For legislative junkies in Virginia, there's been just one game in town this legislative session: the Virginia Senate. With Democrats now control of the body and Republicans rallying in a new-found burst of party loyalty, the conflict has been intense and at times acrimonious.

The 2008 session couldn't be more different from the past years, where the body had an almost country club collegiality, where moderate Republicans and Democrats came to consensus with little debate, all while quietly disapproving of the rabble down the hall in the House of Delegates.

We've touched on the change before here, and others have noted the shift as well. Most of the commentary that's crossed this desk to date seems to be of the opinion that the change is for the worse. But it's worth noting that conflict, rather than collegiality, has been the rule in American politics since before the Revolution. Indeed, since 1789, it's been in place by design:

As James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 51:

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government.

Is conflict better than consensus in government? That's a subject decision to be made by voters. But I'll tell you this: Sitting in the Cheap Seats is a lot more fun when everybody brings their "A" game to the Senate floor.