More on the Enviro-Thugs' Losses

The "Western rebellion" that propelled California Republican Rep. Richard Pombo to power now has receded, leaving many of its most important goals unmet and possibly beyond reach.

Democrats will run the House Resources Committee, which Pombo has led for the past four years. That will mean new priorities for parks, public lands and Western water.

It could mean less attention to a proposed San Joaquin River restoration in California's Central Valley.

The Democratic takeover also emboldens the environmental groups that spent well over a million dollars to help ensure Tuesday night's stunning defeat of Pombo.

It all portends an intriguing next couple of years in the environmental trenches.

"As environmentalists, we're often frustrated that our issues are not part of the political conversation," Gene Karpinski, the president of the League of Conservation Voters, said Wednesday. "But in race after race across the country, the environment was part of the conversation ... (and) we're proud of what we did."...

And the kicker for those of you who despair on environmental issues,

"That was all grassroots," [Howard] Dean said. "We at the DNC didn't see it. They did it by an extraordinary grassroots effort in a conservative area."