By: Daniel Moss

If you are looking to assign blame for your failing air conditioning or for your flat tire (or for anything else, for that matter), not to worry. In the world according to President Bush, it’s the Democrats’ fault. The President said as much at his party’s June 14 fundraising gala in Washington which raised some $23 million for Republican congressional candidates. He asserted that Democratic leaders in Congress “stand for nothing except obstruction, and this is not leadership,” and contended that the Democratic Party was promoting “the philosophy of the stop sign, the agenda of the roadblock, and our country and our children deserve better.”

Unfortunately for President Bush, who oh-so-subtly suggested that our mission had been accomplished in Iraq more than two years ago, his world – and reality – are often two very different things.

Regarding obstructionism, a quick overview of the current political landscape is in order. The Republican Party currently controls the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Conservatives also comprise a majority of the Supreme Court, and Republicans hold a majority of the state governorships. Additionally, one of the major news channels generally serves as the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, and the Bush Administration can count on the passionate support of the editorial page of one of the most influential newspapers in the country as well as the screaming support of the vast majority of political talk radio stations across the country. Furthermore, particularly since September 11, the Administration has been the beneficiary of a generally compliant news media, which all too often has let many of its statements and policies go unchallenged, regardless of the accuracy of those statements and the harmful impact of those policies.

Of course, it could be argued that the very notion of obstructionism is absurd in George Bush’s Washington -- unless one defines ‘obstructionism’ as President Bush not getting absolutely everything he wants. The Senate has approved the overwhelming majority of the President’s judicial nominations; Congress has passed multiple tax cuts; the Patriot Act stands ready to be renewed. Additionally, Congress – the House of Representatives, in particular – has almost entirely abdicated its oversight responsibilities, and merely serves as a rubber stamp for the latest whims of the President. (A Republican Congress which found it imperative to spend millions of dollars during the Clinton years investigating issues such as the firings at the White House Travel Office and a failed real estate venture can not be bothered to hold one official hearing on the Downing Street memo or on the politicalization of science under this Administration.)

Still, to the extent that ‘obstructionism’ has occurred in recent months, the responsibility for “getting things done” in Washington falls squarely on the shoulders of President Bush and his Republican comrades. While controlling all levers of the federal government, the Republican Party has the responsibility to govern effectively. The failure of that party to do so reflects staggering incompetence on the part of President Bush and his allies.

It also reflects President Bush’s “You’re either with us – or against us” approach to governing. In a country which is still divided politically – a fact which is not reflected in the current makeup of Congress -- the President’s toxic combination of arrogance and refusal to compromise about anything do not lend themselves to “getting things done.”

The President’s role in impeding meaningful progress on a wide variety of issues could not be clearer. For example:

John Bolton, Ambassador to the United Nations nominee. President Bush’s refusal to relinquish requested documents to the legislative body which is responsible for providing “advise and consent” on nominations has led to the current impasse over Mr. Bolton;

Judicial Nominations. President Bush’s insistence on nominating radical conservatives to the bench – those most designed to antagonize the minority party – has directly led to the handful of filibusters he complains so vociferously about. In effect, the President spit on the “advise and consent” role of the Senate;

Climate Change. The President has been notoriously obstinate in refusing to acknowledge the overwhelming scientific consensus that human-influenced climate change is a real problem which needs to be addressed. That stubbornness has made President Bush the single biggest obstacle blocking meaningful action by the global community to address global warming;

Stem Cell Research. Defying the scientific evidence which suggests that embryonic stem cell research may lead to significant breakthroughs in fighting a wide variety of diseases – and ignoring the increasing numbers of his own party who have rejected his approach to this issue – President Bush continues to promote only the most limited of stem cell research options, thus limiting the medical benefits which may be derived from this growing field.

Of course, Republican obstructionism is nothing new. This is, after all, the party whose primary goal in the 1990’s seems to have been to block as much of President Clinton’s agenda as possible, and to remove the President from office at any cost. For this history alone, the current Republican complaints of Democratic obstructionism would ring hollow.

But it is particularly laughable for the conservative movement to complain about alleged Democratic obstructionism while it controls the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government (as well as significant branches of the media).

One might agree with the President that assigning blame for legislative failures – as well as for broken air conditioners and flat tires – is easy enough. President Bush, however, should start by looking in the mirror.

Daniel Moss is a consultant based in Arlington, Virginia. He took a leave of absence in September 2004 to work as the regional field director in Pittsburgh for the National Jewish Democratic Council.