There are two ways to interpret the surprise decisions this week of three prominent Democrats not to seek re-election.

One is the approach that most major news outlets seem to be favoring: to assume that because three similar-seeming things happened at once, a significant trend must be afoot….

First things first: The noise on the right about Republican Scott Brown pulling off a shocking upset in the January 19 special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat is just that.

The right’s giddiness comes from a new poll - conducted by (who else?) Rasmussen - that shows Brown, a state…

When he nearly sabotaged health care reform last month - and succeeded in significantly watering down the Senate’s bill - Joe Lieberman re-established himself as the tormenter-in-chief of progressive Democrats.

Which raises a simple question: How - and when - can they get even? The answer is…