DISADVANTAGE/BIPARTISANSHIP

LINK: POLITICAL ACTION DAMAGES BIPARTISANSHIP

FOREIGN POLICY BIPARTISANSHIP IS DAMAGED BY INCREASINGLY SELFISH POLITICAL ACTION

Lee Hamilton, director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2001 Spring The Washington Quarterly SECTION: CAN FOREIGN POLICY BE BIPARTISAN?; Looking Ahead; Vol. 24, No. 2; Pg. 123 HEADLINE: How to Forge Ahead //VT2002acsln

With the world changing at a rapid pace and most Americans paying little attention to international events, it has become more difficult for the president to shape a national consensus about the purpose of U.S. foreign policy. Foreign policy debates often turn into partisan disputes because the national interest in a given issue is unclear.

Changes in the Congress have further complicated the task of developing a bipartisan foreign policy. Many members of Congress now view foreign policy as nothing more than an extension of U.S. domestic politics. They use foreign policy to curry favor with supporters or constituents or to score points by attacking the president.

BIPARTIANSHIP CAN ONLY SUCCEED IF POLITICIANS RESIST TEMPTATIONS TO DO WHAT IS POLITICAL

William S. Cohen, former Sec. of Defense, 2001 Spring The Washington Quarterly SECTION: CAN FOREIGN POLICY BE BIPARTISAN?; Vol. 24, No. 2; Pg. 75 HEADLINE: Principles for a National Security Consensus //VT2002acsln

Is a bipartisan national security policy on the horizon? Ultimately, the answer lies in the hearts and minds of those people who will guide this nation in the coming years. It will fall to each of them to resist the temptation to engage in inflammatory rhetoric or partisan maneuverings on such grave issues as U.S. national security or the well being of our men and women in uniform. We must remain mindful that at the end of every debate stand the American people and our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. They look to us for leadership, not legerdemain; for support, not strife.