All things, good or otherwise, must come to an end.

I’m pretty sure I fall into the “otherwise” category, but I must nonetheless take a moment to let you know that I’m gracefully curtsying out of this space as of, um, right now.

I held on for as long as I could, but as much as I love commentatoring on the tubes, I love being in the thick of politics even more. Starting today, I’ll be returning as Communications Director for the Indiana Democratic Party, a job that precludes me from having an exclusive relationship with one media outlet.

Gone, though, are the days of the “Nastiest Woman In Indiana Politics.”

We’ve entered a new era, and I’m proud that part of my reprised role will be to help disseminate our President’s message of reform and promote new policies that will benefit all Americans, not just a select few. I also look forward to helping recruit and train candidates for 2010 and 2011 while preparing for the objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear 2012 cycle.

Now, just because I’m not going to be a venomous political reptile around the clock doesn’t mean I won’t work my tail off to hold folks accountable when things go wrong. Governor? Mayor? Grandstanding Congressional Republicans? That means you.

(Incidentally, if you’re interested in local politics and the future of our city, I intend to maintain my new blog, Envision Indy, as an electronic watering hole where you can chat about what’s going on in Marion County.)

As for what happens next on this blog, I’m delighted to inform you that Thomas Cook of Blue Indiana acclaim will be filling my spiky Italian knockoffs with his patented wit and sensible sneakers.

Thomas’s qualifications are stellar: He’s wicked smart, and for more than a year now, he’s been following me around – in the blogosphere, at state party, in law school and now here – making me look bad. He “gets” politics without having to think about it, and I have no doubt that he will be signing my paychecks at some point down the road.

All that aside, Thomas also has virtually no ego and can survive on a few ounces of oxygen in any given room. This makes him supremely qualified to share the masthead with Abdul. (You know I’m 80 percent kidding, soon-to-be-erstwhile partner.)

I’m going to leave you with a few pseudo-philosophical lessons learned, but before I go, I would be remiss not to thank everyone in the WRTV family for supporting this blog and letting us take to the airwaves to talk politics during the 2008 cycle. It was a lot of fun, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Yes, I have a heart. Yes, it beats more than 20 times per minute.

Before I sign off, allow me to offer up some fortune cookie-esque nuggets of advice for hacks, flacks, hacky-flacks and aspiring politicos:

• Love what you do, but don’t fall in love with what you do. It will never love you back.

• Some people will like you. Some people will hate you. Assume that the latter is universally true, and you’ll never mistake your enemies for your friends. You’ll also be the loneliest person on the planet, but that’s what good wine is for.

• When you speak for someone or some cause, remember that you are not the story. There’s nothing worse than a flack who’d rather be the center of attention. If you find that you’d rather be the center of attention, run for office. Otherwise, you field the bad news and leave the good stuff for your boss to talk about.

• Trust your gut.

• Be a good judge of character. This is Hollywood for ugly people. Everyone’s faking it a little bit.

• You cannot control the media, but you should be nice to them. Ma Wags always said you get more flies with sugar than you do with salt. That, and the Fourth Estate is occupied by real people. Spoken like a do-gooder liberal: War should be your last resort.

• You will screw up, possibly in a way that feels colossal to you. Ninety-nine out of a hundred times, no one will give a rat’s behind. Make your apologies, learn your lessons and move on. Dwelling on your mistakes will consume you.

• Get away from the madness every so often and clear your head. Candidates and campaigns come and go. There’s a whole wide world out there beyond this game, and it’s pretty easy to forget that. (If you’re the forgetful type, buy a dog or bring some other living creature into your life that will remind you, in a very real and non-political way, when it needs to be fed, watered and cared for.)

• Be yourself.

• Look out for yourself.

• Follow your heart.

• Take chances.

• Smile.

So long, and thanks again for everything.

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