Politics as Usual in Washington

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he is "more than a little" overweight - but fit enough to be in the White House. His remark came during an interview with Barbara Walters for her "10 Most Fascinating People" special Wednesday night on Amercian TV network ABC. Walters praised Christie's handling of Superstorm Sandy, which has sent his popularity soaring. Concerning his physical fitness, the governor said the nation saw him during the crisis every day for a number of weeks doing 18-hour days and getting right back up the next day and still being just as effective. "So I don't really think that would be a problem." Thus is the Republican Party dealing with the grave problems facing America - the front players are beginning their positioning for the 2016 presidential election. But not to be outdone, the Democrats are already trying to position a reluctant Hillary Clinton as their candidate-in-waiting. And, as if the lack of serious attention given to the looming fiscal crisis and the huge and ballooning national debt by both parties were not enough, the Republicans have decided to attack their GOP House Speaker instead of supporting him, by suggesting that his position as Speaker may be challenged by GOP House members in January. It almost seems that Speaker John Boehner and President Obama are, by default, the only politicians in a position to do something about the fiscal mess in America who are actually working on a solution. And for them, the effort must be daunting. They have to close a deeply felt divide between the GOP's belief in balanced budgets and smaller government (equating with lower taxes) and the Democrat's preference for a burgeoning tax-and-spend welfare state. But, to be honest, it seems that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats in Washington are worried about the December 31 deadline or the future of America. They are interested only in being re-elected by refusing to compromise on anything that would alienate the respective right or left wings of their parties. So, while the real America outside Washington is profoundly disturbed by both the fiscal mess and Washington's inability to function - almost 60% of Americans are pessimistic about solving either the fiscal catastrophe or the dysfunctioning in Washington - the nation's political parties are busy with 2016 presidential candidates and being re-elected themselves. It has not occurred to them that the 2016 presidency may not be worth much if they don't put the nation's vital interests above their own petty political positioning.