Can't We All Get Along?
Washington's poisoned discourse

William Rasberry is retiring from writing his WP Op-Ed columns and notes in today's Our Civil Disagreement his concern over the polarization of contemporary politics. It supports my thesis that a lot of the nation's problems are created by the "life as competitive sport" mentality. Below is an excerpt:

It reminded me of something a wise divinity professor once said. If you are having an argument with some "enemy," he advised, try to reword his position in a way that would make it at least palatable to you . Then invite him to do the same thing with your position. You won't appreciate the dispute-melting magic in that until you try it a few times.

The trouble, of course, is that such an approach is unlikely to produce winners and losers, and we've come to think that producing winners and losers is the essence not just of politics but also of life.

It isn't. Making this country work for everybody is, and it would be a good thing if all of us -- journalists emphatically included -- remembered that.

I read this column rights after making my last rather catty post. Civil discourse is not only right but might be politically useful--given a public disgusted with both sides in the political war we call government today.