In 1995, then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton stood before the U.N. Women's Conference and declared, "Women's rights are human rights." It was a profoundly radical assertion. A little over 15 years later, it's accepted wisdom.

(And, not to be overlooked, that first lady in a cotton-candy-pink suit and a long blond flip is now the secretary of state who tells reporters to keep their questions to themselves when they ask her who her favorite designer is.)

Expectations weren't high for young-voter turnout in the midterm election. Indeed, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement reports that youth turnout was pretty paltry -- only about 20 percent of voters were under 30 years old. The news that only 9 million young people cast a ballot sobered youth organizers and inflamed middle-aged columnists. In his "Letter to a whiny young Democrat," Mark Moford of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Politics is corrosive and infuriating, de facto and by definition, even with someone as thoughtful as Obama in the Big Chair. Understand it. Deal with it. Get back in the game. If you don't, we all lose. Your choice, kiddo."