From the Editor

I can produce witnesses who will swear that, prior to the 1992 election, I was sanguine about a Bush defeat precisely because it would mean the GOP’s capture of Congress this year.

What seemed likely to put the rascals out was that they were undeniably in. With the separation of powers, Congress and the President can blame each other for whatever goes wrong. Thus, Mr. Reagan is sometimes held responsible for the S&L crisis because it “occurred on his watch” (i.e., was legislated in by Democrats who then misused their oversight powers to prevent the regulators from doing anything about it.)

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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I can produce witnesses who will swear that, prior to the 1992 election, I was sanguine about a Bush defeat precisely because it would mean the GOP’s capture of Congress this year.

What seemed likely to put the rascals out was that they were undeniably in. With the separation of powers, Congress and the President can blame each other for whatever goes wrong. Thus, Mr. Reagan is sometimes held responsible for the S&L crisis because it “occurred on his watch” (i.e., was legislated in by Democrats who then misused their oversight powers to prevent the regulators from doing anything about it.)