When the electorate starts worrying, the most dangerous thing an incumbent can do is nothing. "Americans want solutions, not rhetoric," House G.O.P. conference chairman J.C. Watts warned Republicans in a July 24 memo. This explains why much of the election-year posturing that gridlocked Congress has evaporated as the national mood has headed south along with the stock market.
A bill to reform accounting and corporate practices--a political no-brainer in the scandal-a-day summer of 2002--finally made it to Bush's desk on nearly unanimous votes. The Senate confirmed overdue nominations to more than a dozen key posts across regulatory agencies, including the Securities...
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