TUESDAY'S WINNERS

In an effort at being a gracious loser:

I would like to devote this column to congratulating the winners.

First and foremost, to the giant pharmaceutical companies: Congratulations. Making Bush the top recipient of your campaign contributions, with nearly $950,000, has paid off. He most assuredly will keep those lower-priced drugs from being imported from Canada and prevent Medicare administrators from negotiating fair prices when the new seniors' drug benefit kicks in. Who cares if Americans can't afford the drugs to stay healthy? The important thing is that your profits will soar.

And so forth for Big Oil, corporate polluters, environmental despoilers and tax avoiders, America's Richest, "moral values" promoters:

We live in a country where the winning coalition is made up of crony capitalists and religious zealots - unethics in business meets the Dark Ages. Certainly, many people who voted for Bush don't fit in either of these categories, but these are the two interests that will be primarily served by his administration. What happened on Nov. 2 is much more than the Democrats losing, it's about the most dangerous and damaging elements in American society winning big. I fear for the next four years . . . and beyond.