[OESY]

Mr. Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush, is the author of "The Right Man," (Random House, 2003), and, most recently, co-author of "An End to Evil" (Random House, 2004).

[OESY]

Methinks Frum misunderstands the problem when he talks of hiring Clinton to improve diplomatic relations or younger Democrats to resolve Patriot Act dissent -- in the absence of demonstrated evidence that their contributions would advance rather than undercut the policies of the Bush administration.

As Frum acknowledges Norm Mineta and William Cohen did little to improve bipartisanship for their presidents, Bush and Clinton, respectively, so it is not a panacea but rather window-dressing. On the other hand, a deeply partisan appointee like Clinton would invite far more problems than he would solve. Think Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke multiplied tenfold.

Let's first analyze the reasons for Democratic obstructionism, both at home and abroad, and implement solutions that are crafted to work. This is not a time for pie-in-the-sky simplistic thinking about the intentions of the Kumbaya set.

[steve dubya]

GWB needs to just quit playing nice and giving in to liberals. It never works. You give them an inch and they take a mile.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

We're fighting a war on two fronts, and it won't do to capitulate on either one of them.

[N. Theknow]

Democrats have shown in the last four years and especially in the last week that they are not worthy of any consideration other than a slap in the face and a chair at the kids table at Thanksgiving.

They can start "asking" to be included in things American when they start putting America first.

[asgardshill]

As Karl Rove noted during this weekend's "Meet The Press", bipartisanship in this form simply doesn't work. Rove related how Bush once met with a senior Democrat leader, asking for his help in passing a piece of legislation which he called "A". The Democrat countered with a request to incorporate "B" into the legislation. The President agreed, and "B" was duly incorporated into the legislation.

The result? Days after the President's meeting, the same Democrat publicly excoriated the Administration in spite of "B" being included in the legislation.

You simply can't work with these people. Identify and lean on 10 RATs in the Senate and 20 in the House who can be browbeat into reliably voting with you, and let the rest go pound sand.

[Carry_Okie]

The Democrats Bush has hired before have done little but work to undermine him. Why, in the name of heaven, should he give the work experience and credibility with which to run against Republicans?