Rice, Rumsfeld in Iraq, 'United 93'