For a saner public discourse
But it takes two to tango. The administration of President Bush must be much more open in its second term than it has been in its first. The secrecy of the first Bush term has not served either the president or the public well. Secrecy breeds the twin evils of error and distrust. It will be even more imperative to be open and candid given the GOP's control of the levers of the legislative and executive branches, with the almost-certain prospect of the Supreme Court moving still further to the right.
William McKinley was a unifier. Following his election (and a war with Spain), he distanced himself from the hardliners in his party, choosing not to see his victory as a mandate for extremism. Like Dwight Eisenhower, McKinley was a master of common-sense consensus politics. President Bush would do well to emulate both of those predecessors in his priorities and his selection of a new cabinet. And the Republican Congress should be ready to follow that example. After all, it owes him a lot.
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