Monday, November 06, 2006
Another Vote For Divided Government
Thomas Barnett, author of the well-received The Pentagon's New Map, explains why a Democratic Congress could be a good thing with a Republican White House:
Technorati Tags: Democrats, Republicans, elections
|
Whatever your political affiliation, you should be pulling for the Democrats' return to majority power in both houses of Congress. I offer no partisan plea. I'm just convinced that a split government would be better for President Bush, our troops overseas and the world.Barnett has a point, though I'd prefer to keep the Senate GOP to be on the safe side -- and I think judicial confirmation is important.
A recent Harvard/U.S. News & World Report poll revealed four striking attitudes prevalent among Americans. First, they believe it's incredibly important for the U.S. to remain a strong global leader. Second, they sense America has recently lost a great deal of the world's respect in that role. Third, a super-majority believes we're suffering from a leadership crisis. Finally, more than half lack pride in our nation's leaders.
A return to the divided government of 1990s, when President Clinton was forced to deal with a Republican Congress, is currently this country's best option to restore both Washington's ability to govern and the public's faith in that ability.
Such popular faith matters plenty in our foreign policy, not just in terms of signaling our support for the troops overseas but likewise in how other governments receive our diplomatic efforts over the next two years.
Technorati Tags: Democrats, Republicans, elections
