"At least twice in the past ten years, herds in India have stumbled upon barrels of rice beer, drained them with their trunks, and gone on drunken rampages. (The first time, they trampled four villagers; the second time they uprooted a pylon and electrocuted themselves.)"

I sat down with Chris Daniels, president of the Columbia University Democrats, this past weekend to get his opinions on the election, Obama's victory, and what it all means for the future of the nation. He aired some candid views with me, and even made his picks for key positions in an Obama cabinet. Hit the jump for the full interview.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, seen here looking nice and smug, has a new opinion piece in the NY Times. While Democrats are making the case for an auto industry bailout, Romney says that faith in the Church of the Free Market requires the government to let Detroit fail (along with millions of jobs) so that it may be ressurected in a more efficient, business-friendly form. I'll leave it up to the reader to make his or her own decision about whether or not this is a good idea, but to help you out, here's a video of NY Times columnist and Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman explaining why Romney's opinion is ridiculous.

This debate is sure to rage on through the first hundred days of Obama's administration, if things don't get worse before he takes office. CubPub will keep you in the know.

UPDATE: A reader tipped us off to an article over at The Economist which weighs in on the debate, coming down on Romney's side. There's also an article at The Nation that weighs in ... and comes down on Krugman's side. Be sure to stay informed.

Final tally says that Dem Mark Begich wins. Dems at 58 seats.

This evening, HRI presented a discussion on the role of human rights in sustainable development featuring Jeffrey Sachs and moderated by Human Rights Law Professor Peter Rosenblum. The conversation ranged from an overview of the distinct histories of human rights groups and sustainable development initiatives and their recent convergence to the dangers of downplaying international law and the inadequacies of analyses from a human rights perspective.

Since Obama's last press conference, the Democrats have been pressing for a Detroit bailout to save the American auto industry. They say that it's essential to help keep the economy afloat and make sure the industry doesn't go under, but the NY Times has an alternative view of auto bailouts, courtesy of the British bailout of the '70s. It begs the question - is a bailout for Detroit really the best to go, or are the Democrats just trying to throw money at a problem that requires something more federal intervention? There's also an interesting question as to whether an auto bailout would be in violation of World Trade Organization rules. This is definitely an interesting read.

Two stories are sure to go down badly with many of Obama's staunchest supporters on the left - first, as has been rumored since last week, Obama is seriously considering offering the position of Secretary of State to Hillary Clinton, and has even started vetting the senator, who he holds serious foreign policy differences with. Secondly, Joe Lieberman, the so-called "Independent Democrat" from Connecticut who spent much of the campaign bashing Obama's youth and political judgement, will keep his position as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Many of Obama's supporters in the progressive wing of the party have been calling for Lieberman to be ousted, but it looks like he will stay within the Democratic fold. We'll see how this all plays out, but Obama must tread a fine line here - one of his key campaign promises was a break from the centrist policies of the Clintons and their allies, and he risks letting a lot of his supporters down.

What happens when you meet with the guy who insinuated that you were a terrorist sympathizer with un-American values? Or when you sit down with the young upstart who implied you were too old and spastic to hold office? Apparently, everyone turns congenial and the past is put behind them. Obama and McCain met in Chicago today, where Obama is basing his transition, to discuss the future of a relationship that was already frosty to begin with, and which must be strained beyond all reason now. Hit link for more info.

According to a Republican senator, there are numerous similarities between Barack Obama and the most famous Hitler, Adolf. Jon Stewart investigates this claim with his foremost Hitler correspondent in this video. The similarities will astound you!!!

The Summum religion is based on seven aphorisms: psychokinesis, correspondence, vibration, opposition, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender. They applied to erect a monument (pictured) to these aphorisms in Pioneer's Park. This is a park in Pleasant Grove City, Utah, operated by the city council. One of the monuments in the park already is a big copy of the Ten Commandments. When the city council denied the Summum's application, they brought a case to the supreme court. The case Pleasant Grove City v. Summum was heard Wednesday. Scotus, the blog god of the Supreme court, has the complete rundown. Slate has a funny article about religion cases like these, with its own seven aphorisms.