America Is Governable— Just Not by This Man

There’s been a lot of crowing from liberals that the US is “ungovernable” because President Obama has not been able to enact key parts of his domestic agenda. Charles Krauthammer has heard the “usual litany of systemic explanations" before—this moment in history smacks of the Carter administration—cries of “special interests are too powerful” and “the Senate filibuster stymies social progress.” Chill out—the system is fine. It just has a bad leader.

Some liberals, “bewildered and furious that their president has not gotten his way,” are even wishing “we could be more like China,” having “developed a sudden disdain for our inherently incremental constitutional system.” But structure isn't the problem: “Strong presidents” know how to use the system and rally the people, Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post. As one particularly lucid liberal admits, “Obama's job was to sell a health care reform plan to American voters. He failed.” (More Charles Krauthammer stories.)