The people of the United States are nervous, insecure and uneducated. The Democrats, as representatives of the people, feel they have an obligation to mirror their indecision. The Republicans, who believe their obligations are to themselves, have the strength to act. This isn't Democracy; this is a gathering of subjects waiting for a king.

Leon Fuerth was good enough on Meet the Press today, against Perle, but Daschle was absolutely awful. "We need to get beyond this" were his words.
Strong democracy does not come from consensus but from argument, the assumption being that out of argument come wise decisions and just action. This in turn is based on the idea that people desire education and are willing to learn.

American politics and American culture are based on an anti-intellectualism that discounts the experience of others. That's fine when you're poor, scrappy and streetwise -though it's more chaos than democracy- but when you're rich and lazy it's suicide.