Short of 60

The thought of handing Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate was apparently too much for most Georgia voters to stomach.

GOP incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss easily won a runoff election Tuesday against his Democratic opponent, providing a tiny bright spot for Republicans still stinging from their November debacle.

Sen. Chambliss picked up 57 percent of the vote to beat Jim Martin. The runoff was necessary because neither man received 50 percent of the vote on Election Day in a race that also featured a Libertarian candidate.

Had Mr. Martin prevailed -- coupled with the possibility of Democrat Al Franken overtaking his GOP opponent in the ongoing recount in Minnesota -- Democrats could have secured 60 Senate seats, the number of votes needed to overcome the opposition's efforts to block controversial legislation or appointments.

Republican senators will still have their work cut out for them when it comes to derailing the more egregious aspects of the Democratic Party wish list -- eliminating secret ballot union elections being at the top of that list. But thanks to Tuesday's results in Georgia, the math is in their favor.