Face the Nation

Given Republicans portray themselves as the party of strength and courage, it is time for them to walk the talk and answer questions from the press and the American people.

President Bush just delivered an address to the White House Press Corps. I walked across the room to get a pen, and by the time I returned to my seat the president was concluding. The last word was not out of his mouth before he spun quickly on his heel and practically sprinted back into the safety of the White House.

John McCain is threatening to not participate in tonight's debate if the bailout negotiations have not been settled. Sarah Palin poses for photographs with world leaders, and refuses to answer questions from the press. The Republican leadership has put on their invisible cloak.

In contrast, Senators Harry Reid and Chris Dodd just gave a joint press conference. They made statements, then took questions from the press. Barack Obama has filed his air travel papers, and stated he will be at Ole Miss tonight. Nancy Pelosi was on television yesterday discussing the economic summit at the White House.

Why won't the Republicans face the nation?

Regardless of one's perspective, it is crucial in a crisis like this for leaders to be both visible and accountable to the American people. Nothing stirs panic like an absence of leadership. Imagine if in a school the fire alarm sounded and the teachers sprinted to the principal's office for a "summit"; what would the students do?

If the Republican leadership would like to be taken seriously, they must be able to manage both bailout negotiations and press time. The electorate must be kept informed about the issues at stake.

If the American public is to have faith in Wall Street, the negotiations must be transparent and its stewards must be in constant contact with the people. The Republicans have gotten away with eight years of minimal presidential visibility, and set the tone for the current acceptance of leaders who operate behind closed doors.

John McCain and Sarah Palin have demonstrated in this campaign they subscribe to the same theory of privileged power, whereby they do what they want behind mahogany doors, and will let us know what's happening when they feel like it. But now the stakes are too high for this to continue. The press is reporting one of the sticking points in the bailout negotiations is capital-gains taxes; in the worst economic crisis in most of our lifetimes, the Republican party would like to make sure those who have profited from this crisis won't have to pay taxes on their gains. Is this ridiculousness true? It's hard to know, given they're not saying anything to the press.

The Republican party loves slogans. "Mission accomplished", "country first", "smoke 'em out", "cowboy up", and "united we stand" are some of their greatest hits. Here's a new one for them: grow a pair and answer some questions.