The extended struggle to raise the debt ceiling makes clear that partisan divsion has all but paralyzed policy-making in Washington. Moreover, a default on US debt would be dangerous, and thus it is easy to bemoan our moment of partisan dissensus--and, concomitantly, easy to romanticize bipartisan consensus. Before doing so, however, we should recall that moments of bipartisan consensus in U.S. history have themselves often been dangerous, particularly for ordinary people: the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, for instance, passed by a 416-0 vote in the House and with only two dissenting votes in the Senate. That we should not romanticize bipartisan consensus is further suggested by considering what "forces" or "factors" may possibly -- at the very last minute -- be creating a minimal "consensus" for raising the debt ceiling. Sunday's NY Times tells us that Congressional leaders of both parties have been working all weekend to find a way to raise the d
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