It was easy to pick winners and losers on the national level Tuesday. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the Demos are certainly in the first category. President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and a whole gaggle of defeated Repub incumbents fill the second category. But what about the winners and losers here? Steven Foxx, the Lake City High grad who almost bagged state Sen. John "The Bear" Goedde, was a winner. He made political inroads in Deep Purple District 4 (Coeur d'Alene) and should be a force if he decides to run for City Council again next year. Other winners: North Idaho legislators (all incumbents return and ex-Post Falls City Administrator/Mayor/Councilman Jim Hammond replaces retiring fellow Repub Dick Compton in Senate District 5). Water users (the aquifer now has a bona fide protection district and a funding source to maintain its purity). Bonner County (Back to the Future commish wannabe Bud Mueller was denied the keys to the courthouse again). Losers: 3,252 voters who cast ballots for "European-American" activist Stan Hess in the five-way race for North Idaho College trustee (Ron Vieselmeyer sí, Hess no). Idaho Democrats (close but no cigar for Congress, governor and superintendent of schools). Proposition 1 supporters (whaddya think this is – Washington?). Proposition 2 supporters (we're smarter than Oregon). Gay marriage (seven noes outta eight states mean you'll always have Arizona). Citizens who failed to exercise their right to vote in the exciting 2006 elections.

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