There is little to add to the words from all quarters about the election. But a few random thoughts;
Much of the press’s analysts (sic) began almost immediately asking what the new Democrat-controlled party will do about Iraq. Their thinking (sic again) seems to be that since they don’t like what Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld have done it is time to put up or shut up. The problem with this approach is that the war is the President’s – he bought it and owns it. Journalists should not have to be reminded that in the United States form of government the President manages foreign policy and serves as Commander-in-Chief. This is simple high school government class stuff and the likes of Chris Matthews et alia need to get out their old textbooks.
My Kiwi friend reminds me that the Congress can have an enormously positive impact in two important domestic policy areas: stem cell research and cost of drugs. I would add health care costs in general and tax reform for the middle class, and environmental issues. One problem will be that the GOP Congress created so many messes that just managing the agenda will be a challenge.
Some journalists have referred to the possibility of the new Congress holding hearings on issues related to the war, energy policy, and environmental issues as “vengeanceâ€. The checks and balances that have served the interests of the American people for over two hundred years require such hearings. For example, shortly before the election the administration eliminated the office of the inspector general for the Iraq War. This must not stand and the Congress is where it can be revived in spirit if not in fact.
The long overdue firing of Rumsfeld will mean little as long as the president continues to live in his fantasy world. Gates is, by most accounts, a smart guy who will work with James Baker and Lee Hamilton to extricate us from this Dubya disaster but the president really needs to face the reality he created and to work with the new Congress to find an honorable way out of his dishonorable war. At his press conference yesterday the president continued to operate in his state of denial although he talks less and less of “victory†and more and more of the need for the Iraqis to take over. We shall see.
Finally, this political upheaval presents opportunities to rebuild relationships between the U.S. and its long-suffering allies. There is no need to pile on here – only to recognize that the U.S. has lost prestige, honor and friends during the Bush years and we can hope that this election is the first step on the long road back
* With apologies to Matt Taibbi, author of “Spanking the Donkey†the best book on the press and the politics of the 2004 presidential campaign.