However our enemies may interpret the outcome of the midterm elections -- or how much they may cheer Rumsfeld's departure -- they must have noticed that we manage to sort our differences without killing each other.
We fight with words and ideas rather than bullets and bombs. Then we make up and move on. While Bush promised to work with both parties, Pelosi vowed to make this Congress the most "open, honest and ethical" ever.
Even as we clutch our wallets, Pelosi's words have a certain lyrical quality in the world of Abramoff, Foley and Ney. And, frankly, who better to clean house than a woman who has raised five children?
Finally, it was Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who really won Tuesday with his 50-state strategy. While others in his party wanted to spend money on candidates, Dean insisted on rebuilding the party's infrastructure.
As one insider put it to me: "Dean's greatest weakness (stubbornness) became his greatest strength."
Dean spent millions paying and training staff in states where there was little or no party structure. The good doctor accurately diagnosed what ailed his party and produced the cure. He built the party, and the people came.
What the Democrats will do with their vote of confidence remains to be seen. We know what we know about power, and hubris is a nonpartisan opportunist. Where Republicans have wound up -- corrupt and scandal-ridden -- Democrats have been before.
And, of course, there's always the problem for the dog once he catches the car. Now what?
Of one thing we can be certain: Whatever happens next, Americans will keep the safety on and their trigger finger relaxed. And they will continue, as ever, trying to get this messy business we call democracy right.
That is a victory all Americans share.