Politicians Increasingly Show Streaks of Independence

Summary

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The independence being demonstrated all over the political spectrum these days - by Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman and Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, both in tough re-election battles, and by Republican Sens. John McCain and John Warner - has its roots in American history. When they ran for the presidential nomination, Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy defied the preferences of their parties' power brokers. And earlier, Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln did the same thing.

The American people often have been equally ready to discard conventional wisdom by rewarding independence and those candidates who, in the words of the Declaration of Independence, show "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind." In my view, and that of many others, had Colin Powell chosen to run for president in 2000, in either party or in none, he could have been elected - his character and reputation overcoming any partisan ties and any lingering racial prejudice.

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Extract

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Politicians Increasingly Show Streaks of Independence

Instead, we had George W. Bush, a president who has governed on party-line votes, and who, after taking the country to war in Iraq, repeatedly has used the war on terror as a partisan weapon against Demo...

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