TIME cover story: The realists take charge in Washington

[DeepModem Mom]

The realists take charge in Washington
November 12, 2006
By Joe Klein
Editor's note: The following is a summary of this week's Time magazine cover story.



This was a big deal. Certainly, it was the end of George W. Bush's radical experiment in partisan governance. It might have been even bigger than that: the end of the conservative pendulum swing that began with Ronald Reagan's revolution.

Not only did the Democrats lay a robust whupping on the Republicans in the midterm elections, but -- far worse -- the president was forced into a tacit acknowledgment that the defining policy of his administration, the war in Iraq, was failing....

Last week Bush replaced Donald Rumsfeld, the blustery symbol of American arrogance overseas -- and, after six years of near total control at home, had to adjust to a situation in which his vision had been rejected by the voters and his power seriously truncated.

Rumsfeld was replaced by Robert Gates, who had been a junior associate on the foreign policy team of President George H.W. Bush and was well schooled in the cautious "realism" that marked the reign of Bush the Elder.

In fact, if there was a common strand in last week's Democratic victories and Republican defeats, it was the ascendancy of realists. The architects of the Democratic victory, Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, had calculated with cold-eyed efficiency which candidates the party would support, regardless of the extent of their orthodoxy.

On the Republican side, realists seemed to be taking over the national security apparatus -- even if was not yet clear that the president would follow their advice....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/12/cover.story.tm/index.html

[wake.up.america]

1. Where has "Time" been the last 6 years?

[greenman3610]

2. Thom Hartman calls it the "radical middle"

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I like that. nt

[Ringo84]

4. Re:

It's about time the "reality-based" people were put in charge in Washington. Not the people who are too blinded by ideology.
Ringo

[roseBudd]

5. I consider myself a realistic pragmatist. I realize gun control is not gonna fly

I agree with Bill Maher. Let them have their guns.