dionne and michael gerson. mark shields and david brooks are off tonight. welcome to you gentlemen. >> thank you. >> brown: and happy new year. >> happy new year. >> brown: so it is the end of the year, so we're a hawed to think big. not just the week. what defines, what defines this year in politics? >> i don't know, i think it was a year of impatience. the american public -- >> impatience? >> yes, the american public was impatient with the democratic congress that seemed to be, you know, be on every issue except the ones they were concerned about. impatient with a president that didn't seem either as inspiring or effective as he seemed two years ago. impatient with an economy that didn't kick into gear, you know. and i think it was evidenced in the election cycle but americans want results. and that's really a warning to republicans and to democrats. kind of moving forward into the next year. >> were they right to be impatient? >> i think so. you know, i think that they were, it was not just a-- an undifferentiated impatience with the political class. it

that's syndicated columnist mark shields and "washington post" columnist michael gerson.avid brooks is off tonight. welcome, gentlemen. mark, the president left town on wednesday proclaiming a season of progress, was he right and if so, how did it happen? >> he was right. it was a season of progress in the sense that level of expectation especially after the 2nd of november's shellacking of the -- was quite low. democratic spirits were low, disheartened. even made further low down by the president's surprise tax deal with mitch mcconnell and then he went from being james buchanan to being a little teddy roosevelt by the end of having past start and stat treaty, don't ask don't tell, there were flashes. it was rather -- >> what a turn around. quite a transformation showing the restraint and measured good judgment of all our colleagues in the press. who over wrote and overreacted. no question that democrats were heartened by the fact that did he not look like he was going to be a push over in the next session. i think as much as anything. >> brown: get back to the press. ho

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