PERSON OF THE WEEK - Nov. 5-11, 2006

If you didn't notice, America elected a new Congress last Tuesday, and the Democratic Party took control of both chambers. The change in the House of Representatives was not unexpected, but most pundits were predicting that the Republicans would hold the Senate. They didn't.

I spent some time dwelling on who most impacted the election, and it was not a leader of either party. Instead, it was the man who pulled off the most surprising Democratic victory of the night, Jim Webb of Virginia. A few months ago, few people would have thought that Webb could take down Virginia's powerful Republican senator, George Allen. However, thanks in part to a gaffe by Allen involving a word which nobody knows the meaning of, Webb was able to close the gap and make the race one of the closest in the country.

Actually, it turned out to be THE closest race in the country, and control of the Senate hinged on the results. After all of the votes were counted, Webb emerged with a razor-thin lead, handing control of the Senate to the Democrats by one vote. So for bieing the man who single handedly stole the Upper House from the GOP, Virginia Senator-Elect Jim Webb is ConservaGlobe's Person of the Week.

Tags: Election 2006, Senate, Jim Webb, George Allen, Virginia, Person of the Week