The House and Senate both flipped based on Tuesday’s election. With all the hoopla about concessions and successions, resignations and designations, hand shakes and half baked, I am focused on a missing link.

Or should I say, missing Linc. Lincoln Chafee, the defeated Republican Senator from Rhode Island, that is.

Did you know that Chafee stood apart from all Republicans and most Dems on the October 2002 Iraq War resolution? Chafee, Russ Feingold & Ted Kennedy on one side. Shumer, Clinton, Edwards, Kerry, and the entire Republican Senate delegation strongly behind the White House on the other (The Vote).

Did you know that Chafee thinks that global warming is real and needs to be addressed? Is against drilling for oil in the Arctic? (On the environment)

Did you know that Chafee didn’t vote for Bush in 2004? Although he did say that he couldn’t vote for Kerry. (NYTimes)

Did you know that 63% of the people who voted in Rhode Island on Tuesday said they approved of him. And 51% said he was about right on the issues (CNN Exit Polls). So, most people who voted in Rhode Island approved of his work and agreed with him on the issues.

I must be getting old and soft, but this Senate turnover is a bit bittersweet when legislators who are doing the bidding of their constituents–and provide a moderate voice to their party–lose out. Somehow I think we all lose a little on some level. Where is the roadmap to bi-parisanship? I need to think on this.