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Christopher Hitchens points out that amidst making confusing, back-pedaling statements about Iraq, John McCain has endorsed an American version of "Question Time" -- the British Parliamentary grilling of prime ministers that is so riveting to watch. The idea of importing the practice to the United States dates back to the Civil War era and has been brought up periodically since. Hitchens reports:
Speaker Dick Gephardt, after an early and well-received State of the Union speech, had urged President Bill Clinton to stay around and take questions from members informally. Apparently, the president quite liked the idea, but his handlers had hastily whisked him back to the White House. (Again, picture the scene if it had gone the other way: Clinton might still be standing at that podium and asking to revise and extend his last reply.)It has often been remarked that had he been subjected to regular confrontations with his congressional opponents, George W. Bush may not have been reelected. Indeed, a hallmark of his administration has been sheltering the President from any real critical thinking about the policies he supports. How do you think "Question Time" would change American politics? Would it increase public engagement? Could our politicians handle it?--Dana Goldstein
