This week may or may not have been a political harbinger for the coming years. Following a disastrous year for the Bush administration, Democrats have been claiming victory following wins in Virginia, New Jersey and California. Meanwhile, voters in California and Washington rejected measures that would have limited the activities (and incomes) of drug companies and trial lawyers. In Massachusetts, there may be the start of a compromise designed to get universal insurance (of a sort) for the state, and several other states are looking at the issue. Of course, nationally this will only mean something if the Democrats really carry their (so far modest) victories into Congress next year and the White House in three years. That, of course, is a long time away. But healthcare is fast becoming the No. 1 domestic issue, and a Democratic majority will feel compelled to have another crack at it. - Matthew