Dec 16 10:47 AM US/Eastern
The US Congress ends the year divided as never before, over issues ranging from the Iraq war, to immigration reform and a series of ethics scandals. Many political observers now say relations between ruling Republicans and rival Democrats on Capitol Hill are the worst they have ever seen. They predict the wrangling will not improve as the United States heads toward mid-term elections in November.
"People naturally disagree about who is responsible for the partisan tone and tactics in Washington DC these days, but most agree on this -- its worse, its more intense, and its nastier," said Nancy Roman, vice president at the New York based Council on Foreign Relations.
Much of the bickering is over Iraq, which has caused sparring between the two political parties and among factions within them.
The Republicans dominate the Senate and House of Representatives.
It has been weakened by a number of scandals, particularly involving House leader Tom DeLay. But the rift in the party became evident when the Senate last month voted 79-19 in favor of a resolution calling on President George W. Bush's administration to show clearer signs of progress in Iraq.
Republicans were also divided over support for an anti-torture proposal that Republican maverick Senator John McCain has forced the White House to accept.
The Democrats have also struggled to find a common voice on Iraq, torn between the public disenchantment with the US military campaign and the need to offer a viable alternative to the administration's "stay the course" approach -- particularly after Democratic Representative John Murtha last month called for an immediate troop pullout.
On most other issues, however, the political battles in Congress have been drawn along traditional lines -- with Republicans and Democrat squaring off against each other.
Senator Lindsey Graham told US television this week that Iraq more than any other issue has given parties on both sides ammunition to attack each other.
"There is no political consensus in this country. Democrats or Republicans are struggling. We've lost our national unity when it comes to Iraq," he said.
"I wish we would quit running ads against each other and try to find consensus."
In a letter to fellow lawmakers this month, leading Republican, Senator Richard Lugar, lamented the negative tone and called for greater comity.
"The quality of congressional debate has an impact on events in Iraq and our prospects for success," wrote Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"We should continually strive to elevate our debate by studying thoughtful sources of information and embracing civility in our discourse," he said.
The Council on Foreign Relations concluded in a study that the Congress wars were even weakening the United States on the world stage.
"People in both parties are complaining that they do not know what the other side thinks on critical foreign policy issues. They say there is generally less engagement and ideas are not being sharpened through debate -- the tough questions are not being probed," the report concluded.
"The job is to diminish and destroy any chance at political success before the guts of the policy are even contemplated," the document continued.
"Over time, the political game has overtaken the deliberative-policy process, which results in a dumbing-down of policy."
Thus validating my concept that any public policy actually enacted into law is a by-product of each political party trying to achieve advantage over its rival; it is not made through a careful, deliberative means.
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