WASHINGTON — Where are the statesmen? At a time when the country yearns for responsible leadership, relations between the two major political parties are so strained that Bob Dole suggested some Republicans might boycott an Al Gore inauguration. Democrats are no better. Let George W. Bush have the presidency, they say. They'll make his life miserable for the next two years. When the country concludes Bush can't govern, the voters will take out their frustration on congressional Republicans, and the Democrats will be back in power on Capitol Hill.
The situation cries out for somebody to ease the partisan rancor, but almost everybody seems to have chosen sides. If this were a ballot dispute in a foreign capital, Warren Christopher and James Baker would be at the head of any delegation. But these two former secretaries of state have been co-opted in a way that probably neither could have imagined. Christopher, a spare man known for his caution, recklessly labeled the Palm Beach butterfly ballot "illegal." Confusing, yes, but illegal? Baker uses the stature of his past public service to plant the idea that hand counts in Florida are unconstitutional because it is impossible to divine the intent of voters. Yet Governor Bush signed a law in Texas endorsing hand recounts in disputed elections.
With Christopher and Baker firmly in their respective camps, the search continues for somebody of sufficient stature to mediate between the two parties. The one figure who has emerged is former Republican Sen. Warren Rudman of New Hampshire. No stranger to political combat, Rudman has shown a willingness to stand for principle over party. He championed deficit reduction before it was fashionable, angered GOP leaders with his advocacy for campaign finance reform, and challenged the agenda of the religious right, calling them "self-commissioned Christian soldiers" bent on taking over his party.
"Follow the Florida law," he says, pointing out that the state's law permits recounts in closely contested counties. Since there is no evidence of fraud, he thinks each side should quit suggesting the other guy is stealing the election.
Some have urged ex-presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford to intervene. They lend their names to democracy movements around the world, and could oversee a National Election Commission, which would have the same authority to arbitrate election disputes here in the U.S.
The last time the country was so bitterly divided along partisan lines, several elder statesmen stepped up as potential negotiators. That was during impeachment. Deals were floated, closed-door meetings held, and for a time it appeared as though a censure motion might be within reach, condemning President Clinton's reckless behavior but sparing the country the pain of impeachment. In the end, the wise men were rebuffed. So far, it's been judges who have played the role of mediator.
United Feature Syndicate