Democrats in '06
I've been hoping that Democrats would unite around a coherent list of priorities for the '06 elections the way Republicans did with the Contract on America in '94 (whatever happened to term limits, by the way?). It looks like they will be rolling out an agenda before the end of the year.

Among the proposals are: "real security" for America through stronger investments in U.S. armed forces and benchmarks for determining when to bring troops home from Iraq; affordable health insurance for all Americans; energy independence in 10 years; an economic package that includes an increase in the minimum wage and budget restrictions to end deficit spending; and universal college education through scholarships and grants as well as funding for the No Child Left Behind act.

Democrats will also promise to return ethical standards to Washington through bipartisan ethics oversight and tighter lobbying restrictions, increase assistance to Katrina disaster victims through Medicaid and housing vouchers, save Social Security from privatization and tighten pension laws.

The key is, how specific can it be ("real security" sounds like the same lame crap we've been using), and how well will they stick to the script over the next 12 months. Disciplined is not exactly a word I'd use to describe Democratic campaign strategy in recent years.