Peggy Noonan nails it! When will our elected representatives become statesmen rather than politicians? Our nation is in dire straits on many fronts, yet for far too many politicians in Washington, it's politics as usual.
It must be time for term limits.
"...But the tendency of both parties to default to politics when they think about terrorism—"You're weak," "No, you're bellicose," "You're avoiding reality to advance some dreamy geopolitical vision," "You're exploiting reality to make cheap points"—cannot be heartening to the public.
I think sometimes of the suburbs around Washington, which are planted thick with knowledgable veterans of government—old national-security and foreign-policy hands, patriots of both parties who've served within government, in and out of the military. How painful it must be for them to watch all this, knowing what they know and understanding that political party, at a time like this, means nothing. There is so much experience to share, and so much wisdom, from both parties. I wish those old hands had more say.
The biggest historic gain of this administration may turn out to be that Democrats in the White House experienced leadership in the age of terror, came to have responsibility in a struggle that needs and will need our focus. It wasn't good that half the country thought jihadism was some little Republican obsession.
But both parties should sober up. The day after the next bad thing, we will all come together, because that is what we do. Republicans and Democrats will work together, for a while.
It would be better to do it now. It is their job to do it now"
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