Most people are glad it's over, but not everyone

Most people are happy the election is over because they're tired of the relentless rhetoric, the constant bickering and the incessant radio and TV commercials.

Even the tough old birds known as political junkies have had enough by now.

But there are exceptions. Some citizens are fanatics who consume politics like it's a contact sport. These are people who aren't just interested, but are fascinated by the political process. They started following the race to the White House before the caucuses and primaries even began. They deeply enjoyed the many Democratic and Republican debates and still remember some of the names in the process that won't even be footnotes in history.

These political zealots were captivated by the issues because they knew that issues often change. Issues are the grist of politics.

They saw the race for the White House as a marathon, not a sprint, and they loved every month of it. There were many months, to be sure.

Hardened politico aficionados are avid fans of talk radio, Fox, CNN and MSNBC. If they aren't talking about politics, they're consuming it in newspapers, magazines and the Internet.

For them, now that it's done, life is anticlimactic. The day after Election Day is almost a time of depression, the same kind of despondency that's probably facing Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and "Saturday Night Live." Others who will miss getting their fix are the "talking heads," those pundits and experts who visited our living rooms almost every evening to share tidbits of information. For the rest of us, it's time to take a deep breath and exhale.

Congratulations to those who won, and more importantly, to all Americans who voted. Now get ready for 2010.