Well, as Dick Cheney would say, it’s time to go, and after 34 posts, I’m not waiting til New Year’s Eve to have a sip of something cold and fermented.

Thanks to Paul for inviting me here; thanks to Steve for turning over the keys; and thanks to the rest of the Monthly crew for keeping my feet more or less on the path of righteousness.

Most of all, thank to those faithful Political Animal readers who ignored their holiday presents and bowl games and New Year’s Resolution drafting to hang in there with me and drink the bitter dregs of 2011. Happy New Year to all.

Our ideas can save democracy... But we need your help! Donate Now!

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York Magazine; a longtime contributor to the Washington Monthly; and a former policy adviser to three governors and a U.S. senator from his home state of Georgia.