Romney: For better and for worse

Gov. Mitt Romney’s post-debate surge, turning what looked like an impending rout into a close race, says something that’s profoundly reassuring but also something that’s deeply disturbing about American politics. Romney is surging because, in tone and substance, he’s now personifying the essential moderation of American voters – a moderation that ensures the continuity and …

Washington’s dangerous fiscal maneuvering

The economic news of recent days has unsettled the conventional wisdom that Washington will take an all-talk, no-action approach to fiscal policy until Election Day, with all sides posturing for electoral gain and delaying action to address looming deficits until late 2012 if not early 2013. Until recently, the political class assumed President Obama and …