Election 2006 More (10:35 PM, election night)

On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough, a straight-shooting ex-GOP Congressman unafraid to criticize his own party, points out that with the defeat of moderately conservative and more liberal Republican incumbents in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, the Republicans are rendered more conservative in the Congress. True. But I think that Republicans will look at the results tonight and see a repudiation of Neoconservative policies in Iraq...

That's the thorn among the roses for presumptive 2008 presidential frontrunner McCain, who, while no neocon, has supported an even more aggressive approach to Iraq than the President.

The GOP will try to present a more moderate face to America, especially on the war which NBC's exit polls show that 60% of those who voted today don't like, at least as it's now being pursued.

In a way, I think Republicans will see motivation for returning to traditional Republican ideas:

• Balanced budget, frugal spending
• Foreign policy realism
• When looking at prospective wars, employ the traditional cornerstone of US military policy: go in with overwhelming force