Many have spoken about the evils of divisive, partisan politics and the pernicious effect this thought has had in recent years. Yet, behind this confrontational, childish attitude, is the pollution of governance with the fumes of campaign politics. Campaign politics invovles certitude, unrelenting attacks, and (most importantly) victory. Governance, on the other hand, requires humility, compromise, and pragmatism.
With the dawn of 24 hours news networks and instant information via the world wide web, the "never say die" campaign mentality has seeped dangerously deep into the roots of good governance. The melding of these two political mentalities has resulted in nothing but bad news for our U.S. government in recent years, no better personified than in the stubborness and arrogance of President George W. Bush. The Bush administration and its loyal followers have been less interested in governing and compromise than in ideological zealotry and dominance.
On Jan. 24, Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska highlighted the danger of partisan politics at the expense of good governance. Being that rare type of politician who is not afraid to say what's on his mind, Hagel takes a strong stance not only against President Bush's troop surge plan for Iraq, but his administration's simplistic, personalized attacks against critics of that plan.
It's refreshing to see that politicians like Hagel, who care more about good governance than preserving a fallacious image of infallibillity, still exist:
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